Walt Disney Co.'s ABC network launched the campaign Monday as deadlines near for public comment in two FCC proceedings
Gary Hershorn / Getty Images
ABC launched an on-air advertising campaign Monday urging viewers to push back against two Federal Communications Commission proceedings: an investigation into talk show "The View" and an early license renewal process targeting eight of the network's owned television stations, according to Deadline.
Airing for the first time during Monday's "View" broadcast, the ads draw on footage of the show's late founder Barbara Walters and carry a warning that "the FCC wants to control who is allowed to appear on the show." Viewers are pointed to a QR code at the end of each spot, which links to the FCC's public comment portal ahead of a July 6 deadline, according to The Wall Street Journal.
On the eight ABC-owned stations exclusively, a second round of spots carries the message: "tell the FCC to keep your trusted local station on the air." Those spots carry a July 29 comment deadline. The eight stations subject to the license proceeding span major markets: WABC-TV in New York, KABC-TV in Los Angeles, WLS-TV in Chicago, WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, KTRK-TV in Houston, KGO-TV in San Francisco, WTVD-TV in Raleigh-Durham, NC, and KFSN-TV in Fresno, CA. Public participation in both proceedings remained limited as of Monday, with the "View" inquiry drawing close to 2,500 comments and the license renewal matter receiving only around 30.
Walt Disney $DIS Co.'s ABC has called the FCC's actions an attempt to suppress speech. The inquiry was opened by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr — a Trump appointee — following an episode of "The View" that included James Talarico, who was at the time running as a Democrat for a Texas U.S. Senate seat, raising questions about whether the show had run afoul of federal equal-time requirements. In response, ABC has cited a decades-old FCC determination — issued in 2002 — that granted "The View" status as a "bona fide" news program, a designation that would shield it from equal-time obligations. Carr has maintained that the license review flows from questions about Disney's diversity, equity and inclusion practices — and that programming decisions play no part in it.
ABC submitted renewal applications for the eight stations under protest last month, describing the FCC's order as "unlawful, arbitrary, and unconstitutional." ABC also noted that the FCC had not invoked this type of accelerated renewal process in over half a century. Those stations had originally been scheduled for renewal no earlier than 2028. ABC's filings accused the agency of "unconstitutional retaliation and coercion" and contended that silencing disfavored voices — not any legitimate regulatory concern — was the FCC's underlying objective.
The FCC's pressure on Disney has drawn scrutiny beyond the network. FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, the panel's sole Democrat, wrote to Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro accusing FCC Chairman Brendan Carr of subjecting the company to a "sustained, coordinated campaign of censorship and control." Gomez argued that the legal vulnerability of the FCC's actions was not incidental — "the threat is the point," she wrote.
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