Trump-nominated FCC chair blasts ABC’s 'conduct' in 'stern letter' to Disney CEO: report

23 December 2024

President-elect Donald Trump's Federal Communications Commission nominee, Brendan Carr, went after Disney CEO Bob Iger in a letter Monday, over "the Disney-owned ABC network’s negotiations with its affiliated stations across the United States," CNN reports.

In the "stern message to the owners of television stations and networks," according to CNN, Carr points to "ABC’s own conduct has certainly contributed to this erosion in public trust."

The MAGA appointee is referring to the network's recent agreement to settle in the defamation case brought against them by Trump.

"Americans no longer trust the national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly," Carr emphasizes at the beginning of the letter. He "then delineates between national networks and local stations (which are licensed by the FCC), saying, 'Americans largely hold positive views of their local media outlets,'" CNN reports.

"The approach that ABC is apparently taking in these negotiations concerns me," Carr adds in the letter. "My understanding is that ABC is attempting to extract onerous financial and operational concessions from local broadcast TV stations under the threat of terminating long-held affiliations, which could result in blackouts and other harms to local consumers of broadcast news and content."

CNN's full report is available here.