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View Full Version : Fred Thompson & issue of free air time/"equal time"/FCC




LizF
07-15-2007, 01:54 AM
Excerpt from the article; brief mention of RP:

""His TV career has given him name ID that most candidates would have to spend millions to gain nationwide," says political pollster Whit Ayres. "He's a celebrity outside of politics, too."

So far, none of the Republican presidential contenders has made an issue out of "Law & Order." Some candidates might be reluctant to direct even more attention to Thompson. Or they may simply be waiting for him to join the race, then picking the optimal time to file a complaint.

"Some Republican candidate like Ron Paul —- he's so wonderfully outspoken and he could probably use free [air] time," suggests Nicholas Johnson, a former FCC commissioner who teaches communications law at the University of Iowa. "He would go to TNT and say, 'You're putting on Fred Thompson, that triggers [the equal opportunity provision] and I demand my free time.'"

Paul's campaign hasn't contemplated taking any action, according to communications director Jesse Benton, who conceded Thompson's name recognition was "a nice little perk right now." "

Link to article:
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/news/stories/2007/07/15/tvpols.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=15