{"id":3174,"date":"2026-06-24T20:38:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T20:38:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3174"},"modified":"2026-06-24T20:38:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T20:38:52","slug":"triangles-abc11-says-the-fcc-is-threatening-to-pull-it-off-the-air-heres-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3174","title":{"rendered":"Triangle\u2019s ABC11 says the FCC is threatening to pull it off the air. Here\u2019s why"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

ABC11 and other television stations owned by The Walt Disney Co. have taken its fight with the federal government to the public.<\/p>\n

Read more UNC doesn\u2019t have to release remaining COVID research records, NC Supreme Court says<\/a><\/p>\n

Disney, which owns ABC and eight ABC television stations, kicked off a public awareness campaign Monday, June 22, asking viewers to support its license renewal with the Federal Communications Commission and ABC\u2019s petition that \u201cThe View\u201d qualify for an FCC \u201cbona fide\u201d news exception.<\/p>\n

\u201cABC11 has proudly served the Raleigh, Durham and Fayetteville area for more than 70 years,\u201d according to ABC11\u2019s Facebook post<\/a>. \u201cThe FCC is questioning our commitment to viewers by threatening to take us off the air. Use your voice and tell the FCC that North Carolina deserves to keep its trusted local station WTVD.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post takes people to ABC11\u2019s website<\/a>, which encourages people to tell the \u201cFCC to keep WTVD on the air\u201d and to submit a public comment to the FCC.<\/a> ABC11 is The News & Observer\u2019s newsgathering partner.<\/p>\n

The FCC, which regulates broadcasters including radio and television stations, ordered eight Disney-owned ABC stations, including ABC11, to file early license renewals on April 28, The News & Observer<\/a> previously reported.<\/p>\n

ABC11 declined to comment.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Disney<\/a> said \u201cABC and its stations have a long record of operating in full compliance with FCC rules and serving their local communities with trusted news, emergency information, and public\u2011interest programming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Disney and the stations submitted their renewal applications early and objected to the \u201cunlawful, arbitrary and unconstitutional order,\u201d according to the May 28 application<\/a>. ABC11\u2019s license renewal was originally set for 2028.<\/p>\n

The FCC began investigating Disney for its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts<\/a> and stated in its order<\/a> \u201cthe FCC has been investigating Disney\u2019s ABC stations for possible violations of the Communications Act of 1934 and the FCC\u2019s rules, including the agency\u2019s prohibition on unlawful discrimination.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the timing has raised questions from First Amendment and legal experts.<\/p>\n

The early renewal order came shortly after the White House and Trump administration<\/a> called on ABC to fire late night host Jimmy Kimmel<\/a>, who joked about first lady Melania Trump during a parody of the White House Correspondents\u2019 Association dinner.<\/p>\n

Read more Contracts show how much NC State will pay, receive for 2026 non-conference games<\/a><\/p>\n

The FCC also opened an investigation into ABC\u2019s daytime talk show \u201cThe View\u201d<\/a> after it featured James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for Senate in Texas, for potentially violating the equal-time rules. Those rules require non-news programs to give comparable air-time opportunities for political rivals.<\/p>\n

Late-night and daytime entertainment talk shows have been classified as bona fide news for the purpose of interview segments and exempt to the equal-time rules.<\/p>\n

The public awareness campaign by Disney, ABC and its stations is timed with the FCC\u2019s solicitation of public comments<\/a> on the license renewals and \u201cThe View.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

The FCC was flooded with over 16,000 messages, mostly in support of the network and \u201cThe View,\u201d since the public campaign began, The Wrap<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n

ABC11, and other Triangle television stations, censored portions of the Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup rally<\/a> during team speeches, which contained expletives.<\/p>\n

Profane language is prohibited from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. resulting in the largest FCC warnings, fines and other consequences, and the censored portions were likely risk management for the stations, said Israel Balderas, a First Amendment attorney and media law professor at Elon University.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I was a news director or a GM, I would say, \u2018Look, I don\u2019t want to add more fodder to this other issue, so let\u2019s play it safe,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cSo certainly that other legal FCC fight was in the mind of the people back at the station.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more One of Durham\u2019s top chefs is set to unveil a new downtown restaurant<\/a><\/p>\n

Reporter Faith Wardwell contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A public awareness campaign asks North Carolina viewers to support ABC11, Disney and ABC stations in their license renewal amid FCC investigations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3172,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nTriangle\u2019s ABC11 says the FCC is threatening to pull it off the air. 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