Escalation: ABC petitions FCC over 'The View' scrutiny

On May 8, ABC filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission alleging First Amendment violations in the agency’s scrutiny of The View. It seeks a declaratory ruling that the show continues to qualify for the “bona fide news interview” exemption, citing a 2002 ruling that has not been modified. The petition calls Chair Brendan Carr’s approach “unprecedented, beyond the Commission’s authority, and counterproductive to the Commission’s stated goal of encouraging free speech and open political discussion.”

The dispute stems from a late‑March directive ordering Houston’s KTRK-TV to submit a fresh petition after The View interviewed Texas Senate candidate James Talarico on February 2. The filing says the agency demanded proof that the show is a news program or else trigger equal‑time obligations for all legally qualified candidates. It argues the Media Bureau lacks authority to force a new petition and that any shift in equal‑time policy must come from the full Commission and be subject to court oversight.

The petition alleges viewpoint discrimination and retaliatory targeting, noting no parallel inquiries into conservative talk programs like those of Mark Levin, Glenn Beck, or Guy Benson, or into stations KTBB, WBAP, KPRC, or KSEV. It cites Carr’s remark that, given the show’s guest lineup, it would be “an uphill climb” for Disney to claim The View is “just a straight news program.” ABC notes turning over more than 11,000 pages in a separate DEI inquiry and highlights the April 28 order requiring early license renewal filings, while bringing in former U.S. solicitor general Paul D. Clement to sign the brief.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources