Deadline has reported that ABC has taken measures to combat the FCC investigation into The View. Earlier this year, the FCC initiated an early review of ABC’s licenses due to concerns over equal time. ABC has released an on-air campaign urging viewers to file comments with the FCC. It begins with The View founder Babra Walters (20/20, Barbra Walter’s Summer Special) speaking about the show’s mission of “different women, different points of view.”
According to Deadline, a narrator then says, “The View has welcomed your favorite guests and covered the issues you care about for nearly 30 years now. The FCC wants to control who can appear on the show. Viewers, use your voice.”Afterward, a QR code directing viewers to the FCC’s comment page is displayed.
The FCC is currently under the direction of Trump-appointed Brendan Carr. Carr has been in the media several times over his tenure due to public spats with late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel (Smurfs, Bad Thoughts).
The FCC has cited The View’s interview with democratic senate candidate James Talirico. Under FCC rules, television programs must give equal time to opposing candidates if requested. It is separate from the Fairness Doctrine, which required opposing arguments on issues of public interest. The Fairness Doctrine has not been in practice since the Regan administration.”Bona fide news programs” are exempt from equal time laws.
After the ABC ad campaign, the FCC released a statement. A spokesperson said, ” Disney wants the FCC to classify ‘The View’ as a ‘bona fide news program.’ And it has chosen to run a campaign of misinformation to make its case—misleading viewers about the law. That is a choice,” via Deadline.
Disney and ABC have asserted that the review breaks with the long-standing precedent that talk shows are “bona fide” news. ABC highlighted a 2002 FCC ruling that confirmed The View is exempt from equal-time obligations. The show is produced by ABC’s news department.
As of Monday morning, 2,500 comments had been filed with the FCC. After the campaign was released, comments had more than doubled to 6,100 by mid-afternoon.
ABC claimed that the investigation is evidence of unequal treatment by the FCC and Carr. Many broadcast shows feature political candidates on the right but have not received any backlash from the FCC.
In a separate proceeding, the FCC is currently requesting pubic comments on the licenses of eight other ABC stations. The stations under review for early renewal include: KABC-TV in Los Angeles, WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, WLS-TV in Chicago, KTRK-TV in Houston, WABC-TV in New York, KGO-TV in San Francisco, WTVD-TV in Raleigh-Durham, NC, and KFSN-TV in Fresno, CA.
ABC has released additional campaigns for the local stations. In one aired on WABC, the narrator says, “New Yorkers, use your voice. No one supports your community like ABC 7. Sharing your stories, bringing us together, Channel 7 has proudly served you for more than 75 years. Every day, we commit to inform, entertain and serve you. Now the FCC is questioning our commitment to the community,” via Deadline. Similarly, the spot then directs viewers to a QR code.
ABC stations were originally in line for renewal in 2028. Carr cited diversity, equity, and inclusion programs as the reasoning behind the investigation. The probe began immediately after Donald Trump posted on Truth Social about firing Kimmel. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is under the ABC umbrella. The FCC has stated that the investigation has nothing to do with Kimmel’s commentary on the president.
ABC has called the FCC’s actions, ‘an extraordinary demonstration of power and coercion directed at disfavored editorial voices which sends a clear warning to every broadcaster in America,” via Deadline.
Approximately 30 comments have been made to the FCC regarding the stations’ early renewal. The FCC is questioning whether these stations continue to serve the public interest.