CBS Backs Off Crackdown on Clips of Stephen Colbert’s ‘Only in Monroe’ Appearance

CBS is backing down on its attempt to block “unauthorized” videos of Stephen Colbert’s appearance on a Michigan public access television show, “Only in Monroe,” after critics accused the network of trying to silence him even after the end of “The Late Show.”On Monday, CBS explained that it had sent the copyright notices to social media users who shared clips of the “Only in Monroe” episode because it was not merely a production of a public access station, telling the Wrap that the episode was produced by CBS Studios and noted that it was posted on Mr. Colbert’s YouTube channel.A Democratic strategist, Michelle Kinney, shared a screenshot of CBS’s copyright claim on X, and wrote, “Paramount claiming ownership of a Public Access show in Michigan is wild work.”“We re-shared Colbert’s public access show with our audience yesterday, made sure to point everyone back to Monroe Community Media — and CBS blocked the entire thing?! Insanity,” she said. Liberal commentator Julie Roginsky, wrote, “I’m sorry… WHAT? Did the Ellisons buy the public access station in Monroe, Michigan also or do they have some sort of 5,000 year contract on Stephen Colbert? This is unacceptable.”Other users claimed CBS was trying to “silence” Mr. Colbert.In a statement, a CBS spokesman told the Sun, “As is our regular practice, we send copyright notices to unauthorized websites that post copyrighted content from CBS and our network/studio talent such as Stephen Colbert. However, for this episode, we have decided to waive further enforcement of this standard industry practice until additional review.”The last episode of CBS’s “The Late Show” aired on Thursday. But that was not Mr. Colbert’s final appearance on TV that week. On Friday, he was the surprise host of a local public access program in Michigan, “Only in Monroe,” which he guest-hosted in 2015.. “It’s been an excruciating 23 hours without being on TV,” quipped Colbert during his appearance, “so I am grateful to be able to be here on Monroe Community Media before they also get acquired by Paramount.”Friday’s episode featured appearances by rock musician Jack White, rapper Eminem, actor Steve Buscemi, and media mogul leasing the spot left open by the end of “The Late Show,” Byron Allen. After the episode aired, clips began to circulate online. But CBS issued takedown notices, claiming that they were unauthorized. The concerns over the takedown notices seem connected to larger anxieties among Mr. Colbert’s fan base that the network is trying to silence him at the behest of its new ownership for political reasons. Last July, CBS said that it would cancel “The Late Show,” saying the decision was “purely financial.” Puck later reported that the program was losing up to $40 million a year. But fans of Mr. Colbert — a staunch Trump critic — and Democrats saw more sinister motivations as they noted that CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, was waiting for the Federal Communications Commission to approve its merger with Skydance Media. Skydance said in a response to a letter from Senator Elizabeth Warren that it was “not involved” in the decision.“Paramount did provide notice of its decision to Skydance, but only after Paramount reached its own independent decision, and shortly before Paramount publicly acknowledged the cancellation,” Skydance’s general counsel, Stephanie Kyoko McKinnon, said. A week after the news that “The Late Show” would be scrapped altogether, the FCC approved the Skydance deal.Earlier this year, CBS was also accused of censoring Mr. Colbert’s show over his interview with a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate in Texas, James Talarico. In February, Mr. Talarico sat down with Mr. Colbert for an interview, roughly two weeks before the Texas primary. But that conversation became a source of controversy for CBS as Mr. Colbert claimed that the network had blocked him from airing it on TV and told him he could only post it on his YouTube channel to avoid violating the FCC’s equal time rule.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.The Democratic Senate hopeful raised $2.5 million in the 24 hours after Mr. Colbert claimed that CBS blocked the interview out of fear of the Trump Administration. CBS denied that it had blocked Mr. Colbert from airing the interview. Instead, the network said that “provided legal guidance” that the broadcast “could trigger the FCC equal-time rule for two other candidates, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and presented options for how the equal time for other candidates could be fulfilled.”

CBS Backs Off Crackdown on Clips of Stephen Colbert’s ‘Only in Monroe’ Appearance

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