F.C.C. Orders a Review of ABC’s Broadcast Licenses
Category: News & Politics
Via: hallux • 7 months ago • 17 commentsBy: Jim Rutenberg and John Koblin - NYT
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Federal regulators on Tuesday ordered a review of all station licenses owned by ABC, an extraordinary move to pressure a major television network whose programming has frequently angered President Trump.
The agency overseeing the review, the Federal Communications Commission, said in a filing that the review was related to an investigation into ABC’s diversity and inclusion policies. But it came in the middle of a fight this week between Mr. Trump and the network’s late night host, Jimmy Kimmel, that prompted the president to demand that ABC fire Mr. Kimmel.
The F.C.C. action represented an escalation by the Trump administration and the president to punish major media outlets for their coverage. Mr. Trump has personally sued several news organizations, including The New York Times, and the Pentagon has tried to sharply restrict news media access.
Mr. Trump’s F.C.C. chairman, Brendan Carr, has repeatedly threatened to take action against broadcasters, including to take away their valuable station licenses. His agency’s action on Tuesday was the first direct step toward potentially doing so.
The federal government has never before ordered such a sweeping review of a major television network’s licenses, which allow the companies to broadcast in local markets. All told, ABC owns eight of the more than 200 local stations that carry its programming across the country, in vital markets including New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.
Still, the move all but guarantees months if not years of legal wrangling that would lock the network in an expensive, running war with the federal government.
ABC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But media lawyers and free speech advocates have decried the action, and vowed to fight it in court.
Under normal F.C.C. protocol, ABC would not have to apply to renew any of its station licenses — which run on eight-year terms — until 2028, as Mr. Trump would be coming to the end of his term.
But a little-used provision of the law allows the F.C.C. to force stations to apply for renewal of their licenses at any time, opening the door to an early refusal to renew.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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Meh, Viktor Orbán’s family is moving to the US (his daughter and son-in-law are already there), they could buy ABC with the billions they made squashing free speech in Hungary.
The government is running in the red while Disney (ABC's parent company) as billions in profits. This is a war MAGA cannot win.
So the FCC is looking into it. And naturally there are some that will blow this up as some kind of "end of the world" scenario without knowing what's going on.
We know what's going on. Jimmy Kimmel hurt little Trumpy's feelings....
Thanks for identifying yourself.
And it is kind of funny you make this comment after what we've seen from the left for the last 10 years.
But......but......but......whatabout......
DEFLECTION.
Says the guy who is trying a whataboutism...
Looking into what, specifically? Let’s not just blindly swallow nonsense.
What policies? What’s wrong with them? Were there complaints? How do they violate regulations?
Yet here you are complaining about nonsense for the last 10 years.
Not my statement. Keep up.
I never said it was. It’s a quote from the seed. Keep up.
You quoted it as if it was. That's something you all normally set your hair on fire and cry about if somebody else does it.
OMG! ABC is so WOKE!!!!
let's do away with them
The FCC should look into Truth Social.
ABC only owns 8 licensed broadcast stations. So how much is this going to cost?
Why is the Trump administration so fiscally reckless? Trump wouldn't be pulling these stunts if the money came from his pocket.
You answered your own question:
The reich wing war on freedom of speech marches forward.