Brendan Carr says equal-time concerns stem from TV misreadings, not talk radio
Mar 4th 2026
At a Feb 18 FCC press conference Commissioner Brendan Carr said he sees TV broadcasters misreading equal-time precedents but has not seen the same problems on radio, a position that drew public criticism and questions about uneven enforcement.
- The equal-time rule requires broadcasters to offer comparable airtime to opposing candidates after airing a legally qualified candidate, with exceptions for bona fide news interviews and similar programming.
- A Deadline reporter asked Carr at the Feb 18 FCC press conference why he had not raised the same concerns for talk radio after noting that Sean Hannity’s program featured Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Senate candidate.
- Carr said programmers appear to be misreading case law on TV but that the commission has not seen the same issues on radio and that equal-time applies across broadcast and will be reviewed as needed.
- Former FCC counselor Gigi Sohn told Ars Technica that Carr’s distinction between TV and radio was 'a bunch of nonsense' and argued equal-time should be applied equally to both platforms.
- Media observers warn that inconsistent enforcement between TV and radio could produce unequal standards for how candidate appearances are handled on broadcast platforms.