The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has ordered an early review of license renewals for Disney’s ABC television stations.
The April 28 order is part of the FCC’s ongoing investigation into whether the company and its television stations are following the federal Communications Act of 1934 and the FCC’s rules, including a prohibition on unlawful discrimination, the agency said.
“The FCC determines that calling in Disney’s ABC licenses for early renewal, at this time, under the Communication Act’s public interest standard is essential within the meaning of agency regulations,” the order states.
Disney’s ABC affiliate was directed to file license renewals for eight licensed TV stations by May 28, including in the major markets of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Houston, and Philadelphia.
The order speeds up renewals that otherwise would not have been required until sometime between 2028 to 2031, and could result in the stations losing the ability to broadcast over the air in major markets like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago if found to be out of compliance.
Disney has received the order and is confident they have met license requirements, according to a Disney spokesperson.
“ABC and its stations have a long record of operating in full compliance with FCC rules and serving their local communities with trusted news, emergency information, and public‑interest programming,” the Disney spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email.
“We are confident that record demonstrates our continued qualifications as licensees under the Communications Act and the First Amendment and are prepared to show that through the appropriate legal channels. Our focus remains, as always, on serving viewers in the local communities where our stations operate.”
Trump’s latest dispute with late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel, a longtime Trump critic, involved the timing of a joke told before an assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
The host staged a mock speech on April 23, two days before the dinner, joking the first lady “had a glow like an expectant widow.”
The president urged Disney and ABC to fire Kimmel, calling the joke “shocking.” Melania Trump also called for his firing, saying the joke was “hateful and violent.”
The late-night host responded to the president and first lady’s calls for his firing during a monologue April 27, defending it as “a very light roast joke about the fact that [Trump’s] almost 80 and [Melania Trump’s] younger than I am.”
The FCC published a notice about the equal time rule reminding the broadcast stations they were required to offer equal time to all political party candidates.