politics
ABC Requests FCC Ruling on 'The View' News Interview Exemption
ABC and KTRK-TV submitted a filing made public on May 8, 2026, arguing that FCC actions targeting the long-running show's bona fide news exemption threaten decades of settled law. The dispute stems from a February 2026 interview with Senate candidate James Talarico and broader FCC reviews of ABC stations.
Los Angeles TimesAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
ABC and KTRK-TV submitted a filing to the FCC that was made public on Friday, May 8, 2026. The filing accuses the Trump administration and FCC of trying to chill constitutionally protected free speech. The filing states that the Commission's actions threaten to upend decades of settled law and practice and chill critical protected speech with respect to The View and more broadly.
The dispute centers on whether the show The View is subject to FCC political equal time rules. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has indicated he intends to argue that The View is not a bona fide news program. The View received a formal bona fide news exemption from the FCC in 2002 that has never been overturned and has been broadcasting under the exemption for more than twenty years.
A February 2026 interview with Senate candidate James Talarico on The View prompted the FCC investigation. The FCC demanded that KTRK-TV submit a new petition proving The View still qualifies for the exemption and suggested KTRK-TV may have violated equal-time rules by failing to file paperwork tied to Talarico’s appearance.
Paul Clement, who served as solicitor general under former President George W. Bush, signed the ABC filing. The filing states that the Commission's order to file the Petition for Declaratory Ruling is unprecedented, beyond the Commission’s authority, and counterproductive to the Commission’s stated goal of encouraging free speech and open political discussion.
The filing argues that narrowing the bona fide news exemption would risk restricting political discourse exactly when it is needed most, ahead of the 2026 midterms.
It states that the marketplace of ideas has never been more robust because Americans get political information from podcasts, cable, social media, streaming on phones, computers or connected TVs. The filing states that some may dislike certain or even most of the viewpoints expressed on The View or similar shows, but such dislike cannot justify using regulatory processes to restrict those views.
