IRVING, Texas—Although ABC has announced that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will return to its late night schedule on Tuesday Sept. 23, Nexstar Media Group, Inc. has issued a statement saying that the company’s owned and partner television stations affiliated with the ABC Television Network will continue to preempt “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
The decision means that a significant number of ABC affiliates will not be airing the program.
Nexstar operates 32 ABC affiliates. Last night Sinclair announced that its ABC affiliates will also preempt the show. Sinclair’s website lists 39 stations that are ABC affiliates.
“We made a decision last week to preempt “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” following what ABC referred to as Mr. Kimmel’s “ill-timed and insensitive” comments at a critical time in our national discourse,” the station group said in a statement. “We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve. In the meantime, we note that `Jimmy Kimmel Live!' will be available nationwide on multiple Disney-owned streaming products, while our stations will focus on continuing to produce local news and other programming relevant to their respective markets."
Last week both Nexstar and Sinclair announced their ABC affiliates would not air the program, prompting ABC to suspend it "indefinitely."
On Sept. 24, after the show aired and Nexstar preempted its return, the station group issued another statement on the status of the program in the future: “Nexstar is continuing to evaluate the status of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on our ABC-affiliated local television stations, and the show will be preempted while we do so. We are engaged in productive discussions with executives at The Walt Disney Company, with a focus on ensuring the program reflects and respects the diverse interests of the communities we serve.”
