The Federal Communications Commission has launched a review that will examine the relationships between broadcast networks and their affiliate stations.
“The FCC has an obligation to ensure that local broadcast TV stations meet their public interest obligations. Yet National Programmers operating out of New York & Hollywood are reportedly preventing those broadcasters from serving their local communities—including by punishing them for exercising their right to preempt national programming,” FCC chairman Brendan Carr said in a Wednesday X post. “The FCC has now started a proceeding to examine ways we can empower local broadcasters to meet their public interest obligations by reviewing the network / affiliate relationship for the first time in more than 15 years.”
Per a notice from the regulator, the agency will seek comment on changes in the network/affiliate relationship, licensee control over station programming and operations, commission rules governing affiliate agreements, the preemption of national programming by local broadcast TV stations, networks’ “undue influence” over affiliation agreements and “good faith negotiations” between networks and their affiliates.
It will also seek input on future rulemaking designed to foster competition in affiliate negotiations and remedial actions to “address offending affiliate agreements in order to restore full control of the license to the affiliate.”
Comments will be due Dec. 10, with replies due Dec. 24.
The review comes as Carr is set to testify before the Senate Commerce Committee on Dec. 17 after facing backlash for comments he made that led to the temporary preemption of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on ABC stations controlled by Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcasting in September over comments the late night host made about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
“When we see stuff like this, look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said at the time. “These companies can find ways to change conduct, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
It also comes as Nexstar has a $6.2 billion merger deal with rival Tegna and Sinclair is in talks to acquire rival E.W. Scripps. Approval of both deals would be subject to the FCC raising or eliminating the 39% cap on national broadcast ownership, which is designed to prevent monopolization and ensure viewpoint diversity. Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley has said he expects the FCC to take action on the cap in the first half of 2026.
Additionally, it comes as President Donald Trump has repeatedly called on the FCC to revoke networks’ broadcast licenses, with ABC the latest under scrutiny after chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce pressed him on Jeffrey Epstein.
