ABC urges viewers to oppose FCC review of The View
ABC is asking viewers to file comments with the FCC as the agency reconsiders The View’s status under political equal-time rules.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
ABC is asking viewers to tell the Federal Communications Commission to back off a review that could change how political guests appear on The View. The dispute matters because the show’s classification affects whether it must offer equal airtime to opposing political candidates.
In a new network ad, ABC said The View has hosted guests and covered public issues for nearly three decades. ABC told viewers the FCC “wants to control who is allowed on the show” and urged them to submit comments asking the agency to let audiences decide.
The FCC is taking public comment on whether The View should be treated as a “bona fide news interview program.” The comment deadline is July 6, according to the FCC docket.
That label carries legal weight. Under long-standing FCC practice, news interview segments on talk shows can be exempt from the equal-time rule, which requires non-news programs to give legally qualified opposing political candidates comparable opportunities to appear.
The commission has previously granted similar treatment to programs hosted by Phil Donahue, Sally Jessy Raphael, Jerry Springer, Bill Maher, Jay Leno and Howard Stern, according to the FCC history described by ABC. ABC said The View received its own FCC declaratory ruling in 2002 during President George W. Bush’s first term.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr opened the current proceeding after The View aired an interview with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, according to Ars Technica. The FCC also issued a broader warning to broadcast stations that late-night and daytime talk shows should not be used for “partisan political purposes,” Ars Technica reported.
ABC has argued that the agency has no reason to revisit the show’s status. In a May 7 filing, the company said the 2002 ruling remains in effect and that the commission has not modified or overturned it in more than two decades.
The FCC pushed back in a statement to news outlets, saying Disney, ABC’s owner, wants the agency to classify The View as a bona fide news program and has chosen to run “a campaign of misinformation” to support that position. The FCC said ABC was misleading viewers about the law.
Carr also responded on X, writing that Disney wants The View classified under federal law in a way that would exempt it from political equal-time requirements passed by Congress. He asked users whether they considered the show bona fide news.
ABC and Disney are already fighting another FCC review. Disney-owned broadcast stations have objected to an agency examination of their licenses, calling it an attempt to suppress speech and “an unprecedented attack” on the company’s broadcast holdings, according to their filing.
The license review is tied publicly to allegations that Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices violate anti-discrimination rules, according to Ars Technica. ABC has said the FCC is using the license renewal process to punish editorial decisions.
Carr’s approach to broadcasters has also drawn attention in Congress. Senators Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, and Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, recently proposed legislation aimed at stopping federal officials from coercing broadcasters or technology platforms into limiting speech.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.