Key Highlights
- Last month, the FCC announced it will require the broadcast networks to adhere to the "statutory equal opportunities requirement," citing the Communications Act of 1934, "including their airing of late-night and daytime talk shows."A source at the FCC tells Fox News Digital that Monday's "View" appearance of Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico triggered the probe.
- Talarico was among the first political candidates to appear on "The View" since the FCC announced its crackdown.
- FCC CHAIR BRUSHES OFF KIMMEL, COLBERT OUTRAGE OVER LATEST POLICY PUSH The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has launched a probe into ABC's "The View" over its policy on networks providing equal time for political candidates, Fox News Digital has learned.
- (Lou Rocco/) There has been a longstanding "bona fide" exception for news programming that wouldn't require equal time for an opposing candidate, but the FCC now says it "has not been presented with any evidence that the interview portion of any late night or daytime television talk show program on the air presently would qualify for the 'bona fide' news exemption." ABC's parent company Disney never made an equal-time filing to the FCC regarding Talarico's recent appearance, which would implicitly indicate to the FCC that Disney believes "The View" is bona fide news and would be exempt from the policy, the source said. REPUBLICANS VIRTUALLY SHUT OUT OF DEM-DOMINATED TALK SHOWS AS FCC AIMS TO REFORM NETWORK BIAS The equal opportunity requirement applies to all legally filed candidates on a ballot regardless of political party, meaning all eligible Democratic primary candidates would require equal time.
- Notably, Talarico received roughly nine minutes of airtime in one segment while his top primary rival, Texas Rep.