Jimmy Kimmel is back at ABC stations across the US nationwide
TV station group Nexstar said it will resume airing of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”. About the late-night host’s comments on Charlie Kirk’s murderer, 32 ABC affiliates since pre-empting the show from Friday night. Earlier on Friday, Sinclair said Kimmel was returning to 38 ABC stations, reversing his previous position.
The decision by the two station groups concluded a short-lived protest by businesses that began last week following Kimmel’s remarks on Monday, September 15th. ABC suspended the show on September 17th and received record ratings last Tuesday despite the Sinclairnex Star blackout.
According to those familiar with the issue, Disney did not make any editorial or content concessions when solving standoffs to Sinclair or Nexstar. Disney refused to make executives available for comment.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” return All US markets were accused of being a victory for Disney and ABC, and being under pressure from the Trump administration when sideling Kimmel. Disney targeted protests and consumer threats boycotting its services (i.e. by cancelling Disney+) and criticism from the Hollywood Guild and others. At the same time, by supporting Kimmel, Disney angered a group of conservative voices who felt their host had crossed the bridge too with his political commentary.
“We are grateful for the constructive approach we have discussed with executives at Walt Disney Company and addressed concerns,” Nexstar said in a statement. “As a broadcasting station, Nexstar continues to commit to protecting initial revisions, protecting and broadcasting broadcast content that is not factual and, above all, in the best interests of the communities we serve, while producing and broadcasting, as we continue to produce and broadcast, as part of the community.”
Nexstar added: “To be clear, our commitment to these principles has guided our decisions throughout this process, independent of external influences from government agencies and individuals.”
Kimmel’s controversy went high gear after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr threatened to pursue a “news distortion” complaint against the ABC Station, unless Kimmel is fired. “This can be done in a simple or difficult way,” Carr said on September 17th on a conservative podcast. Television stations say, “You can find ways to change your behavior in Kimmel and, frankly, you can find ways to take action.
Nexstar’s decision to black Kimmel was widely seen as an attempt to get Carr’s good bounty, as it has immediate business before the agency. In August, Nexstar announced a deal to acquire Tegna for $6.2 billion, a deal that requires FCC approval. The company denied denial of car threat. Sinclair also argued that “our decision to take the lead (“Jimmy Kimmel Live!”) is not dependent on government interaction or influence.”
Disney, who announced Kimmel’s return earlier this week, said the decision to pause the show “to avoid further inflammatory conditions that were tense in our country’s emotional moments. It was a decision we made because some of the comments were not timed and therefore felt insulting.” The statement continued. “We spent our last day in thoughtful conversations with Jimmy. After these conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday,” September 23rd.
In a note to staff Friday afternoon, Nexstar CEO Perry Soook and President/COO Mike Biard thanked the staff for their patience and said they “even threatening hostile and threatening reactions.”
“We recognize that our decisions have created difficult and sometimes painful situations for many, especially at ABC affiliates. Some of you have faced hostile and threatening reactions. “As FCC licensees, we take our obligation to program in the public interest seriously, even if no one agrees.”
Sook and Biard’s memo said, “We also want to address the questions raised about the First Amendment. We don’t have unlimited rights to say what to say in the talk show. All networks and stations made harsh calls when the on-air act crossed the line. We provide amendments, factual, and unbiased news, and broadcast content that these principles guide us through this process and continue to do so.”
Based in Irving, Texas, Nexstar has 32 ABC-related stations (23 are owned by the company, with nine partner stations serving joint venture agreements).
These include KTVX (Salt Lake City), WGNO (New Orleans), WTEN (Albany, New York), WSYR (Syracuse, New York), WKRN (Nashville, Tennessee), WATE (Knoxville, Tennessee), WOTV (Battle Creek, Michigan), and Ga. ), Ktka (Topeka, Kansas) and WTNH (Hartford New Haven, Connecticut).
In a statement on September 17th, Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, said: At the current time, and we moved towards a reverence of constructive dialogue, we made the difficult decision to preempt his show to prioritize cooler heads. ”
– Brian Steinberg contributed to this article.
