FCC Leaks To Semafor They’re ‘Investigating’ ABC Because A Comedian Told A Joke. Again.

from the sad,-pathetic-men dept

Anonymous insiders tell the access journalists at Semafor that Trump FCC boss Brendan Carr is cooking up a “review” of ABC broadcast licenses after Jimmy Kimmel once again made the President sad.

The FCC clearly leaked word of the inquiry to Semafor in the hopes that Semafor would present it as a serious, big boy sort of inquiry. And Semafor was happy to oblige, with a six paragraph story that can’t bother to mention that the Trump administration has serious credibility issues, ABC doesn’t really have many broadcast licenses, and that none of this is legally supportable:

“The Federal Communications Commission is moving toward a review of Disney’s broadcast licenses, according to people familiar with the matter, a maneuver that would up the pressure on the ABC owner as it faces fierce scrutiny from the administration — again — over a late night monologue.”

We’ve mentioned time and time again that most of these national media giants don’t personally own all that many broadcast licenses to review. Those are generally under the domain of local broadcast affiliates, most of which are increasingly being consolidated in the hands of right wing rich men who already gushingly support the administration (see: NexStar, Tegna, Sinclair).

The licenses ABC does have are limited and not up for renewal anytime soon. There’s eight in total, and while the FCC claims they can just accelerate renewal review, that’s not how any of this works. Stripping them away isn’t quick, or easy. It never really happens. Anna Gomez, the FCC’s lone commissioner (because Republicans refuse to seat any more), made it very clear the purported reviews are illegal:

“This is unprecedented, unlawful, and going nowhere. This political stunt ​won’t stick,” Gomez said. “Companies ​should challenge it ⁠head-on. The First Amendment is on their side.”

If you recall, when one activist media reform group suggested pulling a single Philly Fox News affiliate license for lying repeatedly about election conspiracy theories back in 2023, Carr (and the GOP generally) responded with pure revulsion. These folks are not… ideologically consistent. They’re not even logical.

The threat against “ABC’s broadcast licenses” (because a comedian told a joke) is obvious an illegal assault on the First Amendment (something Semafor can’t bother to make clear). But more generally, it’s designed as an ambiguous threat of costly legal headaches and annoyance if ABC executives don’t help the administration silence voices (journalists or comedians) critical of our unpopular president.

Obviously the last time Brendan Carr illegally abused FCC authority to try and censor Kimmel, it didn’t go well for Brendan Carr (something else Semafor doesn’t mention). Given the mass cancellations to their streaming services, Disney’s decision to temporarily suspend Kimmel didn’t go well for them either (something else Semafor doesn’t think is worth mentioning).

Fighting the deep-pocketed Disney corporation on obvious shaky First Amendment grounds is not something Brendan Carr actually wants. What he wants is for pathetic, feckless executives to pre-emptively bend and quiver at his very serious threats as a very serious big man. But as Trump’s power and health wanes, that’s going to happen less and less, putting Brendan Carr in a sad little box.

Carr’s options as a dutiful little authoritarian lapdog are limited, so he’s increasingly trying to pretend he’s got more leverage and legal authority than he actually does. In addition to vague anonymous threats of broadcast license “inquiries,” he’s also recently leaked word he’s “investigating” Kimmel for his political donations, another hollow effort that’s destined to go nowhere.

Ironically Semafor’s toothless coverage of this is precisely the sort of lazy, pseudo-journalistic cack the administration likes. Fluff that normalizes, elevates, and validates the empty rants and illegal, incoherent acts of unpopular and lame autocrats, but can’t be bothered to mention to readers that the king is not wearing any pants.

Filed Under: 1st amendment, anna gomez, brendan carr, broadcast licenses, censorship, donald trump, fascism, free speech, jimmey kimmel, media

Companies: abc, disney