Investigation into ABC’s “The View” by FCC

The Federal Communications Commission is looking into ABC’s “The View” as it begins a crackdown on equal airtime for political candidates. This decision comes in the wake of the FCC citing the Communications Act of 1934, which mandates networks adhere to “statutory equal opportunity requirements,” meaning they must provide equal time to political candidates across programming, including daytime and late-night talk shows.

The investigation was reportedly triggered by Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico’s appearance on “The View.” His segment aired on Monday, making him one of the first political candidates to appear on the show since the FCC announced this enforcement policy.

Interestingly, while there has historically been an exception for “bona fide” news programs, which don’t necessarily need to offer equal airtime, the FCC noted that no evidence exists to suggest that the segments aired on talk shows qualify for this exemption.

Disney, the parent company of ABC, has not submitted any filings to the FCC regarding Talarico’s appearance, which could imply that Disney considers “The View” to be a legitimate news program exempt from these requirements.

The equal opportunity mandate applies to all legally registered candidates, irrespective of party affiliation, meaning both Democratic and Republican candidates must receive equal airtime. Notably, Talarico’s segment was about nine minutes long, while his primary opponent, Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, received approximately 17 minutes over three segments when she appeared prior to the FCC’s policy enforcement.

In addition to the current candidates, the request for equal airtime would extend to Republican candidates like incumbent Texas Sen. John Cornyn and less known candidates in the Democratic primary. An unnamed source highlighted that “fake news doesn’t get a free pass anymore.”

ABC News has yet to respond to inquiries regarding this matter. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, in a recent interview, defended the policy, stating that the laws in question go back as far as the 1950s and expressing that they will be rigorously enforced during his tenure.

Notably, some late-night hosts have criticized the FCC’s actions. Jimmy Kimmel referred to the policy push as a “threat,” while Stephen Colbert accused the agency of attempting to silence him and others.

Interestingly, Carr mentioned that compliance with the policy doesn’t strictly require a candidate to appear on a specific show. Other methods, like airing a campaign ad or featuring the candidate on a different news program, could also fulfill the requirements.