ABC Launches Ad Campaign To Ask Viewers To Tell the FCC That ‘The View’ Is a News Program

ABC is turning to viewers for help in its fight with the Federal Communications Commission, asking them to submit comments to the regulator stating that “The View” is a news program, therefore it qualifies for an exemption from the equal time rule. On Monday, ABC began airing graphics during ad breaks that read, “‘The View’ has welcomed your favorite guests for nearly 30 years. Now the FCC wants to control who is allowed to appear on the show.”“Tell the FCC to let viewers decide,” the graphic says. The FCC has been investigating “The View” for an alleged equal time rule violation involving a February interview with a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate in Texas, James Talarico. The equal time rule requires that broadcast radio and TV stations provide legally qualified candidates an equal opportunity for airtime if one of their opponents uses the station’s facilities. Mr. Talarico’s primary opponent, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, had previously made several appearances on “The View,” including an appearance in January. Mr. Talarico’s February appearance came roughly four weeks ahead of the closely-watched primary as Democrats hope to finally flip a Senate seat in Texas blue and as the FCC stepped up scrutiny of late-night and daytime talk shows amid longstanding complaints from conservatives that they were being used to boost the hosts’ preferred candidates. For years, the FCC has not subjected late-night or daytime talk shows to equal time requirements. Earlier this year, the FCC chairman, Brendan Carr, said he was considering applying the rule to those programs. ABC’s parent company, Disney, submitted a petition asking that “The View” be labeled a “bona fide” news program.In May, the FCC published a notice soliciting public comments about whether the show is a news program. The notice asks, “Does The View qualify as a bona fide news interview program? Does the federal equal opportunities statute pass relevant constitutional scrutiny, either as a general matter or as applied here? Are the relevant decisions on The View, including on format and participants, based on newsworthiness or on an attempt to oppose or support particular candidates within the meaning of FCC precedent?”Mr. Carr has not explicitly said whether or not he believes “The View” would qualify for the “bona fide news” exemption, saying there will be a process to answer the question. ABC has pushed back on the FCC’s equal time investigation, claiming it is “unprecedented, beyond the Commission’s authority,” and an attempt to chill speech. The public comment period for the FCC’s evaluation of whether “The View” is a news program ends on July 6.

ABC Launches Ad Campaign To Ask Viewers To Tell the FCC That ‘The View’ Is a News Program

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