WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission has set dates for filings in the early renewal of licenses for eight ABC-owned stations.
The FCC has set deadlines for comments filed in its MB Docket No. 26-131, with petitions to deny due on June 29, opposition on July 29 and replies due Aug. 5.
On April 28, the Video Division of the Media Bureau issued an order directing The Walt Disney Co., ABC and its subsidiaries to file license renewals for all of their licensed TV stations.
On May 28, Disney’s ABC filed renewal applications for its eight television licenses along with comments saying the “Commission had not demanded early renewal in over five decades. And it has never before demanded simultaneous license renewal applications from a group of stations commonly owned with a network as it has here.”
“The Order is inconsistent with a legitimate exercise of investigative authority and is plainly incompatible with the First Amendment,” the letter said. “Worse, the Order opens the door to an assault on the Station’s license, while the Commission searches for a legal pretext to achieve its desired goal. This effort to suppress speech under the guise of bureaucratic process must not prevail. WABC files this application without waiving any rights, and calls on the Commission to rescind the Order.”
In the filing setting deadlines for comments, the FCC noted that generally broadcast TV stations are given eight-year licenses and none of Disney’s ABC licenses would ordinarily be due for renewal until 2028 at the earliest.
In its order demanding the early renewals, the agency noted that “the FCC has been investigating Disney’s ABC stations for possible violations of the Communications Act of 1934 and the FCC’s rules, including the agency’s prohibition on unlawful discrimination.”
“Specifically, the FCC has been investigating whether Disney’s ABC engaged in prohibited practices by hiring, promoting, compensating, and/or providing workplace opportunities to people based on race, gender, or other protected characteristics in violation of federal nondiscrimination laws,” the FCC said in the June 1 filing setting deadlines for comments. “In the course of conducting that investigation, the FCC determined that calling in Disney’s ABC licenses for early renewal was necessary to the proper conduct of that ongoing investigation.”
“Calling the licenses in now for early renewal also provides the FCC the opportunity to determine whether the ABC Stations have been operating in the public interest, as required by their FCC licenses,” the regulator added.
The decision to investigate the stations for possible violations of public interest standards, including the airing of“biased news coverage,” has drawn criticism. Democratic FCC commissioner Anna Gomez, broadcasters, the National Association of Broadcasters, former FCC members and staff and public-interest groups have said the investigation is outside the agency's authority and is an unconstitutional attack on free speech.
The licenses up for renewal are:
- KFSN-TV, Fresno, Calif.
- KABC-TV, Los Angeles, Calif.
- KGO-TV, San Francisco, Calif.
- WLS-TV, Chicago, Ill.
- WABC-TV, New York, N.Y.
- WTVD, Durham, N.C.
- WPVI-TV, Philadelphia, Pa.
- KTRK-TV, Houston, Texas
The FCC document setting filing procedures in this case is available here.
