You’ve probably seen all the political ads on 7 News Detroit and other metro Detroit TV stations. As the November general election approaches, these ads will continue.
Over the past few months, many people have asked us questions about why different ads are served. WXYZ must follow the rules established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The FCC sets rules for political ads regarding equal pricing, length, and content.

Under federal law“Broadcast stations are prohibited from censoring or rejecting political advertisements paid for and sponsored by legally qualified candidates. »

According to the FCC, a person is a “legally qualified applicant” if they meet the following criteria:

• “publicly announced his intention to run for office;
• is qualified under applicable state and/or federal law to fill the position sought; AND
• qualifies for a place on the ballot, or presents himself in writing and has made a substantial demonstration of his candidacy.
  • A person who presents himself in writing, in addition to satisfying the first two parts, must provide “substantial proof”, that is to say he must demonstrate that he has engaged to a substantial extent in activities commonly associated with a political campaign, such as giving campaign speeches, distributing campaign literature, issuing press releases, maintaining a campaign committee, establishing a campaign headquarters, using social media to advance their campaign application and create a campaign website. Not all activities listed are necessarily required in every case to demonstrate substantial performance.

Related election information