US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened that TV stations could lose their broadcasting licenses if late-night hosts continue to criticise him. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One after ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live, he said, “They keep giving me bad press, and they still have a license. Maybe their license should be taken away.”
His comments have drawn the public’s attention to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC is mainly known for regulating phone rates and reviewing large telecom and media mergers.
FCC under criticism
The FCC issues licenses to local TV and radio stations so they can broadcast on public frequencies. Major companies such as Sinclair, Nexstar, and Comcast own many of these stations. Some firms, like Disney, own both individual stations and networks that provide much of the programming.
Unlike past presidents, Trump has openly threatened to use the government’s control over broadcast licenses as a way to pressure media companies critical of him.
The FCC also has the authority to approve or block major telecom and media deals, making sure they don’t reduce competition. However, the FCC does not regulate the actual content that networks like ABC, CBS, and NBC air.
Can licenses really be revoked?
Yes, but it almost never happens. The FCC says a station can lose its license if it fails to serve the “public interest, convenience and necessity.” That generally means a station must air content that addresses local issues, such as news and public affairs programming, the agency says on its website.
Telecom experts note that while this rule is broad, it has always included basic community needs like local news coverage.
Even though licenses are held by local stations and not the national networks, any threat to revoke them could affect the networks too. Stations might push back against certain shows, forcing networks to act. That’s what happened with Jimmy Kimmel Live, the ABC pulled the show after station owners like Sinclair and Nexstar said they would stop airing it.
Free speech in US under threat
Slamming Trump’s take and his latest threat, former US president Barack Obama said, “This commentary offers a clear, powerful statement of why freedom of speech is at the heart of democracy and must be defended, whether the speaker is Charlie Kirk or Jimmy Kimmel, MAGA supporters or MAGA opponents.
ABC on Wednesday night announced that it was indefinitely suspending Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show indefinitely. The decision came after conservatives accused the popular comedian of wrongly describing the politics of Tyler Robinson, the man charged with killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
The move by ABC, which is owned by Disney, came just hours after FCC chairman Brendan Carr sharply criticised Kimmel and hinted that his agency might take action against the network over remarks the host made on Monday’s show. Although ABC gave no explanation, the timing suggested that the Trump administration had put heavy political pressure on the broadcaster, a report by NYT said.
Democrats quickly condemned the suspension, with Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer calling it unacceptable. Trump, however, celebrated the decision on social media from Windsor Castle in Britain, saying it was good news for the country.
Disney’s chief executive Robert A. Iger and its television chief Dana Walden made the final call to suspend the show, according to people familiar with the matter.
The controversy began with Kimmel’s monologue on Monday, when he said that Trump supporters were trying hard to distance themselves from the man accused of shooting Charlie Kirk and were twisting the case to gain political points. Conservative activists reacted angrily, arguing that Kimmel had misrepresented the accused gunman, Tyler Robinson.
In a podcast with Benny Johnson, Carr told him, “These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”