The long, strange saga surrounding the abrupt departure of Jimmy Kimmel Live! from 63 affiliate stations owned by the companies Sinclair and Nexstar is just beginning. In fact, the back and forth between these companies may be best understood as the latest skirmish in a broader campaign.
As of Wednesday, the show is still pre-empted on Sinclair and Nexstar’s networks. And even if they return Kimmel to their airwaves tonight (the broadcasters say they’ve had “productive discussions” with ABC-owner Disney), it would not mark the end of this particular storyline.
Depending on whom you ask, this ordeal could have begun under the Biden administration, whose FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel delayed the renewal of a broadcast license owned by Fox to be delayed, rankling conservatives who accused the FCC of political overreach. Sound familiar?
