Exclusive | FCC should scrap ABCs TV licenses, media watchdog says, alleging partisan bias

A conservative media watchdog is urging the Federal Communications Commission not to renew ABC’s licenses, accusing the broadcaster of partisan bias as its lucrative TV rights are up in the air.The Media Research Center, or MRC, accused ABC of electioneering, refusing to cover critical issues, excusing political violence and spreading misinformation in a Monday filing obtained by The Post.“We finally have an FCC willing to hold Disney and ABC accountable.Broadcast licenses are a privilege, not an entitlement.

In exchange for free use of the public airwaves, broadcasters agree to serve the public interest,” MRC President David Bozell told The Post.“If ABC wants to operate like a partisan cable network, it should give up the benefits reserved for broadcast licensees.No one is above the law, and ABC should not have its broadcast licenses renewed.”The FCC has been reviewing eight of Disney’s broadcast licenses – including ABC channels in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago – after Chairman Brendan Carr initiated a renewal process a year early, accusing the network of failing to cooperate with a probe into its DEI policies.“Broadcast licenses are not sacred cows,” a spokesperson for the FCC told The Post.

“When a broadcaster files an application to renew their FCC licenses, Congress has tasked the FCC with determining whether the broadcaster has served the public interest. That is exactly what the FCC will do here.”ABC has blasted the early license review, saying it serves “no legitimate purpose” and is an “effort to suppress speech under the guise of bureaucratic process.” It also launched a campaign urging ABC News viewers to support its broadcast license renewals and sign a petition stating that “The View” qualifies as a news interview program, amid a separate FCC investigation into the daytime talk show.In its new petition, the MRC claimed ABC has broadly pandered to the Democratic party, with mostly positive news coverage of for...