ABC is Standing Their Ground Against Trump's FCC

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I'll be honest, I have never watched ABC's The View and I certainly would not call myself a fan of the show. But, I most certainly support what they are saying about the overreach by Trump's FCC.

In an unprecedented move, ABC is taking its escalating war with the Federal Communications Commission directly to the airwaves. On Monday, the network launched an on-air viewer awareness campaign during The View, rallying the public to fight back against what looks like blatant regulatory retaliation from the Brendan Carr-led FCC.

The campaign features two sets of ads complete with QR codes leading viewers directly to the FCC’s public comment portal. The first ad, which dropped during The View, invokes footage of the show's legendary founder Barbara Walters and warns viewers that "the FCC wants to control who is allowed to appear on the show."

But this isn't just about daytime talk; it's a full-blown assault on local broadcasting. A second round of targeted spots is hitting the markets of ABC's eight owned-and-operated local stations—including powerhouses like WABC in New York, KABC in Los Angeles, and WLS in Chicago—urging people to "tell the FCC to keep your trusted local station on the air."

The Dual-Track Attack

The regulatory body has cornered Disney-owned ABC with two separate, aggressive actions:

  • The "News" Interrogation: The FCC is actively investigating whether The View even qualifies as a "bona fide news interview program." If the FCC strips the show of its 20-year-old news exemption, it would force the network to offer equal airtime to opposing political candidates whenever a politician stops by the daytime chat fest. The probe was triggered after Texas Democratic State Representative James Talarico made an appearance.

  • The License Threat: More severely, the FCC has forced ABC to apply for early renewal on all eight of its local station licenses—some of which weren't set to expire until 2031. Industry analysts and legal experts have slammed the move, calling the FCC's official reasoning (an investigation into corporate diversity initiatives) a weak cover for politically motivated retaliation against a network frequently targeted by Donald Trump.

The Reality Check: ABC has brought in big-gun Supreme Court litigator Paul Clement to gear up for a legal battle. While telecommunications experts note that the FCC would get absolutely trounced in federal court if they actually tried to yank ABC's broadcast licenses, the point isn't necessarily to win—it's to make life as painful, disruptive, and expensive as possible for the network.

ABC's public comment window for The View proceeding wraps up quickly, while the public has until July 29th to submit petitions regarding the local station licenses. By bypassing the usual corporate suits and appealing directly to the viewers at home, ABC is making it clear that they're done cowering to political threats from the beltway.