Legal Definitions - equal-time doctrine

The equal-time doctrine is a U.S. federal law that requires broadcasters (radio and television stations) to provide an equivalent opportunity to all legally qualified political candidates who request to use their airwaves. If a broadcasting station permits one candidate for a specific office to use its facilities, it must offer all other candidates for that same office an equal opportunity to use those facilities. This applies to the amount of time, the cost (or lack thereof), and the nature of the access (e.g., prime time vs. late night). The primary goal is to prevent broadcasters from favoring one candidate over another by controlling access to the airwaves.

• Example 1: Local Mayoral Debate

  A local television station in a mid-sized city decides to host a 30-minute town hall meeting where Candidate A, who is running for mayor, answers questions from constituents. The event is broadcast live during prime time.

  How it illustrates the term: Under the equal-time doctrine, if Candidate B and Candidate C are also legally qualified candidates for mayor and request airtime, the station must offer them a similar 30-minute town hall meeting or an equivalent opportunity (e.g., a solo interview of the same length) at a comparable time slot. The station cannot refuse to air their segments or offer them significantly less desirable times, such as late at night, if Candidate A's segment was in prime time.

• Example 2: Celebrity Endorsement on Radio

  A popular statewide radio station airs a 60-second commercial featuring a well-known local celebrity endorsing Candidate X for governor. The celebrity explicitly encourages listeners to vote for Candidate X.

  How it illustrates the term: Because the celebrity's endorsement of Candidate X is identifiable and uses the station's facilities to promote a candidate, the equal-time doctrine would require the radio station to offer similar 60-second spots to all other legally qualified gubernatorial candidates who request it. This ensures that the station doesn't inadvertently give an unfair advantage to one candidate through a celebrity's use of its airwaves.

• Example 3: Documentary Featuring an Incumbent President

  During a presidential election year, a major national television network airs a two-hour documentary about the life and political achievements of the incumbent President, who is also a candidate for re-election. The documentary is not presented as a news special or a bona fide news interview.

  How it illustrates the term: If the documentary is deemed to "use" the station's facilities by the candidate (i.e., it's not a legitimate news event or interview exempt from the doctrine), then all other legally qualified presidential candidates, including those from minor parties, could request an equal amount of airtime on the network. The network would then be obligated to provide two hours of comparable airtime to each requesting candidate, even if they have very little public support, to ensure fairness in access to the broadcast medium.