The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is reportedly gearing up to determine that ABC’s “The View” is not a legitimate news program. This potential ruling would overturn over two decades of precedent and subject the Disney-owned talk show to equal time rules regarding political candidates.
As stated by Bloomberg on Wednesday, the FCC is also likely to intensify an ongoing investigation into Disney’s broadcast licenses. This could result in an administrative hearing that may pose risks to ABC stations in major markets like New York and Los Angeles.
If announced before Labor Day, this ruling would represent one of the most assertive regulatory actions against a major U.S. broadcast network in years. It’s seen as a significant move in FCC Chairman Brendan Kerr’s initiative to reform oversight of political content on the network, according to sources speaking to Bloomberg.
Should “The View” lose its long-held exemption as a news program, ABC would need to offer equal airtime to all rival candidates featured in interviews. This change would drastically alter the program’s editorial flexibility.
Disney, as reported, is expected to contest the likely negative ruling.
The ruling from the FCC Media Bureau concerning “The View” can be appealed to the full Commission and then potentially to federal court. However, individual licensing cases might first be examined by either Chairman Brendan Kerr or the entire Commission prior to any judicial appeals.
The situation escalated after “The View” hosted Texas Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico in February, raising questions about whether his opponents should also receive equal airtime as mandated by federal law. This prompted Kerr to probe into whether “The View” fits the criteria for the equal time exemption that applies to genuine news interview shows.
Earlier this May, ABC and its Houston affiliates urged the FCC to reaffirm a 2002 ruling that classified “The View” as a true news interview program exempt from equal-time stipulations.
Recently, ABC has heightened its stance, asserting in a formal comment that the FCC is overstepping by intruding into editorial decisions of the station. The ABC filing argued, “The First Amendment does not permit the government to dictate editorial choices.”
Citing a report from Semafor, “The View” has apparently been cautious about booking candidates for tight races during the ongoing FCC review.
Additionally, ABC’s producers reportedly declined a request from New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani to appear alongside certain Democratic Congressional candidates, reflecting a careful approach amid the scrutiny.
On another note, conservative organizations such as the Media Research Center, America First Legal, and others are urging the FCC to deny ABC’s license renewal, claiming that the network displays political bias and fails to act in the public interest.
