Conservative Groups Support ABC in FCC Battle
Conservative advocacy groups and ABC have joined forces in response to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) challenge regarding Disney’s diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr highlighted concerns with ABC’s operation in the public interest and questioned their decision not to air President Donald Trump’s primetime address. He suggested this might influence the renewal of ABC’s broadcast licenses.
A coalition of conservative associations, including the Center for Individual Freedom, Citizens Against Government Waste, and Americans for Tax Reform, addressed a letter to Carr. They advised against setting a precedent that might adversely impact non-liberal organizations. The letter emphasized the importance of retaining the predictable nature of broadcast license renewals, which is essential to avoid politicization.
The letter states, “From media and broadband to the space economy, your deregulatory record is helping unleash investment and growth. We urge the Federal Communications Commission to preserve the well-established, routine, predictable, and presumptive nature of broadcast license renewal.”
The conservative groups argued that non-routine renewal should be reserved for extraordinary circumstances and not used as a means to judge speech content. They seek to ensure ABC stations, namely KFSN-TV, KABC-TV, KGO-TV, WLS-TV, WABC-TV, WTVD, WPVI-TV, and KTRK-TV, retain their licenses to prevent future FCCs from wielding power against conservative media.
Simultaneously, ABC has launched a campaign to gain public support regarding FCC inquiries, especially concerning its show “The View.” The FCC is investigating whether the program violated rules on equal time for political candidates, following an interview with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico. ABC maintains that “The View” is classified as news content and exempt from equal time stipulations.
The letter was signed by representatives from multiple organizations, including American Commitment, The Committee for Justice, Consumer Action for a Strong Economy, Digital Liberty, Innovation Economy Institute, National Taxpayers Union, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, Taxpayers Protection Alliance, and Young Voices.
ABC features a mix of entertainment and news programs such as “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “World News Tonight.” The FCC has not commented on the matter. Brian Flood, a media editor/reporter for FOX News Digital, invites story tips at [email protected] or via Twitter @briansflood.