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Sinclair is returning “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to its ABC affiliate broadcast stations starting Friday, the corporate stated in an announcement.
The announcement comes three days after Disney’s ABC broadcast community returned the late night time program to its air after an almost week-long suspension. Disney had briefly suspended the late night time show following feedback Kimmel made concerning the alleged homicide of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and President Donald Trump’s MAGA motion.
“Over the last week, we have received thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers, and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives,” Sinclair stated within the Friday assertion. “We have also witnessed troubling acts of violence, including the despicable incident of a shooting at an ABC affiliate station in Sacramento. These events underscore why responsible broadcasting matters and why respectful dialogue between differing voices remains so important.”
Broadcast station proprietor Sinclair, together with fellow broadcast station proprietor Nexstar Media Group, stated earlier this week they’d proceed to preempt the show, which means it might be unavailable on native stations for roughly 20% of the nation, whereas they evaluated the state of affairs and continued discussions with Disney.
“In our ongoing and constructive discussions with ABC, Sinclair proposed measures to strengthen accountability, viewer feedback, and community dialogue, including a network-wide independent ombudsman. These proposals were suggested as collaborative efforts between the ABC affiliates and the ABC network,” Sinclair stated in its assertion.
“While ABC and Disney have not yet adopted these measures, and Sinclair respects their right to make those decisions under our network affiliate agreements, we believe such measures could strengthen trust and accountability,” it stated.
Sinclair owns roughly 40 ABC affiliate stations within the U.S., together with one in in Washington, D.C. Nexstar owns about 30 in markets together with Salt Lake City and New Orleans.
A Nexstar consultant did not instantly reply to remark. Disney declined to remark.
Kimmel’s suspension final week got here shortly after Nexstar introduced it might not air this system in gentle of the host’s feedback. Sinclair quickly after stated it might likewise preempt this system.
Days earlier, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr had advised ABC affiliate stations may very well be susceptible to dropping broadcast station licenses over Kimmel’s remarks, which got here throughout a show monologue.
“Our decision to preempt this program was independent of any government interaction or influence,” Sinclair stated. “Free speech provides broadcasters with the right to exercise judgment as to the content on their local stations. While we understand that not everyone will agree with our decisions about programming, it is simply inconsistent to champion free speech while demanding that broadcasters air specific content.”
Kimmel addressed the state of affairs — and the continued preemptions — throughout his returning show this week.
“We are still on the air in most of the country, except, ironically, from Washington, D.C., where we have been preempted,” Kimmel stated throughout Tuesday’s monologue. “After almost 23 years on the air, we’re suddenly not being broadcast in 20% of the country, which is not a situation we relish.”
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