equal time

American  

noun

1. an equal amount of time on the air, which radio and television licensees are required to offer to opposing candidates for public office and to those voicing diverging views on public referendums.

---

equal time Cultural  

1. A ruling of the United States government, administered by the Federal Communications Commission, requiring that all candidates for public office be given equal access to the free or paid use of radio and television.

---

Etymology

Origin of equal time

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

These were said to usher in a potential re-examination of late-night TV’s longstanding exemption to rules requiring equal time for candidates of different political parties.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026

This all led to, according to Colbert, him being explicitly told that he could not run that interview, or at least not without giving equal time.

From Slate • Feb. 24, 2026

Schwartzman noted that equal time provision cases are typically resolved quickly, as the rule applies only during an election campaign.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

News content has traditionally been exempted from the "equal time" rule.

From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026

Besides, those little shorthand symbols in the book my mother showed me seemed just as bad as let t equal time and let s equal the total distance.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath