Jimmy Kimmel

Two ABC affiliate owners say they’ll continue to preempt late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel with their own local programming, even after ABC said they would reinstate his show nationally.

Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group’s decision highlights the influence and sometimes-tenuous relationship local TV station owners have with national broadcasters such as Disney-owned ABC.

Kimmel was briefly suspended over comments he made in the aftermath of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

Here are key facts about the two companies, which collectively own about a quarter of ABC affiliates, including in some bigger cities like Washington, D.C.

Nexstar Media Group

Nexstar Media Group, based in Irving, Texas, operates 28 ABC affiliates. It said Tuesday that it stands by last week’s decision to preempt the show, “pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve.”

It added “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will be available nationwide on multiple Disney-owned streaming products, and Nexstar’s stations will focus on “continuing to produce local news and other programming relevant to their respective markets.”

Nexstar owns ABC-affiliated stations in cities including Nashville, Tennessee; New Orleans; Salt Lake City and smaller markets including Evansville, Indiana; and Albany, among others.

In all, the company owns or partners with more than 200 stations in 116 U.S. markets, and owns broadcast networks the CW and NewsNation, as well as the political website The Hill and nearly a third of the Food Network.

It hopes to get even bigger. Last month, it announced a $6.2 billion deal to buy TEGNA Inc., which owns 64 other TV stations.

The deal would require the Federal Communications Commission to change rules limiting the number of stations a single company can own. The FCC’s chair, Brendan Carr, has expressed openness to changing the rule.

Sinclair Broadcast Group

Sinclair Broadcast Group, based in Hunt Valley, Maryland, operates 38 local ABC affiliates. The company, which has a reputation for a conservative viewpoint in its broadcasts, said in a post Tuesday on X that it will be preempting the show and replacing it with news programming.

“Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return,” the company said in the statement.

Sinclair owns, operates or provides services to 178 TV stations in 81 markets affiliated with all major broadcast networks and owns the Tennis Channel. Its ABC affiliates include stations in Washington, D.C., Portland, Ore., Chattanooga, Tennessee, and other cities.

Affiliates and national broadcasters depend on each other

While local TV affiliates broadcast their own programming, such as local news, they also contract with national broadcasters and pay them to air their national programming, splitting advertising revenue and fees from cable companies.

For example, if there are 16 minutes of advertising during an hour of commercial time, typically about 12 minutes go to the national broadcaster and 4 minutes go to the local station owner, said Matthew Dolgin, a senior analyst at research firm Morningstar who covers the........

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