Congress exempted newscasts from the equal-time rule in 1959, but entertainment programs have long been subject to the provision, which led stations to refrain from airing Ronald Reagan's movies during his presidential campaigns.
"It is an odd artifact of a set of principles that for the most part have worked extremely well," said Andrew Jay Schwartzman, president of the Media Access Project, a public-interest law firm.
But the issue has rankled actors turned politicians such as George Takei, who complained that he lost residuals when a local station pulled repeats of "Star Trek" featuring his character Mr. Sulu during his 1973 race for the Los Angeles City Council.
Many television veterans share his frustration. "I think it's ludicrous that equal time applies to broadcast entertainment programming," said Dick Wolf, creator of the "Law & Order" franchise.
This wouldn't be the first time that Thompson's acting career has collided with his political aspirations. When NBC affiliates in Tennessee aired the sports comedy "Necessary Roughness" (featuring Thompson as a university president) during his 1994 Senate bid, they were forced to give his opponent the same amount of airtime as his character received in the movie: four minutes and 13 seconds.
matea.gold@latimes.com
jim.puzzanghera@latimes.com
Matea Gold reported from New York and Jim Puzzanghera reported from Washington, D.C.
