ABC’s “The View” is under Federal Communications Commission (FCC) review after Chairman Brendan Carr said the long-running talk show faces an “uphill climb” in proving it qualifies as a legitimate news program.
“The View” is at the center of an investigation by the FCC over the agency’s equal-time rules, which prevent media from favoring certain political candidates. The investigation follows increased FCC scrutiny of political segments on entertainment programs.
“When you look at the lineup of guests that have typically been on ‘The View,’ I think it’s an uphill climb for Disney to make the case that they’re just a straight news program,” Carr said Friday on “Mornings with Maria.”
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The dispute stems from an appearance by Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, while his primary opponent, Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, was not offered a slot. Crockett has previously appeared on the program but said those appearances were not related to her current Senate campaign.
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“Bona fide” newscasts and interviews are typically exempt from the equal-time rules, but Carr said it may be tough for the show to prove that’s what they are.
“Disney’s ‘The View’ is now asserting to the FCC that they are a bona fide news program. And we started an enforcement action there. We’ve issued letters of inquiry, which are versions of subpoenas,” Carr said.
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He added that dozens of Disney-affiliated TV stations disagree with the company’s claim that “The View” qualifies as exempt news programming under the equal-time rule. Carr said the FCC has received several equal-time notices from the affiliate stations, which could allow Crockett to request airtime.
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“Congress passed a law, and they didn’t want media gatekeepers to be deciding the outcomes of elections by having exclusively one political candidate or one political party on all the time,” added Carr.
Earlier this month, CBS’s “The Late Show” declined to air a segment with Talarico over equal-time concerns. CBS released a statement denying it censored host Stephen Colbert, saying the show instead chose to post the interview on YouTube to avoid triggering the rule.
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