The View may soon be forced to trade its cozy treatment of favored politicians for a more balanced and federally regulated approach to campaign airtime.
According to Sean Hannity, the Federal Communications Commission is preparing to determine that ABCs daytime talk show is not a bona fide news program, a move that would revoke a long-standing exemption and subject the show to equal-time rules for political candidates. For a program built on celebrity gossip, partisan sparring, and soft-focus interviews with Democratic officeholders, such a ruling could upend its entire formula.
Under federal law, broadcasters are generally required to offer comparable opportunities to rival candidates whenever a legally qualified candidate appears on air. Bona fide newscasts and news interview programs are exempt, allowing producers to select guests without automatically triggering equal-time demands from opponents.
The View has enjoyed that protection for more than twenty years, but FCC Chairman Brendan Carr now appears poised to reassess whether the show still merits that status. People familiar with the internal discussions told Bloomberg that a decision could come before Labor Day, with the FCCs Media Bureau issuing the initial ruling.
ABC would be able to appeal any adverse finding to the full commission and, if necessary, to the federal courts. Disney, which owns ABC, is widely expected to mount a vigorous challenge if the exemption is revoked.
ABC has already argued that stripping the show of its exemption would improperly interfere with its editorial judgment and force a fundamental overhaul of how it books political guests. Without that shield, a single appearance by one candidate could unleash a wave of demands for equal airtime from every qualified rival.
The looming decision coincides with reports that the FCC is preparing to escalate a separate probe into Disneys broadcast television licenses, raising broader questions about corporate media power and regulatory oversight that conservatives have long warned against.
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