ABC launches viewer campaign amid FCC investigations into The View and local stations
ABC is airing ads that ask viewers to contact the FCC as the agency reviews the classification of The View and the renewal of the network's broadcast licenses.
ABC has begun a nationwide advertising push that asks viewers to submit comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding two separate investigations involving the network. The first set of spots, aired during The View, urges the talk-show’s audience to weigh in on whether the program qualifies as a “bona fide” news program under FCC rules. A second series of ads highlights individual ABC owned-and-operated stations, such as WABC in New York and KABC in Los Angeles, and asks viewers to tell the FCC to keep those stations on the air.
The campaign, which will also run on digital platforms, follows FCC proceedings led by Chairman Brendan Carr that could affect the network’s broadcast licenses and the regulatory status of its daytime programming. ABC has filed its license renewal applications “under protest,” arguing that the FCC’s actions constitute an attempt to suppress the network’s speech.
“The View has welcomed your favorite guests for nearly 30 years. Now the FCC wants to control who is allowed to appear on the show. Tell the FCC to let the viewers decide,” the on-air spot says.
“ABC7 has proudly served the New York area for more than 75 years. Now the FCC is questioning our commitment to viewers by threatening to take us off the air. Use your voice and tell the FCC that New York deserves to keep its trusted local station WABC,” a similar spot states.
The FCC’s review of The View stems from a proposed reclassification that would remove certain talk shows from the exemption that shields news programs from equal-time rules. The broadcast-license inquiry is tied to a broader probe of Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices, which ABC has contested. Comments on the The View proceeding are due July 6, and on the license renewals by July 29.