Randall Terry’s Anti-Abortion Ads May Not Run For Super Bowl After All
Randall Terry, whose anti-abortion views are well known, had sought to run ads during the Super Bowl that would have included images of dead and aborted fetuses, is finding resistance from some of the stations he’s targeted.
The FCC requires that local stations are required to air a federal candidate’s advertising in campaign form for 45 days leading up to a primary election. However, at least the Chicago NBC affiliate is saying that the rules shouldn’t apply since Terry isn’t actually a bona fide candidate. He hasn’t done anything to be considered a bona fide candidate. He hasn’t campaigned. He hasn’t distributed literature. He hasn’t issued press releases, and he hasn’t said anything on a campaign trail that actually indicates he’s a presidential candidate.
NBC argues that this wouldn’t be a question if Terry was a legally-qualified candidate. Problem for Terry is that he isn’t. It’s just a stunt designed to insert his anti-abortion views into millions of homes nationwide.
The NBC position is likely to work, but while Chicago may be spared - this insanity might still reach into millions of households during the Super Bowl. NBC’s Chicago affiliate might see backlash in the form of protests outside its offices or calls for a boycott, but they’d rather see those than the ads broadcast.
As of right now, here’s the list of cities where the ads will be viewed according to Terry:
During the pre-game show: Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Kansas City, Kansas/Missouri; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; St. Louis, Missouri; Tulsa, Oklahoma
During the game: Ada, Oklahoma; Grand Junction, Colorado; Joplin, Missouri; Paducah, Kentucky; Springfield, Missouri