Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to discuss the FCC’s probe into soaring NFL streaming costs, an investigation into ABC’s ‘The View’ over equal time rules and a push for patriotic programming.
ABC’s “The View” is under Federal Communications Commission (FCC) review after Chairman Brendan Carr said the long-running talk show faces an “uphill climb” in proving it qualifies as a legitimate news program.
“The View” is at the center of an investigation by the FCC over the agency’s equal-time rules, which prevent media from favoring certain political candidates. The investigation follows increased FCC scrutiny of political segments on entertainment programs.
“When you look at the lineup of guests that have typically been on ‘The View,’ I think it’s an uphill climb for Disney to make the case that they’re just a straight news program,” Carr said Friday on “Mornings with Maria.”
VERIZON CUSTOMERS FACE 35-DAY WAIT TO UNLOCK PAID-OFF PHONES UNDER POLICY CHANGE
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr speaks onstage during the 2025 Concordia Annual Summit at the Sheraton New York Times Square in New York City on Sept. 22, 2025. (John Lamparski/Getty Images for Concordia Annual Summit / Getty Images)
The dispute stems from an appearance by Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, while his primary opponent, Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, was not offered a slot. Crockett has previously appeared on the program but said those appearances were not related to her current Senate campaign.
TRUMP TRADE CHIEF DEFIANT ON SUPREME COURT RULING, VOWS TO RESTORE TARIFFS WITHIN MONTHS
“Bona fide” newscasts and interviews are typically exempt from the equal-time rules, but Carr said it may be tough for the show to prove that’s what they are.
Whoopi Goldberg, Sara Haines, Joy Behar, Ana Navarro, Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin appear during the Season 29 premiere of “The View,” which aired Sept. 8, 2025, on ABC. (Lou Rocco/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. via Getty Images / Getty Images)
“Disney’s ‘The View’ is now asserting to the FCC that they are a bona fide news program. And we started an enforcement action there. We’ve issued letters of inquiry, which are versions of subpoenas,” Carr said.
MIKE DAVIS: WHY WE MUST DROP ANTIQUATED RULE SHACKLING TV IN STREAMING ERA
He added that dozens of Disney-affiliated TV stations disagree with the company’s claim that “The View” qualifies as exempt news programming under the equal-time rule. Carr said the FCC has received several equal-time notices from the affiliate stations, which could allow Crockett to request airtime.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to discuss the FCC’s probe into soaring NFL streaming costs, an investigation into ABC’s ‘The View’ over equal time rules and a push for patriotic programming.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Congress passed a law, and they didn’t want media gatekeepers to be deciding the outcomes of elections by having exclusively one political candidate or one political party on all the time,” added Carr.
Earlier this month, CBS’s “The Late Show” declined to air a segment with Talarico over equal-time concerns. CBS released a statement denying it censored host Stephen Colbert, saying the show instead chose to post the interview on YouTube to avoid triggering the rule.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to break down the agency’s wins following President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office.