‘The Dr. Oz Show’ will end, with a food show from his daughter replacing it

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Talk show “Dr. Oz” will end in January 2022 after the show’s namesake host’s run for a senate seat in Pennsylvania knocked him off the air in several markets.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, who is known for spreading pseudoscience and medical information of questionable accuracy via his show and other platforms, is running for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania as a Republican.

Fox owned WNYW in New York and WTXF in Philadelphia yanked his talk show from the schedule in early December 2021 after his announcement was made.

Although WNYW is licensed to the NYC market, its signal reaches into Pennsylvania.

A Cleveland station also pulled the show off the air because its signal also reaches into the state.

Not being on the air in New York or Philadelphia, two major markets, is significant and could have caused issues with the show’s ability to deliver on promises made to advertisers or partners who bought ad time sold directly by the show or who participated in sponsored segments.

These moves were made over concerns over the FCC’s “equal time” rule that could have forced stations airing Oz’s show to give other candidates in the same race free airtime.

Starting in January, producer and distributor Sony Pictures Television will replace “Dr. Oz” with “The Good Dish,” a food focused show hosted by Oz’s daughter Daphne, who was previously a co-host of former ABC show “The Chew.”

Because Daphne Oz is not a candidate, her show is “safe” from the equal time rule, though it could potentially cause issues if her father appears as a guest.

In the past, some talk shows have made moved to have themselves classified as “news programs” to avoid having to comply with the equal time rule. Regularly scheduled news broadcasts, along with breaking news coverage, documentaries and news interviews are not subject to the requirement.

Even with this protection in place, it’s not uncommon for talk shows to invite the opponent of someone who appears on their show as a courtesy, though this invitation isn’t always accepted.