Prime Time Access Rule

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The Prime Time Access Rule (PTAR) was instituted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to restrict the amount of network programming that local television stations owned by or affiliated with a network may air during "prime time".

The first PTAR was issued in 1970 and was implemented at the beginning of the 1971-1972 season; it is re-examined periodically and has undergone several modifications since its initial issue.

The current PTAR applies only to network-owned or -affiliated stations in the 50 largest markets. It restricts these stations to airing no more than three hours of network programming during the four-hour prime-time block each evening and establishes the first hour of prime time as the "access hour."

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