NBC gave Donald Trump two minutes of free airtime during prime time Sunday night sporting events after the Peacock Network was accused of giving more time towards his opponent.
Kamala Harris received 90 seconds of free airtime on the eve of election week during a surprise cameo appearance on Saturday Night Live.
But Brendan Carr, the senior Republican commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission didn’t see the funny side and blasted the Vice President’s appearance as a ‘clear and blatant effort’ to evade the Equal Time rule.
‘The purpose of the rule is to avoid exactly this type of biased and partisan conduct – a licensed broadcaster using the public airwaves to exert its influence for one candidate on the eve of an election unless the broadcaster offered Equal Time to other qualifying campaigns,’ Carr wrote on X.
Carr said the FCC’s ‘equal time’ rule means candidates must get the same amount of air time, alleging how NBC ‘structured this appearance in a way that evades these requirements’.
In a bid to make amends, NBC allowed the Trump campaign the option to place two ad spots during Sunday’s NASCAR coverage together with a second spot during Sunday Night Football.
Typically advertising during NBC’s Sunday Night Football is among the most expensive on television with a 60-second commercial spot averaging close to $1.7million, while an ad during NASCAR would also come close to the $1million mark.
Harris appeared on SNL for 90 seconds meaning NBC ultimately gave Trump an extra 30 seconds of free airtime.
The rules do not require the network to have the candidate appear on a show similar to the one their opponent appeared on, just a similar amount of broadcast time.
The first advert for Trump came during the NBC broadcast of a NASCAR playoff race.
Just as the race came to an end, Trump appeared in an ad that was markedly different from previous spots and with the look of having been hastily put together.
Trump spoke directly to camera standing in front of an American flag while wearing one of his signature red MAGA baseball caps.
‘Hello to our great sports fans and I hope you’re having a fantastic time,’ Trump said in the minute-long address, specifically recorded for Sunday night.
‘We’re two days away from the most important election in the history of our country, we’ve got to save our country and it needs saving. It’s in very bad shape. The worst economic numbers in generations, were just announced two days ago,’ he began.
‘We’re losing jobs we’re losing everything including viability. We’re going to end up in depression based on what’s been happening. We’ve never seen anything like it at least for the last 40 years,’ Trump said as rousing strings played beneath him.
‘We have to straighten out our country, we have to close our borders, we have to lower our taxes, we have to get rid of inflation and we’re going to do it.
‘Just remember Kamala and her friends broke it. I’ll fix it. Most important election in the history of our country. Go and vote!’ Trump implored.
Later in the evening, Trump was given an additional 60 seconds of campaign time during post-game coverage on NBC’s Sunday Night Football in which the same advert was played.
SNL creator Lorne Michaels has previously said the strict rules on candidate timings were one of the reasons why Trump or Harris had not appeared during on the show this season.
The Federal Communication’s Commission’s equal-time rule was created in 1934 and requires radio and television broadcast stations to give the same time for competing political candidates.
Harris’ appearance on the show, which came as a complete surprise, saw her playing herself as a mirror-image double of Maya Rudolph’s version of her in the show’s cold open.
The first lines the candidate spoke as she sat across from Rudolph, their outfits identical, were completely drowned out by cheers from the audience.
‘It is nice to see you Kamala,’ Harris told Rudolph with a broad grin she kept throughout the sketch. ‘And I’m just here to remind you, you got this.’
In sync, the two said their supporters need to ‘Keep Kamala and carry-on-ala,’ declaring that they share each other’s ‘belief in the promise of America’ and delivered the signature ‘Live from New York it’s Saturday night!’
With the appearance on NBC’s sketch comedy show, the Democratic nominee was hoping to generate buzz and appeal to a nationwide audience.
Harris had left Charlotte, North Carolina and had been scheduled to head to Detroit, but once in the air, aides said she would be landing in New York City.
The appearance was only confirmed by Harris’ team about a few hours before the live broadcast began.
The vice president arrived at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, where SNL tapes, shortly after 8pm, enough time for a quick rehearsal before the show aired live at 11:30pm.
She left immediately after the opening segment and told reporters, ‘It was fun!’ as she boarded her plane for Michigan.
Politicians have a long history on SNL, including Trump, who hosted the show in 2015, but appearing so close to Election Day is unusual.