FCC chair Brendan Carr questioned whether ABC’s The View should be subject to an agency review, on the heels of the network suspending Jimmy Kimmel’s show.

The View, a program on ABC, could be subject to a Federal Communications Commission review, said chairperson Brendan Carr. His remark comes right after the network suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s show after the host’s remarks on Tyler Robinson, the Charlie Kirk shooting suspect, drew backlash.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr had asked ABC and local affiliates to take action, after which Jimmy Kimmel's show was suspended by the network for an indefinite period. (AFP)FCC Chair Brendan Carr had asked ABC and local affiliates to take action, after which Jimmy Kimmel’s show was suspended by the network for an indefinite period. (AFP)

The network’s decision had also come after Carr’s statement regarding Kimmel’s comments on Benny Johnson’s podcast, where he asked ABC and local affiliates to take action.

What Brendan Carr said about The View

FCC Chair Carr spoke about The View when appearing on conservative commentator Scott Jenning’s podcast. He wondered if The View qualified as a ‘bona fide’ news program, one which discussed current events.

“I think it’s worthwhile to have the FCC look into whether The View, and some of these other programs that you have, still qualify as bona fide news programs and therefore are exempt from the equal opportunity regime that Congress has put in place,” he said.

Carr noted that if the show did qualify, they’d have to adhere to FCC rules of equal time – which mandates that broadcast stations give equal airtime and access to competing political candidates.

Donald Trump’s comment on networks

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump – who welcomed Kimmel’s show being suspended – suggested that networks should lose broadcast licenses if their on-air talent were to be critical of him.

Onboard Air Force One Trump told reporters, “They’re giving me all this bad press, and they’re getting a license. I would think maybe their license should be taken away.” He was responding to whether Carr should go after other talk show hosts after Kimmel’s show was suspended indefinitely.

“When you have a network and you have evening shows and all they do is hit Trump, that’s all they do — that license, they’re not allowed to do that. They’re an arm of the Democrat Party,” Trump added.