1976 Movie Sparks Equal Time Demands

A candidate running for Congress in Riverside County on Monday asked KCBS Channel 2 to give him equal time after the station aired a film early Sunday starring Ralph Waite, who also is seeking the seat. Another candidate said he planned to make the same request.

Johnny Pearson, who is running against Waite for the Democratic nomination in the 37th Congressional District, contacted the CBS-owned station after it broadcast “The Secret Life of John Chapman” from 4 to 6 a.m. Sunday. The 1976 made-for-television movie starred Waite as a college president who took a sabbatical to become a ditch-digger and short-order cook.

“We have received a call from (Pearson) and are evaluating the request,” KCBS spokeswoman Lisa DeLucia said. “We schedule so far in advance (that) we were not aware that (Waite) was running for office.”

Waite, best known for his role as the patriarch in “The Waltons,” which ran on CBS from 1972-1981, announced his candidacy March 7. DeLucia said that the station prepares its schedule a month to six weeks in advance.

Jeffrey Jacobs, who also is seeking the Democratic nomination, said that he plans to ask for equal time too. Under federal regulations, TV stations must provide equal time to opposing candidates whenever a candidate who has qualified for the ballot appears on a broadcast outside of bona fide newscasts, interview programs, documentaries or spot coverage of news events.

Waite could not be reached for comment.

Similar cases in the past have resulted in competing candidates being given an amount of air time equal to the time that the actor/candidate actually appeared on screen, not for the entire broadcast in which he appeared.

The most prominent actor to be affected by the equal time law was former President Ronald Reagan, whose movies were kept off the air during his political campaigns.

Perhaps the strictest interpretation of the law came when George Takei sought a Los Angeles City Council seat in 1973. KNBC Channel 4 refrained from showing animated versions of “Star Trek,” which included him supplying the voice of Mr. Sulu.

The winner of the Democratic primary in the 37th Congressional District is expected to face four-term incumbent Rep. Al McCandless (R-La Quinta) in November’s general election. McCandless is expected to easily win renomination in the June 5 primary.