FCC cracking down on liberal talk-shows not giving equal airtime to GOP guests

The Federal Communications Commission announced Wednesday that it plans to more aggressively enforce rules governing politically oriented programming on broadcast television, emphasizing that stations must provide equal opportunities to candidates from all political parties.

In updated guidance sent to the nation’s three largest broadcast networks, the agency reminded them of their obligations under the Communications Act of 1934. That statute includes an “equal opportunities” provision requiring broadcasters to offer comparable access to legally qualified candidates seeking the same office, regardless of party affiliation. In practical terms, if one candidate is allowed to appear on a station or use its facilities, competing candidates must be given a similar opportunity.

The FCC clarified that someone is considered a legally qualified candidate if they have publicly declared their candidacy and meet all applicable legal requirements to run for the office in question.

For years, certain types of programming have been shielded from the equal time requirement under a “bona fide news” exemption. This carve-out has traditionally applied to legitimate news interviews and similar programming, allowing editorial discretion without triggering equal access obligations. However, the commission said there is currently no demonstrated evidence that interview segments on existing daytime or late-night talk shows automatically qualify for that exemption.

The agency also cautioned that programs driven primarily by partisan objectives do not automatically fall under the long-recognized news exemption. It encouraged any broadcaster seeking clarity to formally request a declaratory ruling to determine whether its programming meets the statutory standards for exemption.

According to the FCC, it is essential that both broadcasters and candidates understand how the equal opportunities rules could require comparable airtime and similar scheduling treatment moving forward.

In a follow-up statement, FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez stressed that the announcement does not represent a change in the underlying law. She said no new regulations or reinterpretations have been adopted that would alter the longstanding framework governing equal time or the news exemption.

Gomez emphasized that for decades the commission has acknowledged the editorial discretion of bona fide news programs, including late-night and daytime shows, when making judgments based on newsworthiness rather than political favoritism. She underscored that the First Amendment protects broadcasters’ rights to air content that may be critical of those in power, and said stations should not feel intimidated into softening or avoiding critical coverage out of concern over regulatory consequences.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr echoed the enforcement-focused message in a post on X. He argued that traditional television networks have long presumed their late-night and daytime programs qualified as bona fide news, even when content appeared overtly partisan. The FCC’s reminder, he said, reinforces the obligation to provide equal opportunities to all candidates.

The announcement could have significant implications for prominent talk and late-night programs such as The View, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the latter of which is scheduled to conclude in May.

A December study by the Media Research Center reported that “The View” featured 128 liberal guests during 2025, compared with just two conservatives: actress Cheryl Hines and former Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. The study also cited remarks by co-host Joy Behar suggesting that Republicans avoid the show because they are “afraid,” a comment that drew pushback from conservatives who said their requests to appear had been declined or ignored.

Another analysis reviewing five late-night programs — “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” and “The Daily Show” — found that 99 percent of political guests in the latter half of 2025 were liberals. Across those shows, the study counted 90 liberal or Democratic guests compared with a single conservative.

The broader debate over media treatment of political figures has also surfaced in litigation. In February of last year, President Donald Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS over an October 2024 “60 Minutes” interview with then–Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump’s legal team alleged that the segment had been deceptively edited, airing two different answers from Harris regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict in a way they argued misled viewers and benefited his opponent.

The dispute was eventually resolved when Paramount Global, CBS’s parent company, agreed to pay $16 million to settle the lawsuit.

Source: NEW YORK POST