NEW YORK, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Shock jock Howard Stern has had to cancel his interview of Arnold Schwarzenegger because of the Federal Communications Commission's equal-time rule.
Stern's lawyers advised him if he interviews Schwarzenegger, he would be obligated to interview all 135 gubernatorial candidates in the California runoff election -- if they requested equal time.
Schwarzenegger, a frequent guest on the radio program, told Stern June 24 that if he decided to run for governor, he would come back on the show to talk about it. A phone interview was set for Wednesday but it was postponed.
What particularly irked Stern, was that Schwarzenegger could still appear on Oprah Winfrey's television show, a gig his staff said is in the works. That could happen because newscasts, news interview shows and documentaries are exempt from equal-time provisions.