FCC Opens Public Comment On 'The View'

The FCC has launched a formal public comment period to determine whether ABC’s daytime talk show The View meets the legal definition of a “bona fide news program,” which would exempt it from longstanding equal time obligations for political candidates.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced the proceeding on Friday. Comments are due by June 22, with reply comments accepted until July 6.

The move centers on the equal time rule, a decades-old FCC regulation requiring broadcast stations that give airtime to one political candidate to offer comparable opportunities to opposing candidates. Bona fide news programs, newscasts, news interviews, and news documentaries are generally exempt if they meet FCC criteria for journalistic independence and content focus.

Brendan Carr

By opening the docket, the FCC is inviting broadcasters, advocacy groups, legal experts, and the public to weigh in on whether The View — hosted by Whoopi Goldberg and a rotating panel of commentators — functions primarily as news or as entertainment and opinion programming. The outcome could affect how networks schedule political content and respond to candidate appearance requests during the 2026 midterm election cycle and beyond.

Chairman Carr’s announcement signals growing scrutiny of daytime and late-night programming that blends news, commentary, and celebrity discussion. Similar debates have previously arisen around shows like Saturday Night Live and certain cable news programs.

The public comment process is the first formal step toward potential clarification or enforcement action. After the comment period closes, FCC staff will review submissions and could issue a declaratory ruling, initiate a broader rulemaking, or take no further action.

This proceeding reflects the FCC’s continued focus under Carr on modernizing broadcast regulations for an era when traditional distinctions between news, entertainment, and opinion have blurred across television platforms.