3 GOP Presidential Candidates Demand Equal Airtime After Donald Trump’s ‘SNL’ Stint

Three Republican presidential candidates have filed a request under Federal Communications Commission’s “Equal Time” rule, demanding that NBC stations in key early voting states set aside the same amount of time for each of them that Donald Trump got when he hosted “Saturday Night Live” on November 7.

Former New York Gov. George Pataki sent a request to 16 NBC affiliates, including stations in New England, South Carolina, Iowa and his home state of New York. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) filed a request to NBC affiliates in Iowa, and Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) has asked for airtime in Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and South Carolina. The NBC affiliate request could help them get some of the airtime lost due to low poll numbers. Broadcast and radio stations are required under federal law to offer equivalent airtime to candidates to appear on non-news programs during an election cycle.