Controlling The Press

Trump & Company are at it again... intimidating the networks. ABC didn't cave-in the Trump went after them, so not there is a new attack on them.

FCC Launches Review Of Network-Affiliate Relationships

Deadline

By Ted Johnson

November 19, 2025

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced a review of the relationships between broadcast networks and their affiliates, calling into question contractural restrictions that penalize stations for pre-empting shows and those that prevent them from airing rival programming.

The FCC will take comments on a host of issues, rooted in Carr’s belief that networks have gained too much leverage at the expense of local stations.

He wrote on X, “The FCC has an obligation to ensure that local broadcast TV stations meet their public interest obligations. Yet National Programmers operating out of New York & Hollywood are reportedly preventing those broadcasters from serving their local communities—including by punishing them for exercising their right to preempt national programming.”

In September, Carr warned ABC over comments that late-night host Jimmy Kimmel made about Charlie Kirk. Within hours, two large station groups, Sinclair and Nexstar, said that they would not air Kimmel’s show, and ABC said that it was pulling the host off the air.

ABC and Kimmel pissed off Trump -> Carr goes after ABC. See how this works.

The FCC also seeks comment on “the extent to which networks use their positions in the market to unduly influence the terms of the affiliation agreements with their affiliate stations.” That includes the movement of broadcast programming to streaming platforms, and whether that gives them “leverage to impose burdensome and restrictive terms in the affiliation agreements with their local affiliate stations.”

One of the first thing that a dictator does is control the press... this is to instill fear into the networks to control them... only positive media. Trump got pissed-off at ABC for their reporter Mary Bruce asked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashogg and Trump got really mad at her... Newsday reported,

Trump later criticized Bruce for asking the prince a “horrible, insubordinate and just a terrible question.” He laced into her after a third query, about why the White House is waiting for congressional action to release more details about sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s correspondence. “Why not just do it now?” Bruce asked.

“It’s not the question that I mind,” Trump said. “It’s your attitude. I think you are a terrible reporter. It’s the way you ask these questions.”

After addressing the Epstein question, he returned to Bruce, saying that “people are wise to your hoax.”

“I think the license should be taken away from ABC because your news is so fake and it’s so wrong,” he said. “And we have a great (FCC) commissioner, the chairman, who should look at that because I think when you come in and you’re 97% negative to Trump. And then Trump wins the election in a landslide. That means, obviously, your news is not credible. And you’re not credible as a reporter.”

Then two days later they are investigating ABC