Disney scrambles to protect ‘The View’ from new FCC anti-bias enforcement ahead of midterms
OAN Staff Lillian Mann
5:53 PM – Friday, May 22, 2026
Disney is bargaining with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to determine whether “The View” talk show qualifies for an exemption from the statutory “equal time” requirement that applies to broadcast programming.
The “equal time rule” requires broadcast stations to provide equal airtime to legally qualified candidates running for the same office. However, broadcasters have argued that strict enforcement could create significant scheduling burdens, leading Congress to establish a “bona fide news” exemption covering newscasts, documentaries, and news interview programs in 1959.
In a social media post on Friday, Brendan Carr raised the question of whether “The View” qualifies as a “bona fide news interview program.”
“Under FCC case law, TV shows do not qualify as ‘bona fide news’ if their decisions are based on partisan purposes, such as an intention to advance or harm an individual’s candidacy,” Carr wrote. “As the Public Notice observes, Congress originally passed the equal opportunities law to prevent media gatekeepers from deciding the outcome of elections.”
https://www.oann.com/newsroom/disney-scrambles-to-protect-the-view-from-new-fcc-anti-bias-enforcement-ahead-of-midterms/
