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

Example Sentences

The Radio Act established the Equal Time Rule, which still governs broadcast radio and television.

From The Wall Street Journal

Craig Kilborn, host of CBS’s “The Late Late Show,” deemed the Equal Time Rule a censorship device, as he wrote in a New York Times op-ed piece, “My Couch is Too Small for 135 Candidates.”

From The Wall Street Journal

In fact, presidential TV debates were blocked by the Equal Time Rule in the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s.

From The Wall Street Journal

Daly demanded equal time, and shockingly the commission voted 4-3 to grant it.

From The Wall Street Journal

A one-time solution was enacted: The Equal Time Rule was suspended for the 1960 presidential campaign.

From The Wall Street Journal