Disney goes ballistic in 109-page attack on Trump administration as TV stations hang on a knifes edge

The Walt Disney Company has dramatically escalated its showdown with the Federal Communications Commission, accusing the agency of carrying out a politically motivated campaign on behalf of President Donald Trump that could strip broadcast licenses from some of Disney-owned network ABC’s biggest television stations.In a 109-page filing, Disney argued the federal agency’s actions amount to retaliation over the entertainment company’s programming, including criticism of the president by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and scrutiny surrounding Disney’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.“The retaliation against ABC is a signal to every media company in the country: accommodate the Administration’s view of what news coverage should look like or pay the price,” Disney’s attorneys wrote in the filing.The dispute centers on the FCC’s decision earlier this year to launch an early review of the licenses for Disney’s eight owned-and-operated ABC stations, including KABC-TV in Los Angeles, WABC-TV in New York, as well as stations serving San Francisco, Fresno, Houston and Philadelphia.If those licenses were ultimately revoked, the move would force several of the network’s largest local stations off the air, dealing a major blow to ABC’s nationwide broadcasting operations.Disney contends the FCC has spent months searching for grounds to justify such an action.“The FCC has spent the last 18 months searching for some pretext for revoking the stations’ licenses,” the company’s lawyers wrote.“The Commission has found none, because the stations easily meet the standard for license renewal,” they added.According to Disney, the FCC’s review is without modern precedent.The company said the agency had not ordered an early group-wide license review of television stations in more than half a century before initiating the current proceedings in April.Disney also linked the timing of the investigation to Trump’s criticism of ABC, noting the FCC...