In July, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ordered Houston-based ABC affiliate KTRK to provide “all internal communications” related to the booking of political candidates on The View. According to the complaint, the records request covered discussions among booking staff, segment producers, executive producers, and the show’s on-air co-hosts over a two-year period. It also sought messages exchanged between the two named co-hosts and the program’s executive producers regarding one booking decision.
The complaint says the FCC also required ABC to disclose political contributions made by individual employees and co-hosts. Two weeks later, the agency sent another letter issuing similar demands involving Good Morning America, This Week with George Stephanopoulos, and ABC World News Tonight with David Muir.
“There is no provision in Article 315” of the Communications Act “that authorizes the government to request messages from a journalist or an on-air anchor’s producer, catalog political contributions, or audit editorial standards across an entire news department,” the complaint states. It also alleges that FCC Chair Brendan Carr has not launched comparable investigations into conservative talk-radio stations.
The View Says FCC Investigation Had a Chilling Effect
Disney acknowledged that the FCC proceedings affected how The View evaluates potential guests. According to the complaint, no political candidate appeared on the program after Talarico’s February 2026 appearance.
“Historically, decisions about which candidates and celebrities to invite as guests have been made solely on the basis of newsworthiness, audience interest, and scheduling,” the complaint says. “Since the investigation began, ABC must now consider how invitations to political candidates could affect the station’s upcoming license renewal, including whether the FCC might later cite those appearances as grounds for non-renewal.”
ABC continued making editorial decisions despite knowing they could draw criticism from President Donald Trump. Last month, the network chose not to broadcast a prime-time speech by Trump live. The lawsuit states that, in response, Trump called for the revocation of broadcast licenses held by ABC-owned stations and NBC affiliates, which also did not air the speech live.
Source: arstechnica.com