Republican senator's TV interview passes muster with FCC's Carr even though Democratic candidate's does not
LOS ANGELES: An ESPN interview on Saturday with a Republican US senator did not violate the Federal Communications Commission’s equal-time rule, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said, days after the agency issued a warning to another network about a Democratic political candidate’s appearance on a late-night TV program. Responding to a social media post by a group of college Democrats, Carr wrote that…
On Saturday, a Republican U.S. senator appeared on ESPN's "College GameDay" program without violating the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) equal-time rule, according to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. This decision came despite the FCC issuing a warning to another network, ABC, regarding a Democratic candidate's late-night TV interview.
Carr argued that equal-time regulations, which mandate television networks to provide airtime to opposing candidates, only apply to broadcast TV stations, not cable programs like ESPN. Additionally, the statute does not apply to Cruz, as he is not a candidate in the current midterm elections. Cruz, a Texas Republican, is not running for re-election this year. ESPN did not comment on Carr's statement.
The FCC's stance followed the agency warning ABC about Jimmy Kimmel's interview with James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for Texas' other U.S. Senate seat. Talarico is running against Republican Ken Paxton in a race that could determine Senate control in November. Talarico's interview was moved to YouTube by Kimmel after the FCC threatened action.
In January, the Republican-controlled FCC determined that daytime and late-night TV talk shows are no longer considered "bona fide" news programs and therefore fall under the equal-time rules. Senator Ted Cruz previously criticized the FCC's decision to review broadcast licenses held by ABC and ESPN, stating that the agency should not act as the "speech police."
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