NBC is proposing giving free airtime to campaigns on Nov. 27 and Nov. 28 after a number of Republican candidates requested it following Donald Trump's hosting gig on "Saturday Night Live."
The network's proposal is for each of the candidates who requested time to get a 12-minute slot between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Friday night and 12 minutes during the "Saturday Night Live" time period on Saturday night, according to a source with one of the campaigns, who did not want to be identified because negotiations are ongoing. The equal time arrangement was offered to at least two campaigns, with their time airing on 18 affiliates with a coverage area of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, the source said.
Trump hosted "Saturday Night Live" on Nov. 7, but appeared on camera for a total of 12 minutes and five seconds. The source said the reason for the offering of two time slots was to reach an audience that was comparable to the Trump appearance. Campaigns are now mulling over the offer. No final decisions have been made as discussions continue with the campaigns.
A spokeswoman for NBC did not immediately return a request for comment.
The campaigns of John Kasich, Lindsey Graham, George Pataki, Mike Huckabee and Jim Gilmore have filed equal time requests with the network or one or more of the network affiliates.
Trump's appearance averaged 9.3 million viewers nationwide, giving "Saturday Night Live" its largest audience since 2013.
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