On Tuesday, we were deluged with press inquiries about Dr. Oz’s declaration that he was going to seek the open US Senate seat in Pennsylvania – with many questions as to whether his syndicated television program would subject stations that aired it to equal time obligations. The Doctor avoided issues for stations by immediately terminating his participation on the program, but the events of this week highlight that, with 2022 expected to be a very busy election season that will soon be upon us, many stations may be facing the question of what to do when an on-air employee decides to seek election to a public office.
We have written about this issue many times before, including coverage of when well-known local or national personalities have contemplated runs for office – see our stories here, here and here. In 2017, we wrote another article here, updating prior articles on the same subject. While the rules have not changed in the 15 years that we have been writing about it, it seems that there are always questions, so it is worth revisiting the issues again.
Continue Reading Dr. Oz Decides to Run for the Senate – What to Do When Your On-Air Employee Decides to Run for Public Office