This seems like another obstacle to a quick announcement
I'm afraid you are correct. The liberal proponents of the "fairness doctrine" will jump all over this if Fred announces. Darn, I am a supporter of his.
Fred would stand an excellant chance of getting my vote so I wish he would announce too. I have proclaimed that he needs to do it sooner rather than later in order to really have a chance for the nomination. But he apparently does not consult my advice.
The "Fairness Doctrine" doesn't enter into it. The relevant regulation is Equal Time. Broadcasters can't just hand over air time to one candidate for free. During the recall election, California broadcasters pulled their planned airings of Schwarzenegger movies; that might have been overreacting, but they decided to play it safe..
I don't see how Thompson could get out from under his NBC obligations -- never mind ABC -- to run for office. Thompson appears in over 100 Law & Order episodes, and pulling them from syndication would cost NBC a bundle. On the other hand, if those episodes appear only on cable, FCC regs might not apply.
The "Fairness Doctrine" doesn't enter into it. The relevant regulation is Equal Time. Broadcasters can't just hand over air time to one candidate for free. During the recall election, California broadcasters pulled their planned airings of Schwarzenegger movies; that might have been overreacting, but they decided to play it safe..
I don't see how Thompson could get out from under his NBC obligations -- never mind ABC -- to run for office. Thompson appears in over 100 Law & Order episodes, and pulling them from syndication would cost NBC a bundle. On the other hand, if those episodes appear only on cable, FCC regs might not apply.