{"id":2919,"date":"2025-09-24T04:47:39","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T04:47:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/09\/24\/some-us-broadcasters-will-not-air-kimmel-even-as-abc-brings-back-show\/"},"modified":"2025-09-24T04:47:39","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T04:47:39","slug":"some-us-broadcasters-will-not-air-kimmel-even-as-abc-brings-back-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/09\/24\/some-us-broadcasters-will-not-air-kimmel-even-as-abc-brings-back-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Some US broadcasters will not air Kimmel even as ABC brings back show"},"content":{"rendered":"<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Jimmy Kimmel Live! <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/9\/23\/why-is-jimmy-kimmel-returning-to-abc-what-did-his-suspension-cost-disney\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">will return<\/a> to the airwaves after Disney <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/9\/24\/where-and-how-to-watch-jimmy-kimmel-live-and-who-is-boycotting\">lifted<\/a> its indefinite suspension of the US late-night show, but two of the largest affiliate owners \u2013 Sinclair Broadcasting Group and Nexstar Media Group \u2013 will not air the long-running programme.<\/p>\n<p>Disney owns the broadcaster ABC, home of Jimmy Kimmel Live!. On Monday evening, Disney announced that the show would return following discussions with Kimmel\u2019s team and network representatives. However, two of the major affiliate operators have not reversed course.<\/p>\n<section>\n<h2>Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n<p><span>list of 4 items<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>list 1 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/economy\/2025\/9\/23\/us-pledges-to-do-what-is-needed-to-support-argentinas-economy\">US pledges to do \u2018what is needed\u2019 to support Argentina\u2019s economy<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 2 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/9\/23\/only-1-2-of-over-one-billion-africans-have-access-to-5g-networks-report\">Only 1.2% of over one billion Africans have access to 5G networks: Report<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 3 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/9\/23\/trumps-h-1b-visa-fee-hike-which-countries-could-benefit\">Trump\u2019s H-1B visa fee hike: Which countries could benefit?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 4 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/economy\/2025\/9\/23\/trump-proposes-new-h-1b-visa-process-prioritising-highly-skilled-workers\">Trump proposes new H-1B visa process prioritising highly skilled workers<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Keeping the show off those affiliate TV stations significantly cuts into Kimmel\u2019s reach. Nexstar and Sinclair together own and operate 70 of the 250 ABC stations across the United States, putting them at odds with the network.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"nexstar-s-vested-interest\">Nexstar\u2019s vested interest<\/h2>\n<p>ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s show after the comedian made remarks about the killing of conservative figure Charlie Kirk. The suspension came just hours after Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr warned that stations carrying the show could face fines, or even lose their broadcast licences, urging them to \u201cstep up\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Carr\u2019s comments drew pushback across the political spectrum, including from US President Donald Trump\u2019s allies. Texas Senator Ted Cruz <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/9\/22\/republican-us-senators-knock-fcc-chair-for-threatening-disney-over-kimmel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">called Carr\u2019s remarks<\/a> \u201cdangerous as hell\u201d, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Cruz \u201cgot it right\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Nexstar owns 23 ABC affiliates and is currently pursuing a $6.2bn merger with competitor Tegna, a deal requiring FCC approval. If completed, the combined company would reach 80 percent of US households, far above the current 39 percent cap, and would require a policy change. Carr has long supported removing that cap.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNexstar\u2019s capitulation in hopes of gaining approval for its merger with Tegna is actually Exhibit A in why it should not be allowed to merge with Tegna. Large conglomerates have enormous leverage to facilitate the Trump administration\u2019s crackdown on free speech, both by censoring themselves and by bullying the networks,\u201d Seth Stern, director of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n<p>Carr praised Nexstar last week for dropping Kimmel from its affiliates in markets such as Salt Lake City, Nashville and New Orleans.<\/p>\n<p>Margot Susca, professor of journalism, accountability,and democracy at the American University in Washington, DC, said the FCC\u2019s pressure on Kimmel sets a troubling precedent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think what is concerning is that it\u2019s Jimmy Kimmel now, but it could be Meet The Press [which airs on NBC] next year if another corporate media owner needs to make a deal and the Trump administration or Brendan Carr\u2026 say they don\u2019t like a segment that comes on a news programme. These are dark days for the content that appears on broadcast television,\u201d Susca said.<\/p>\n<p>Other media experts argue the issue is rooted in the leverage affiliate owners hold.<\/p>\n<p>In the US, affiliate operators license programming from networks and pay carriage fees to do so. Affiliation typically brings more viewers, and thus, more advertising revenue, which is shared between networks and affiliates. Affiliates can preempt network programming, often for local news during severe weather events or political debates, for instance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey [TV station operators] can simply not run those programmes because they don\u2019t really need the networks as much as they did at one time,\u201d Tom Letizia, media consultant and head of political communications firm the Letizia Agency, told Al Jazeera, referring to the global trend of viewers finding their content on social media or streaming platforms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is more about making a profit, and that\u2019s really what this business is about. Let\u2019s not forget that. I mean, ratings are the lifeblood of a TV station. If you don\u2019t have ratings, you can\u2019t charge your advertisers a premium cost for that spot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A lot of the advertising spend in smaller markets comes from local political parties, and if the politics do not align, those advertising dollars could be cut.<\/p>\n<p>Nexstar said it stands by its decision to preempt Kimmel indefinitely and will \u201cmonitor the show as it returns to ABC\u201d. The company denied political involvement or pressure from the Trump administration.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe decision to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! was made unilaterally by the senior executive team at Nexstar, and they had no communication with the FCC or any government agency prior to making that decision,\u201d a Nexstar spokesman told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"sinclair-s-stance\">Sinclair\u2019s stance<\/h2>\n<p>Sinclair Broadcasting said on Monday that it does not plan to resume airing Kimmel\u2019s show on its 38 ABC affiliates, opting instead for news programming.<\/p>\n<p>The company, the second-largest US station operator after Nexstar, pushed Kimmel to apologise and \u201cmake a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA\u201d, Kirk\u2019s conservative activist organisation.<\/p>\n<p>Sinclair has long faced criticism for its conservative leanings. David Smith, the company\u2019s executive chairman, donated $250,000 in 2024 to Kirk\u2019s Turning Point USA through the David D Smith Family Foundation, whose listed address matches Sinclair\u2019s headquarters.<\/p>\n<p>In 2018, Sinclair required local anchors to read a script criticising \u201cone-sided media coverage\u201d, which Trump, then in his first term in office, praised. This came as the company pursued a $3.9bn merger with Tribune Media at the time, a deal that ultimately collapsed after Tribune pulled out.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs the owners of the stations, they can make the choices over what their content is. Sinclair is a pretty right-wing organisation,\u201d Susca said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen they buy a station in a local market, it tacks coverage to the right. They focus more on national politics.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A 2019 study in the American Political Science Review found that Sinclair stations leaned more conservative than their competitors in the same markets.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDiscussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show\u2019s potential return,\u201d Sinclair said in a statement. The company did not respond to Al Jazeera\u2019s request for further comment.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"disney-s-decision\">Disney\u2019s decision<\/h2>\n<p>Disney\u2019s move to reinstate Kimmel comes amid widespread public pressure. Celebrities and elected officials called for boycotts of Disney-owned platforms, including Disney+, ESPN and Hulu, in the wake of his suspension.<\/p>\n<p>Google Trends data showed that searches to cancel those platforms spiked to their highest-ever levels following the suspension.<\/p>\n<p>ABC directly owns only eight stations, including in New York and Houston. WABC in New York faced political backlash when leading mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani pulled out of a debate it was set to host, citing ABC\u2019s suspension of Kimmel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBroadcast media is a business. Make no mistake that Kimmel being taken off the air was a business decision. Kimmel being put back on the air is a business decision,\u201d Susca said.<\/p>\n<p>Disney\u2019s stock has fallen 2.78 percent over the past five days.<\/p>\n<p>Laura Crompton, a media analyst and head of global communications agency Hopscotch\u2019s Los Angeles office, said that Tuesday\u2019s show could provide a ratings boost.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor now, it seems they\u2019ve chosen to put things right and show that they won\u2019t cower to overreach or threats. But something tells me this isn\u2019t over yet. If we want to find a silver lining, I suspect Kimmel\u2019s comeback show tonight will smash audience numbers, even without the 25 percent of audiences disenfranchised by the ongoing standoff regionally. And realistically, I\u2019m sure we\u2019re all relieved we don\u2019t have to take the moral high road and give up our Disney+ favorite shows now,\u201d Crompton told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n<p>Disney did not respond to Al Jazeera\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to the airwaves after Disney lifted its indefinite suspension of the US late-night show, but two of the largest affiliate owners \u2013 Sinclair Broadcasting Group and Nexstar Media Group \u2013 will not air the long-running programme. Disney owns the broadcaster ABC, home of Jimmy Kimmel Live!. On Monday evening, Disney &#8230; <a title=\"Some US broadcasters will not air Kimmel even as ABC brings back show\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/09\/24\/some-us-broadcasters-will-not-air-kimmel-even-as-abc-brings-back-show\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Some US broadcasters will not air Kimmel even as ABC brings back show\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2920,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2919"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2919\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}