ABC Launches On-Air Campaign Against FCC Investigations

ABC is taking its fight with the government to its own airwaves. The Disney-owned broadcast network launched an on-air campaign urging viewers to weigh in against the Federal Communications Commission’s early review of its broadcast licenses and a separate investigation of its daily talk show “The View.” The FCC has said the license review is tied to an investigation into Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, while its probe into “The View” centers on whether the show violated so-called equal-time rules for politicians. ABC says both threaten free speech. That ABC is running spots critical of a government agency shows how antagonistic the relationship between the network and the FCC has become. Under Chairman Brendan Carr, the FCC has taken a more combative approach to its interactions with media companies than prior administrations.