Washington is closing in on “The View.”
Federal regulators are nearing a decision that could brand the ABC daytime show what it has never officially been called: entertainment, not news. That distinction sounds small. It isn’t. It could force ABC to hand equal airtime to political candidates every time the ladies at the table take a side — which is often.
The anticipated FCC action, likely timed before the Labor Day holiday, would determine that “The View” is not a “bona fide” news show. That is the word from people close to the matter, speaking to Bloomberg on condition they not be named, because the discussions are still private.
There’s a second front, too. The FCC is also preparing to send its probe of Disney’s broadcast licenses to an agency hearing — the next step toward possible license revocation.
This did not come from nowhere. The investigation opened after Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico appeared on the show, prompting the question of whether “The View” was skirting the equal-time rule that governs actual news programs. ABC has leaned on a 2002 FCC ruling that already classified the show as bona fide news, and insists nothing has changed since.
Disney doesn’t see it that way. The network calls the whole effort retaliation, tracing back to the fallout over Jimmy Kimmel’s jokes about the administration. ABC’s stations filed their renewal paperwork “under protest,” calling the FCC’s order “unlawful, arbitrary, and unconstitutional” — and noting the agency hasn’t moved this fast on a renewal in more than fifty years.
So ABC took its case to the only jury that matters to a network: the audience. The company launched on-air spots warning viewers of the FCC’s actions, and nearly 2,500 comments had been filed in the View proceeding within days. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr wasn’t impressed. His office accused Disney of running “a campaign of misinformation” to make its case.
Both sides are dug in. Disney is preparing for a court fight. The FCC, for now, is the one holding the license.
If the ruling lands the way sources describe, “The View” won’t be off the air. But it may never look at a guest list, or a political season, the same way again.
