Jimmy Kimmel is back: Why nearly 70 cities couldn't watch
FOUNDATION.
>> JIMMY KIMMEL WAS BACK ON ABC
LAST NIGHT. HERE'S HOW HE
ADDRESSED HIS PREVIOUS COMMENTS
THAT GOT HIM KICKED OFF THE AIR
FOR A FEW DAYS.
>> BUT I DO WANT TO MAKE
SOMETHING CLEAR BECAUSE IT'S
IMPORTANT TO ME AS A HUMAN AND
THAT IS IF YOU UNDERSTAND THAT
IT WAS NEVER MY INTENTION TO
MAKE LIGHT OF THE MURDER OF THE
YOUNG THAT. BUT I UNDERSTAND
THAT THAT FELT EITHER ILL TIMED
OR UNCLEAR OR MAYBE BOTH.
AND FOR THOSE WHO THINK I DID
POINT A FINGER, I GET WHY
YOU'RE UPSET IF THE SITUATION
WAS REVERSES A GOOD CHANCE.
I JUST FELT THE SAME WAY.
>> ANALYSTS THINK THAT HIS
RATINGS WERE BIG LAST NIGHT,
AT LEAST IN THE CITIES THAT
COULD ACTUALLY SEE HIM MUCH
OF THE COUNTRY COULD NOT.
THAT'S BECAUSE NEXSTAR IN
SINCLAIR DECIDED TO CONTINUE
THEIR BOYCOTT. JUST A REMINDER
OF WHO IS NEXT STAR, WHO IS
SINCLAIR WILL DO THE 2 BIGGEST
LOCAL MEDIA OWNERSHIP GROUPS IN
THE COUNTRY. NEXSTAR OWNS 200
STATIONS. SINCLAIR OWNS 185.
REMEMBER THE BIG NETWORKS DON'T
ACTUALLY OWN AND OPERATE EVERY
LOCAL STATION IN THE COUNTRY.
YOU CAN TAKE WRAL, FOR
INSTANCE, WE ARE ON NBC AND
ON FOX BUT WE DON'T RUN BY NBC
OR FOX. THEY DON'T CARRY US.
WE CARRY THEM. AND IT'S THE
SAME STORY FOR THE 385 STATIONS
OWNED BY NEXSTAR IN SINCLAIR.
THIS MAP HERE SHOWS THE 70 ABC
STATIONS OWNED BY THOSE 2
COMPANIES REPRESENTING 70
CITIES THAT COULDN'T TUNE IN
LAST NIGHT TO SEE WHAT KIMMEL
HAD TO SAY.
YOU SEE LOTS OF ATTENTION FROM
THIS STORY FROM THE SITUATION
HAVE BEEN ON ABC BECAUSE WE
THINK OF THEM AS THE BIG DOG.
YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S DISNEY
MARVEL. ESPN STAR WARS, PIXAR,
IT'S MICKEY MOUSE AND
OVERPRICED CRUISES. BUT IN
TERMS OF LOCAL MEDIA REACH.
THEY'RE A BIT OF A DISTRACTION
FROM THE REAL STORY NOW, MOST
OF YOU THINK THE REAL STORY
IS TRUMP AND IT'S HARD NOT TO
FOCUS ON THAT PART OF IT.
HE HAS TRIED TO SILENCE KIMMEL
AND OTHER COMEDIANS AND OTHER
NETWORKS AND NEWS OUTLETS IN
AUGUST. HE CALLED FOR THE FCC
TO REVOKE ABC AND NBC'S
BROADCAST LICENSES IN FEBRUARY.
HE KICKED THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS
POLL BECAUSE THEY WOULDN'T USE
THE TERM GULF OF AMERICA IN
JANUARY, TRUMP POSTED ON TRUTH,
SOCIAL UPSET ABOUT CRITICISM
FROM SETH MEYERS. HE SAID
COMCAST AND NBC WOULD QUOTE,
PAY A BIG PRICE FOR THIS.
AND TRUMP TOOK TO TRUTH SOCIAL
AGAIN LAST NIGHT AFTER KIMMEL
SHOW HE WROTE, KIMMEL PUTS THE
NETWORK IN JEOPARDY BY PLAYING
99% POSITIVE DEMOCRAT GARBAGE.
HE IS AT ANOTHER ARM OF THE
DNC AND TO THE BEST OF MY
KNOWLEDGE, THAT WOULD BE A
MAJOR ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN
CONTRIBUTION. I THINK WE'RE
GOING TO TEST ABC OUT ON THIS.
LET'S SEE HOW WE DO. LAST TIME.
I WENT AFTER THEM. THEY GAVE
ME 16 MILLION DOLLARS. THIS
ONE SOUNDS EVEN MORE LUCRATIVE.
SO HE IS ARGUING THERE THAT
BY ABC GIVEN KIMMEL PLATFORM
TO SPEAK FREELY AGAINST
REPUBLICANS AND HIS
ADMINISTRATION. IT AMOUNTS TO
CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THE
DEMOCRATS NOW TESTING THAT
ARGUMENT, AS HE SAID, WOULD BE
A NOVEL ATTACK ON FREE SPEECH
AND OUR NETWORKS. THAT SAID IT
IS CLEARLY A THREAT, THOUGH
IT'S FAR FROM
THE FIRST YOU SEE NETWORKS AND
OUTLETS HAVE FACED THREATS MANY
TIMES. AND WHILE TRUMP MIGHT
BE THE LOUDEST OR EVEN THE
BRASH CRITIC OF THE MEDIA, HE'S
CERTAINLY NOT THE FIRST
PRESIDENT TO BE VINDICTIVE.
RICHARD NIXON FAMOUSLY HATED
THE MEDIA, CREATED AN ENEMIES
LIST OF JOURNALISTS, POLITICAL
OPPONENTS AND CELEBRITIES.
TELL ME IF THIS SOUNDS
FAMILIAR, I WOULD HAVE TO SAY
THAT THE GREAT MAJORITY.
>> OF THOSE IN THE MEDIA IN THE
WASHINGTON PRESS CORPS, BOTH
TELEVISION AND PRINT MEDIA WERE
AGAINST ME. THE REASONS FOR
THAT I THINK ARE SEVERAL ONE IS
I'M A CONSERVATIVE AND AN
EFFECTIVE CONSERVATIVE IN THEIR
VIEW THEY ARE LIBERAL NIXON
ACTUALLY TRIED TO USE THE IRS
TO TARGET AND HARASS
JOURNALISTS WHO HE DIDN'T LIKE.
HE WAS HEARD ON THE RECORDING
TELLING HIS CHIEF OF STAFF TO,
QUOTE, POUND THESE PEOPLE.
>> BUT MANY TIMES THE THREATS
DIDN'T COME FROM THE PRESIDENT.
MUCH LIKE WITH KIMMEL. THEY
CAME FROM THE FCC AND IN MANY
CASES, THEY'RE THE MEDIA
COMPANIES FOUGHT BACK. I MEAN,
NOTORIOUSLY THE CAREER OF
HOWARD STERN, A MASSIVELY
POPULAR RADIO HOST KNOWN FOR
RAUNCHY AND CONTENT. HE WAS
UNDER CONSTANT PRESSURE FROM
THE FCC, BROKE RECORDS WITH
FINES IN THE MILLIONS NEARLY
GOT THE LICENSE STRIPPED FROM
CBS RADIO. BUT THEY FOUGHT FOR
HIM. THEY WENT TO COURT.
THEY FOUGHT FOR FREE SPEECH.
SOMETIMES THE MEDIA COMPANIES
DON'T FIGHT BACK THERE. TONS
OF EXAMPLES OF THIS HAPPENING
TO IN 1969, CBS CANCELED THIS
MOTHER'S BROTHER COMEDY HOUR
AFTER THEY CONTINUE TO HEADS
WITH EXECUTIVES FOR SPEAKING
OUT AGAINST THE WAR IN VIETNAM.
IN 1997, SEVERAL ABC STATIONS
REFUSED TO AIR ELLEN'S COMING
OUT EPISODE. THEY CALLED IT
INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT AND MAYBE
THE BEST EXAMPLE IN 2001,
SEVERAL ABC AFFILIATES DROPPED
POLITICALLY INCORRECT WITH BILL
MAHER AFTER HIS COMMENTS ABOUT
THE HIJACKERS FOLLOWING 9.11
CALLING THE U.S. MILITARY
COWARDS, STATEMENTS THAT
EVENTUALLY LED TO ITS
CANCELLATION. BUT I WILL ADMIT
THIS DOES FEEL DIFFERENT THAN
THOSE EXAMPLES. AND I THINK
I MIGHT KNOW
IN 1984, THE MAJORITY OF
AMERICA'S MASS MEDIA WAS
CONTROLLED BY ROUGHLY 50
INDEPENDENT MEDIA COMPANIES.
50, 50 DIFFERENT VOICES, 50
COMPANIES BALANCING COVERAGE,
UNBIASED POLITICS, FREE SPEECH,
PUBLIC TRUST IN 50 DIFFERENT
OPINIONS ON HOW TO NAVIGATE
THOSE VALUES WITH PROFIT.
TODAY, THERE ARE 6 JUST 6.
HERE'S THE LIST. INDUSTRY
EXPERTS ESTIMATE THAT 90% OF
THE NATIONAL MEDIA MARKET IS
CONTROLLED BY THE 6 COMPANIES.
NOW WE'VE SEEN THE SAME
CONSOLIDATION IN LOCAL NEWS IN
1984, THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF
LOCAL NEWS OUTLETS WITH
DIFFERENT OWNERS TODAY. THERE
ARE JUST 5 MAJOR PLAYERS IN
THE TOP 3 ALONE CONTROL ALMOST
HALF OF THE MARKET. WHY IS
THIS? WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?
WELL, THE SHORT ANSWER IS
REGULATION IN 1984, UNDER
REAGAN. THE FCC RELAX THE
OWNERSHIP CAPPED AT THE TIME.
YOU COULD ONLY ON 7 STATIONS A
MOVE THAT UP TO 12 IN THE 90'S
IN THE CLINTON, THEY RAISE THE
CAP AGAIN IN ALLOWED CROSSOVER.
MEANING YOU COULD OWN A TV
STATION NEWSPAPER AND RADIO
STATION ALL IN THE SAME MARKET
IN THE DOTS. UNDER BUSH, THE
CAP WENT UP AGAIN, ALLOWING
INDIVIDUAL COMPANIES TO REACH
UP TO 39% OF HOUSEHOLDS IN 2017
UNDER TRUMP, THEY ALLOWED ONE
COMPANY TO OWN THE TOP 2
STATIONS IN A SINGLE MARKET.
HERE WE ARE NOW IN 2025 AND
NUMBER ONE, NEXSTAR WANTS TO
CHANGE THE RULES AGAIN. THEY
WANT TO GET BIGGER. THEY WANT
TO BUY ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE
TOP MEDIA COMPANIES. NUMBER 4,
TEGNA MEANING THAT THEY WOULD
GROW AND 264 STATIONS FOR THAT
TO HAPPEN, THOUGH THEY WOULD
NEED THE FCC AND TRUMP. ARE YOU
STARTING TO PICK UP ON THE
POSSIBLE MOTIVATION HERE?
YOU KNOW, THIS CONVERSATION
HAS REVOLVED AROUND FREE
SPEECH, RIGHT? BUT KIMMEL ISN'T
THE ONLY ONE WITH THAT. FREEDOM
COMPANIES HAVE IT TOO. IF NEXT
STAR DOESN'T WANT TO SHOW
KIMMEL, THEY DON'T HAVE TO.
THEY MAY RISK BREAKING THEIR
AFFILIATION AGREEMENT WITH ABC.
BUT IF THEY WANT TO TAKE THAT
STAND, THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO
DO SO. YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIKE
IT. BUT THESE COMPANIES HAVE A
RIGHT TO SPEECH TO HAVE A VOICE
AND USE THAT VOICE TO FURTHER
THEIR VALUES. THEIR BUSINESS
INTERESTS OR TO CLOSE THE DEAL
DOESN'T MATTER.
WHAT DOES MATTER IS THAT THAT
VOICE HAS NEVER BEEN LOUDER
OR MORE POWERFUL. THIS IS THE
PRIMARY CONCERNS SURROUNDING
MEDIA CONSOLIDATION OR WELL.
BRADBURY WELLS FROM PLATO TO
EDWARD R MURROW, JEFFERSON TO
ROOSEVELT. ALL OF THEM WARNED
ABOUT THIS. THINK THINK ABOUT
IT. IF THIS WERE BACK IN THE
80'S AND NEXSTAR OWNED 7
STATIONS, NOT HUNDREDS. WOULD
ABC HAVE FOLLOWED THEIR LEAD
WITH THE WHOLE WORLD, THE
PAYING ATTENTION TO THIS WITH
THE PRESIDENT HAVE LEVERAGE.
I WANT TO REMIND YOU WHAT THIS
CONSOLIDATION LOOKS LIKE WITH A
VIDEO THAT WENT VIRAL BACK IN
2018 WHEN SINCLAIR GAVE ALL
OF ITS STATIONS. THIS A MUST
READ NEWS PROMO A CLEAR
DEMONSTRATION OF WHAT MEDIA
CONSOLIDATION CAN LOOK LIKE.
THE SHARING OF BIASED AND FALSE
NEWS HAS BECOME ALL TOO COMMON
ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND WE ARE
TRULY NATIONAL SERVICE FIRST.
EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO OUR
DEMOCRACY.
>> TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK.
I KNOW A LOT OF YOU FEEL
PASSIONATELY ABOUT THIS TOPIC
AND I'M GLAD YOU DO. IT IS A
BIG ONE. GIVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS.
E-MAIL DAN AT WRAL DOT COM.