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.

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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.

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Etymology

Origin of equal time

First recorded in 1960–65

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

equal time

This exemption to the equal time rule has historically been extended to daytime and late-night television programs.

From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026

Under the rules, Carr said, the show would have to give equal time to a Republican candidate.

From MarketWatch ● May 19, 2026

There are moments in the storytelling that skew toward the overly solemn, or overly righteous, and fans of other sports might think they deserve equal time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026

Can you explain to us what the equal time rule actually is, how it has been operative for most of my career as a journalist, and what it’s being used to do now?

From Slate ● Feb. 24, 2026

Then he started talking about let a equal acceleration and let t equal time and suddenly he was scribbling letters and numbers and equals signs all over the blackboard and my mind went dead.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

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