NBC Ensures Equal Time After Harris SNL Appearance

NBC aired a Donald Trump advertisement for free on Sunday to comply with the FCC's 'equal time' rule following Vice President Kamala Harris's surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live. The rule mandates that broadcast networks provide equal airtime to all legally qualified political candidates if one is given access. Harris appeared for about 90 seconds, prompting NBC to air a Trump ad of similar length twice, following a NASCAR race and Sunday Night Football, where he urged voters to participate in the upcoming election. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr criticized Harris's SNL appearance as a violation of this rule, emphasizing the importance of avoiding partisan bias by broadcasters. NBC has filed the necessary notices with the FCC to document Harris's free appearance on SNL. The network's compliance efforts reflect the FCC's guidelines, which do not require identical programming but do mandate comparable opportunities for political candidates.