“The View,” the FCC, and the Real Question Behind Equal Time
Opinion — T Z Sawyer The public comments in the FCC docket concerning ABC’s The View appear to lean strongly against treating the program as a “news program” for equal-time purposes, at least among commenters who filed more detailed submissions rather than short express comments. That distinction matters. In my working review of the docket, filers who submitted supporting comments or more substantive arguments generally opposed ABC’s position. Most did not view The View as a bona fide news interview program. A smaller number supported ABC’s position. More recently, however, the docket appears to have seen an influx of short express comments supporting ABC or objecting to FCC involvement. Many of those comments frame the issue as “free speech” or “hands off the FCC.” But that misses the point. This docket is not about whether The View may speak. It is about whether candidate appearances on the program should trigger equal-opportunity rights for opposing candidates. The more precise p...