Sinclair's List of Demands for Broadcasting Jimmy Kimmel's Show Again
By: Lauren Edmonds (Business Insider)
Jimmy Kimmel is off the air because Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcasting Group objected and preempted Kimmel's program. ABC only owns 8 broadcast stations. ABC relies on 226 independent network affiliates to broadcast network programming. Nexstar and Sinclair own interests in 64 ABC affiliated broadcast stations which is about a third of ABC affiliates.
Suspending Jimmy Kimmel really was a business decision made by Disney, ABC's parent company. And, apparently, Kimmel won't be back until the Sinclair and Nexstar demands have been met.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
- ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show after he made remarks about Charlie Kirk.
- Sinclair, the largest ABC affiliate, said it won't air the show until "appropriate steps" are taken.
- Sinclair said Kimmel should make a "personal donation" to Kirk's organization.
Sinclair, the largest ABC affiliate in the US, says the network didn't do enough to reprimand Jimmy Kimmel for his remarks about Charlie Kirk.
ABC, owned by Disney, said it "indefinitely" suspended production of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Wednesday.
Earlier that day, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Kimmel and suggested the agency could get involved during an interview with Benny Johnson, a conservative commentator. Then, Nexstar, another ABC affiliate, said it would "preempt" the show "for the foreseeable future." Sinclair also suspended the show on its stations.
The company said in a press release that ABC's decision to suspend "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" was "not enough" and included some demands if it were to ever air the show again:
- A "direct apology" from Kimmel to Kirk's family.
- A "meaningful" donation to Kirk's family and his organization, Turning Point USA.
- Appropriate steps taken to "uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform."
"Sinclair will not lift the suspension of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' on our stations until formal discussions are held with ABC regarding the network's commitment to professionalism and accountability," the company said.
The broadcaster said it would air a special "in remembrance" of Kirk during Kimmel's usual timeslot on Friday. Kirk died this month after he was shot at an event at Utah Valley University.
An affiliate is a television station that has a contractual relationship with a national broadcast network. They are separate companies that distribute a national network's programming, alongside local programming, sharing ad revenue. Sinclair is one of the largest operators of TV affiliates in the US.
Representatives for Sinclair did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
News of ABC's decision spread quickly online, where everyone from Hollywood celebrities to politicians chimed in on the matter.
Actor Jean Smart defended Kimmel on Instagram, writing, "I am horrified at the cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel Live. What Jimmy said was FREE speech, not hate speech."
Trump, on the other hand, celebrated the show's suspension on Truth Social.
"Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done," the post said. "Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that's possible."
ABC joins a growing number of companies disciplining employees for publicly voicing their personal opinions about Kirk. Microsoft, Office Depot, MSNBC, and the NFL's Carolina Panthers have all axed employees for what they said were inappropriate or insensitive comments.
Be a good human. Grossly derogatory comments, blatantly inflammatory comments, excessive trolling, mean-spirited taunting and insults, scamming, spamming, and off topic comments may be removed in compliance with the site's Terms of Service and the Code of Conduct. The moderators have the final word.
Jimmy Kimmel is not speaking on the public square. Kimmel's speech is a job on a corporate owned stage. Kimmel's speech is not free speech; he is paid to speak. And those who hired Kimmel can also fire Kimmel.
Here's a little more info:
You mean Kimmel is not the victim?
He can still speak and walk the earth?
Nerm, you are far too rational.
No, that’s not why. He’s off the air because the chair of the FCC - who has been considering bending/breaking the rules so Nexstar can expand toward monopoly - is a loyal Trump supporter. He was personally offended by Kimmel’s comments and threatened to use the power of government to punish him and anyone who carries him by taking away their license to broadcast. The president himself followed up with similar comments.
So the government is openly threatening the business of any broadcaster that puts out content critical of the president or his supporters. Pulling broadcast licenses on the basis of viewpoint would be 100% unconstitutional.
I looked and I looked and I looked and I looked and I looked and nowhere did I find your link to why he was let go.
What I did see, however, was the typical whining because a talking head lost his job over something he did.
What is also usually missed in this particular discussion is that Kimmel has moved over time to a leftist spokesman and ignored the fairness doctrine as well as the equal time rule. Just look back at the guests he's had over the past few years and their political declarations. As far as I know, his show was not a news show so he fell under those rules.
I think he ignored the fairness doctrine because he didn't understand it. Too many big words like "a" and "the".
One would have to be pretty low on the IQ scale to think his show was "news". Kimmel, just like Leno, Letterman, Carson, Meyers, Colbert and the rest of them are opinion shows. They give commentary on what may be going on but that's the extent of it. Their sole purpose is entertainment.
Here . We also have a seed on the site for it already, plus it has been referenced in others.
See Comment 6, below.
The FCC issues licenses to broadcast stations, not to performers. ABC does not need a license to produce the Jimmy Kimmel Late Show. Jimmy Kimmel does not need an FCC license. Streaming services do not need an FCC license. Jimmy Kimmel could create material as a podcast.
ABC only holds broadcast licenses for 8 stations; that's the extent of the threat to ABC. The FCC would need to 'take away' the broadcast licenses of 234 broadcast stations to censor Jimmy Kimmel. And Kimmel could still produce content for streaming services and as an independent podcaster.
Those threats make good political theater but they can't be carried out. For one thing, the civil defense network would collapse.
Now, I know you are not that naive. We see things happening every day that allegedly can’t happen.
Broadcast licenses require that broadcasting be in the "public interest". That allows plenty of leeway, but intentional distortion, downright lies, and dishonest and harmful statements could be grounds for revocation.
Trump keeps pushing to test the limits of his presidential powers, but he can't revoke those licenses. Kimmel is off the air because he's not funny, he's been losing listeners for years, and because he's become a financial liability to ABC....specifically, the affiliates that refuse to carry him any longer
Are you suggesting that it’s mere coincidence that his show was preempted mere hours after the chair of the FCC publicly threatened to take action?
Bring on the "But Trruuummmmppppp!!!!!! " whining and crying.
NONE of that will happen and the typical people will still shriek that this was THE "threat to free speech" and that it's "fascism" despite the facts.
The requirements seems fair.
Fair to the thinking part of society. For the left....
Sinclair propagandizes on behalf of Trump in Americas smaller cities and rural areas.
I looked and I looked and I looked and I looked and I looked and nowhere did I find your link support that idiocy.
If you say so.
Wait one hogtied minute. How do you know what is being broadcast? And why should big city politics matter to rural folk?
What is so amazing about that diatribe is the tacit acceptance that local broadcast programming has more influence than national political messages. This is a teachable moment that illustrates why the Big Blue D has isolated itself on blue islands.
The left apparently expects major networks to hand them hours of TV to produce propaganda for them. They think it's their right.
The amazing thing is that the networks ignored their bottom line and sponsored if for years.
They should bring back Leave It Beaver and Little House On The Prairie for you.
The idea the network news show favor Democrats is silly. All three networks have bent over backwards to normalize Trump over the past decade and it has been a disaster for the country.
you want to argue Kimmel and Colbert were anything but Democratic shills?
All three networks have bent over backwards to normalize Trump over the past decade
Of all the things you say, this might be the craziest.
The idea that someone could think that Jimmy Kimmel Live! was a news show is amazingly funny and sad at the same time. His was a talk show and as such did fall under the FCC fairness doctrine and the Equal Time rule. Look back at the Democrat guests Kimmel has had over the past few years and then try to find the Republican guests over the same years. Good luck.
Why is this addressed to JR? He didn't say anything about JKL being a news show. Yes it was a talk show and what do they all have in common, they all talk about current events.
Don't like the guests that Bill OReilly or Tucker Carlson fawned over, don't watch their podcasts.
Same goes for the View, Kimmel, Seth Meyers or any other so called comedians or talking faces including Kirk.
See Comment 6, below.
There is a lot of jawing about the Fairness Doctrine and the Equal-time Rule.
The Fairness Doctrine was abolished by the FCC in 1987 during Reagan's presidency. Congress voted to reinstate it, but Reagan vetoed it.
The Equal-time Rule primarily applies to candidates running for office and to providing paid advertising time to candidates running for office. Talk shows are generally exempt from the Equal-time rule on a case-by-case basis.