FCC chair rebukes Wiener as call to break up Sinclair over Kimmel dispute

FCC Chair Brendan Carr issued a sharp rebuke to California state Sen. Scott Wiener after Wiener urged breaking up Sinclair Broadcast Group in response to its decision not to air Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC affiliates.

Sinclair, which operates dozens of ABC stations, said that beginning Tuesday it would preempt Kimmel and replace it with local news programming. The move followed Disney's suspension of Kimmel for remarks about Charlie Kirk, and Nexstar Media Group, which owns 32 ABC affiliates, said it would continue to preempt the show across its stations as well. Disney subsequently reinstated Kimmel on the ABC network this week.

Carr praised Sinclair for standing up to Disney and argued that local television stations, not national programmers, bear primary responsibility to decide what plays in their markets. He said the public interest obligations rest with those local outlets and suggested the action taken by Sinclair and Nexstar reflects a pushback against centralized control.

Wiener responded to Carr on social media, doubling down on his call to break up Sinclair and accusing national politicians of trying to pressure the media to tilt coverage. Wiener also criticized the broader dynamic of perceived political pressure on the media, while Carr answered that Democrats have spent years weaponizing government to silence dissent and warned that such tactics could recur if not challenged.

Kimmel's show was slated to return to ABC on Tuesday, with local affiliates deciding whether to carry the program in their markets. The episode has intensified a broader debate over media consolidation, local control, and how broadcasters balance audience needs with corporate programming decisions.

The episode underscores ongoing tensions in US politics over the role of government in regulating media ownership and the degree to which local outlets should exercise autonomy from national programmers.