All those grumblings about how Donald Trump’s SNL hosting gig appeared to violate broadcast television equal time rules? Well, they were right. NBC has to comply with election rules, so they’ve offered his opponents their own 12 minutes of free airtime, should they decide to claim it. NBC affiliates posted the following notice:
“Donald Trump, a candidate for the Republican nomination for President in the 2016 national election, appeared without charge on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” for a total period of 12:05 (12 minutes and 5 seconds) commencing at 11:39:11 PM ET on November 7 and ending at 1:01:01AM ET on November 8, 2015.”
They posted a similar notice after Hillary Clinton made an approximately three-minute appearance during the season premiere … but 12 minutes? That could be quite a windfall for a Republican candidate. Jeb Bush could run his popular Vines hundreds of times. Marco Rubio could drink a few gallons of water. Ben Carson could make up a few thousand fibs. Which of them will step up to NBC’s offer this week?