The crowded field of Republican presidential contenders is not the only group waiting nervously to see if Fred Thompson jumps into the race.
For television networks that air programs starring the former Tennessee senator, his 2008 candidacy could cause a host of complications relating to the equal-time rule, which regulates how broadcasters treat political candidates. The fact that Thompson's gig on "Law & Order" places him on one of TV's most ubiquitous series makes the situation even thornier.
In the last two decades, the gravelly voiced attorney has developed a career as a character actor, typically cast as authority figures in such movies as "The Hunt for Red October" and "In the Line of Fire." But he's best known for his role as gruff Dist. Atty. Arthur Branch on NBC's "Law & Order," which plays in constant rotation on TNT.
If Thompson enters the campaign, his on-screen alter egos may no longer get airtime.
Because of federal equal-time provisions, broadcasters that run programs featuring Thompson would open themselves up to requests from other candidates for an equivalent platform. With at least 10 other Republican hopefuls, that could be a daunting prospect.
NBC has already decided that if Thompson runs, it will replace any "Law & Order" episodes he's in with repeats that do not feature the former senator. (The network has not yet decided whether to bring the program back in the fall, but if it is renewed and Thompson launches a presidential bid, he would presumably be recast.)
"We would just have to work around it," said NBC spokeswoman Rebecca Marks.
But the situation is more complicated for cable networks, on which viewers can tune into "Law & Order" and its two spin-offs nearly any hour of the day. TNT builds its schedule around a diet of "Law & Order" repeats -- as many as eight episodes a day. Since Thompson is in more than 100 episodes over five seasons, excising the programs in which he's featured could seriously erode the network's lineup.
TNT officials are still mulling over how they would handle the matter, in large part because the question of whether the equal-time rule applies to cable remains murky. Federal Communications Commission rules written in the 1970s, before the explosion of cable channels, require cable operators to provide equal time to opponents of candidates featured on original programs but don't address the role of cable networks. Since the FCC has never ruled on such a complaint, the industry has few guidelines to draw from.
