The FCC is preparing to place a radio operator under early license renewal scrutiny over public interest obligations, just days after ordering Disney’s eight local ABC television stations to file renewals two years ahead of schedule.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr announced the upcoming radio review Thursday but did not name the broadcaster.
He emphasized the agency’s focus on accountability. “We’ve been very clear that we’re holding broadcasters accountable to their obligations,” Carr said. “It’s gone all the way to the Supreme Court, and they’ve said that holding broadcasters to their public interest obligations isn’t censorship and it isn’t a violation of their First Amendment.”
The Disney action followed public calls by President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for ABC to fire late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over a joke referencing the couple’s age difference. The FCC order, which did not mention Kimmel, cited the stations’ support for DEI initiatives as raising concerns under the “prohibition on unlawful discrimination.”
“The Media Bureau’s nearly unprecedented request for one company to quickly reapply for all of its licenses, rather than utilize its traditional enforcement process, runs contrary to these principles and creates significant uncertainty for all broadcasters,” said NAB President/CEO Curtis LeGeyt.
He warned that stations already face “intense challenges” and that the move risks creating “further instability” for local audiences.
Carr largely dismissed the NAB’s concerns, pointing out that Disney is a member of the trade group. He also highlighted a separate petition from the National Religious Broadcasters urging the FCC to investigate ABC over Kimmel’s comments.