The ABC vs the FCC war of words has escalated…

[umfan]

There isn’t a case yet. There may well be in the not so distant future, but for now it’s Disney pushing back against an action, not filing a suit. If it does go to a trial, it almost certainly would eventually wind up before SCOTUS; neither side is going to concede until all avenue are exhausted or they reach a settlement.

A bit of irony that ABC is the network going all in on the over-the-top, sugar-coated patriotism this week with that 24-hour (and then some) nonstop propaganda fest. It’s exactly the kind of thing the current regime seems to bask in, but because one late-night comedian poked fun at the gasbag in chief, here we are.

I doubt the current issues with the FCC had any influence on the prime time programming this week. This is exactly what ABC would air for a national milestone like this.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

I doubt the current issues with the FCC had any influence on the prime time programming this week. This is exactly what ABC would air for a national milestone like this.

Nowhere did I say it influenced the decision. I said it was ironic that the regime chooses to go after a company that is doing this over the top programming stunt, all rah rah and apple pie.

It’s also comical that the petition cited earlier in this thread talks about interference and electioneering, when the network on a daily basis ignores the incoherence, the blatant corruption, the outright lies and the obvious medical issues. They are doing much of the job on behalf of the administration by normalizing the outrageous. Yet Kimmel made a comment and the View did…whatever it is they did.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

FCC chair reacts after conservative Supreme Court justice's criticism

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr defended his agency's scrutiny of television broadcasters on Tuesday.

www.newsweek.com

Here is Chairman Carrs reaction to the Supreme Court hearing.

 

[umfan]

Nowhere did I say it influenced the decision.

You clearly inferred it.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

ABC has no business on public airwaves because it operates 'like a partisan cable network,’ watchdog tells FCC

The Media Research Center filed a petition urging the FCC to deny ABC's license renewals, calling the network a partisan operation that peddles falsehoods.

www.foxnews.com

How does this argument work exactly if we disproven it here. Also the comparisons to cable news have been proven false . But here the allies of Carr and Trump have an ax to grind with two talk shows like Kimmel and The View. Its a 1st Amendment issue that Disney's legal team has argued here.

But then again this goes back to the image Trump has given off that image in the past when he was with Trump Inc that CEO is the dictator even though we proven here is that the board of directors create the policies of a company, CEO must enforce them and the board involves representatives of investment groups, VC, Private equity, consultants to make sure the company meets DOJ, SEC, FTC, IRS and state laws in their reporting.


In Disney's case they are a publically traded company and they had to meet all the things the stuff the board of directors said a company should operate. In Trump case as we mentioned during his time as CEO its whatever he says it is and it calls in question about his board advising him.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

You clearly inferred it.

Not remotely, that’s entirely your supposition.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Trump posts AI video as a doctor diagnosing celebrities with derangement syndrome

In the president’s latest bizarre clip, AI-generated versions of Whoopi Goldberg and Robert DeNiro appear as ‘patients’ in need of help

www.independent.co.uk

Note this article mentions that two of the people mentioned here who had been with the View at some point as targets of Trump's latest rants. Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie O'Donnell were used as targets in this rant.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Nowhere did I say it influenced the decision. I said it was ironic that the regime chooses to go after a company that is doing this over the top programming stunt, all rah rah and apple pie.

It’s also comical that the petition cited earlier in this thread talks about interference and electioneering, when the network on a daily basis ignores the incoherence, the blatant corruption, the outright lies and the obvious medical issues. They are doing much of the job on behalf of the administration by normalizing the outrageous. Yet Kimmel made a comment and the View did…whatever it is they did.

It sounded like a repeat of Mike Lindell rants from 2021-2022 and they recycled it to go after Disney as an attempt to shut down 8 ABC affiliates owned by the company. its all about shutting down Jimmy Kimmel and the View.

 

[TheBigA]

How does this argument work exactly if we disproven it here.

The argument is all about ABC, not the local stations. ABC isn't licensed. The stations are.

There is no justification to deny a license for a local station because of a couple of network shows it carries. When you put it in context with everything that station does in its community, the argument being made is very hollow. If it's accepted, why not use the same argument to deny the licenses of the Fox stations because of what is done by Fox News? Perhaps it's time to file those petitions to deny.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

The argument is all about ABC, not the local stations. ABC isn't licensed. The stations are.

There is no justification to deny a license for a local station because of a couple of network shows it carries. When you put it in context with everything that station does in its community, the argument being made is very hollow. If it's accepted, why not use the same argument to deny the licenses of the Fox stations because of what is done by Fox News? Perhaps it's time to file those petitions to deny.

True its more like Mike Lindell talking points from 2021-2022 got recycled here all because the White House has an ax to grind with Jimmy Kimmel and the View.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

The argument is all about ABC, not the local stations. ABC isn't licensed. The stations are.

There is no justification to deny a license for a local station because of a couple of network shows it carries.

They. Don’t. Care. This has been shown over and over.

When you put it in context with everything that station does in its community, the argument being made is very hollow. If it's accepted, why not use the same argument to deny the licenses of the Fox stations because of what is done by Fox News? Perhaps it's time to file those petitions to deny.

Four members of SCOTUS said the 14th amendment to the constitution doesn’t mean precisely what it says (I know one still joined the majority making it 6-3 on the surface but he disagreed in part with the rationale of the others). We are so far past the point of documents being assumed to mean what they’ve always meant. Even one of the most easily understood principles is fair game to be tossed aside to some justices. The licensing criteria from the FCC? Under the unitary executive theory they clearly support, a policy written by an agency the president controls can be interpreted to mean whatever he wants it to mean.

We need to stop assuming logic and balance have any place here. That world is gone.

 

[ted chittenden]

They. Don’t. Care. This has been shown over and over.

Four members of SCOTUS said the 14th amendment to the constitution doesn’t mean precisely what it says (I know one still joined the majority making it 6-3 on the surface but he disagreed in part with the rationale of the others). We are so far past the point of documents being assumed to mean what they’ve always meant. Even one of the most easily understood principles is fair game to be tossed aside to some justices. The licensing criteria from the FCC? Under the unitary executive theory they clearly support, a policy written by an agency the president controls can be interpreted to mean whatever he wants it to mean.

We need to stop assuming logic and balance have any place here. That world is gone.

While I very much agree with your response, I should add in one more factor. What this administration is trying to do is make someone an example. It doesn't matter if they win or lose in court. What matters is that they can cow other parts of the media (as well as public speech critical of it) by making it so expensive to fight and win against them that nobody is really going to want to try it. In other words, even if ABC/Disney and its stations do win, the other TV networks (most notably NBC since CBS is now out of the game) will think twice before running critical news pieces or hiring comedians who are critical of the Trump administration and its behaviors.

Those who know history know this playbook--it has been tried elsewhere before. The problem is that when support for this kind of behavior becomes widespread and violence is used to quell dissent (the latter hasn't happened in the U.S.--yet), there is very little (if anything) that can be done to stop the juggernaut.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

While I very much agree with your response, I should add in one more factor. What this administration is trying to do is make someone an example. It doesn't matter if they win or lose in court. What matters is that they can cow other parts of the media (as well as public speech critical of it) by making it so expensive to fight and win against them that nobody is really going to want to try it. In other words, even if ABC/Disney and its stations do win, the other TV networks (most notably NBC since CBS is now out of the game) will think twice before running critical news pieces or hiring comedians who are critical of the Trump administration and its behaviors.

Those who know history know this playbook--it has been tried elsewhere before. The problem is that when support for this kind of behavior becomes widespread and violence is used to quell dissent (the latter hasn't happened in the U.S.--yet), there is very little (if anything) that can be done to stop the juggernaut.

True it was tried elsewhere in this decade alone. There's the ABS-CBN Radio and TV network license shutdown that was done 2020. This was because former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte didn't like how that network had investigations on him. In some parts of the Philippines they simply got newer TV's that accessed apps that had the ABS-CBN news feed. However in other parts of the Philippines the viewers were highly influenced on propaganda tied to the Dutertes even though two of that family are facing high profile trials as of 2026.

Five Ways the Duterte Influence Machine is Deceiving Filipinos - PCIJ.org

Just five months ago, thousands of Duterte supporters were trashing the Supreme Court on Facebook, calling it “useless” and demanding it act against the former president’s arrest. Now these same supporters are singing a very different tune—praising the high court as “fair and just” after a July...

pcij.org

Philippines largest TV network ABS-CBN ordered shut

Allies of President Duterte refused to renew station's 25-year licence following his tirades against the company.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[TheBigA]

there is very little (if anything) that can be done to stop the juggernaut.

Sure there is: Streaming TV. Unregulated TV. The more the government tries to control broadcasting, the more the people go to streaming.

In May 2025, streaming accounted for 44.8% of total TV usage, outpacing the combined 44.2% of broadcast (20.1%) and cable (24.1%) Nielsen. This marks a 71% increase since May 2021, when streaming was still a challenger to traditional TV Nielsen. In the U.S., the share of adults who primarily access TV via streaming rose from 33% in 2020 to 49% in 2025, with mobile devices (smartphones) being the most popular streaming screen (64.8% usage)

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Gomez criticizes dismissal of challenge against FCC's news distortion policy

July 2, 2026 - The original petition, backed by former FCC leaders including Tom Wheeler and Mark Fowler, sought repeal of the news distortion rule, claiming it chills editorial independence.

thedesk.net

Here is more issues surrounding the FCC related to News Distortion policy. Yes we seen it here when Chairman Carr goes after Disney to controlling the White House and Pentagon press pool with Pete Hegseth.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

While I very much agree with your response, I should add in one more factor. What this administration is trying to do is make someone an example. It doesn't matter if they win or lose in court. What matters is that they can cow other parts of the media (as well as public speech critical of it) by making it so expensive to fight and win against them that nobody is really going to want to try it. In other words, even if ABC/Disney and its stations do win, the other TV networks (most notably NBC since CBS is now out of the game) will think twice before running critical news pieces or hiring comedians who are critical of the Trump administration and its behaviors.

Absolutely agree. It’s mafia-esque intimidation.

Those who know history know this playbook--it has been tried elsewhere before.

I feel like there’s a word that describes it. 😉

The problem is that when support for this kind of behavior becomes widespread and violence is used to quell dissent (the latter hasn't happened in the U.S.--yet), there is very little (if anything) that can be done to stop the juggernaut.

I’d suggest violence has been used to quell dissent. Not on a mass event scale, but they have made examples of what happens to those who dare speak out and it isn’t pretty. Will it bubble up further? I don’t know. I hope not. But things are not getting better, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it did become worse. I’d be heartbroken, but not surprised.