MAD, as in the magazine of years gone by? Please clarify.
No not them magazine. M stand for Media don't know what the A stands for, I think D stands for Demcoracy. Why their group name is MAD.
MAD, as in the magazine of years gone by? Please clarify.
Last fall, we called on Disney and ABC News to stand up for its journalists, and to resist government pressure to silence voices critical of the Trump administration. This came after Disney pulled talk show host Jimmy Kimmel off the air briefly under threats from the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Today, we write to commend Disney and ABC forthe strong stand they are now taking in support of freedom of speech.ABC rightfully argues that the Trump administration is violating its free speech rights and creating a “chilling effect” on First Amendment-protected speech through its regulatory action targeting The View. In its filing with the FCC, ABC argues the FCC has questioned talk shows critical of the president but not those conservative radio talk shows that have featured content supportive of the administration - making plain that this is political retaliation, not regulatory enforcement As ABC's filing notes, with the 2026 midterm elections approaching, Americans need more access to political news, not less.
UPDATED: The Walt Disney Co. and ABC are once again pushing back on the FCC, this time over the agency’s demand that it file early renewal applications for its broadcast licenses, a move that the company calls a threat to the First Amendment.
“It is an extraordinary demonstration of power and coercion directed at disfavored editorial voices which sends a clear warning to every broadcaster in America,” the company said in a filing with the agency on Thursday, along with its renewal applications for eight of its stations. “This is a threat to the First Amendment that this Commission and this proceeding must not be permitted to normalize.”
![]()
ABC Tells FCC Its Early Review Of Broadcast Licenses Chills Free Speech
ABC called the FCC's review of its broadcast licenses "an extraordinary demonstration of power and coercion."deadline.com
Here is more on the Disney/FCC issue.
Lawsuits are only so helpful when the courts function as a de facto extension of the executive branch.
True we keep running into stuff about the FCC going after Jimmy Kimmel and the View. Yes in each case it’s about the first amendment issue. But they devolved into whatever Trump was offended with at that time.Carr keeps insisting this ABC license renewal thing is about DEI. However we should point out that DEI isn't illegal.
Regulations based on executive orders are unconstitutional, because the president doesn't make the law.
![]()
ABC: License Renewal Demands From FCC 'Unlawful, Unconstitutional'
As part of the filing, it said it was doing so "under protest in response to an unlawful, arbitrary, and unconstitutional order" from the FCC.barrettmedia.com
radioink.com
On Thursday, the FCC issued a statement reminding broadcasters of their "public interest obligations:
![]()
FCC Redraws the Public Interest Line With Enforcement Warning - Radio Ink
"No broadcaster has a 'right' to use the public spectrum," is the blunt message that the FCC Media Bureau delivered on Thursday in a public notice that has only inflamed the ongoing debate over public interest that has defined the FCC under Chairman Brendan Carr.radioink.com
In it, they say that broadcasters have an obligation to "fairly and impartially inform the public."
That calls into question hundreds of conservative talk radio stations that are anything but impartial in the way they talk about controversial issues.
The only groups this FCC is going to go after on this redefinition are groups that publish or air anything critical of President Trump.
On Thursday, the FCC issued a statement reminding broadcasters of their "public interest obligations:
“No broadcaster has a ‘right’ to use the public spectrum,” the notice says, adding that denial of a license because “the public interest” requires it “is not a denial of free speech.”
Are satellite transponders public airwaves? Could they go after cable as well.From the linked article:
When you grant a broadcaster a license, that gives them a right to use the public airwaves. By definition, that's what a license is. The foundation of the American system of broadcasting is that the government grants licenses, which give broadcasters a right to use the airwaves.
This commission is using the vague words of "the public interest" to act as judge & jury in order to deny free speech. The supreme court ruled in the Chevron case that regulatory agencies can't do this.
Are satellite transponders public airwaves? Could they go after cable as well.
It’s radio frequencies delivering the signal. I’m sure Trump could come up with an excuse to go after something he doesn’t like.
It’s radio frequencies delivering the signal. I’m sure Trump could come up with an excuse to go after something he doesn’t like.
He knows that network news doesn’t need the networks to get their news out. They can just go direct. Pulling licenses won’t stop them.The administration has been very direct and specific that it doesn't regulate cable TV. This only applies to broadcasting.
radioink.com
And matters of law and the Constitution have mattered so far? Other than tariffs, and that of as much about businesse$$ as any trivial matter of law, SCOTUS has twisted the Constitution and precedent like a pretzel to support almost everything the regime desires.Carr keeps insisting this ABC license renewal thing is about DEI. However we should point out that DEI isn't illegal.
Regulations based on executive orders are unconstitutional, because the president doesn't make the law.
![]()
ABC: License Renewal Demands From FCC 'Unlawful, Unconstitutional'
As part of the filing, it said it was doing so "under protest in response to an unlawful, arbitrary, and unconstitutional order" from the FCC.barrettmedia.com