Following President-elect Trump's election as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), he asked Disney CEO Bob Iger to work with ABC to help the company serve “communities.” It sent a letter warning that it would “monitor” negotiations with local stations.
The letter from FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, dated Saturday, focuses on so-called “affiliate agreements” with local stations, which ABC is currently renegotiating with the local stations that air its programming.
“As you know, the Affiliate Agreement sets forth the terms and conditions that govern many features of ABC's relationship with dozens of licensed local television stations across the United States,” Kerr wrote. letter, CNN's Brian Stelter posted on social platform X on Monday.
Kerr said those deals include the rights to ABC's Good Morning America, David Muir's World News Tonight, NFL football and Jimmy Kimmel's late-night programming, allowing local stations to access ABC's content. He pointed out that the company has set conditions for the amount to be paid.
Carr suggested local viewers could pay the price, citing reports that some ABC affiliate contracts are set to expire by the end of the year without new deals.
“My understanding is that the ABC is trying to extract significant financial and operational concessions from local broadcast television stations by threatening to end long-standing partnerships, in which case they will not be able to control broadcast news or content. “Local consumers may experience power outages and other damages,” it added. .
“I am aware that we are monitoring the results of ongoing discussions with local broadcast television stations to ensure that they meet the federal government's obligation to serve the needs of their communities. Please do so if a fair agreement can be reached,'' the letter concludes.
Kerr's letter comes after ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos recently filed a public apology and donated $15 million to fund the president-elect's future presidential library over a defamation lawsuit filed by Trump. This is because they agreed to reach a settlement.
The settlement sent chills through the media as President Trump prepares to return to the White House next month.
Carr has often echoed President Trump's criticisms of the mainstream media.
Last month, Carr criticized Vice President Harris' appearance on NBC's “Saturday Night Live,” calling it “a clear and blatant effort to circumvent the FCC's Equal Time Rule.” NBC continued to air President Trump's message, apparently trying to provide the same amount of time.
President Trump also suggested that ABC News be punished after what he claimed was a biased performance by the debate moderators following his widely seen defeat in his only debate against Vice President Harris in September. .
The Hill has reached out to Disney for comment.
