FCC Demands Review of All ABC Station Licenses Following Kimmel Joke on Trump
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On Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ordered a review of all station licenses owned by ABC, an apparent escalation of the public feud between Donald and Melania Trump and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over a joke he made at the president’s expense last week.
The filing does not explicitly mention any names or specific television programming. Instead, it states that the FCC is reviewing the network over an investigation relating to “its obligations as a licensed broadcaster” and the FCC’s “prohibition on unlawful discrimination.”
But many critics of the move have inferred that the FCC’s request is a response to Kimmel’s jokes about the president and his wife, given the anger both Trumps have exhibited toward the host.
ABC only owns eight of the more than 200 local stations that carry its programs. But the stations it owns are in major markets, such as New York City and Los Angeles, among others. Brendan Carr, a Trump devotee who heads the FCC, has repeatedly threatened to take action against broadcasters over what he perceives to be unfair criticism of Trump, and has implied in the past that he would take action against affiliates that continue to air Kimmel’s program.
Kimmel made the joke in question on Thursday, in a segment where he pretended to do a White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner roast of the president. The dinner for this year was set to happen on Saturday.
Trump Calls for ABC to Fire Kimmel........
