Judge weighs Disney bid to halt FCC review of ABC stations

The Walt Disney Company asked a federal judge on October 6 to block the Federal Communications Commission from taking further steps in its early review of licenses held by eight ABC-owned television stations. U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan took the request under advisement after a hearing and did not issue a ruling. Disney says the review is retaliation for ABC’s programming and has already affected editorial decisions. The FCC says the review is tied to an investigation of Disney’s employment practices, not its content, and that the agency has not decided whether to take further action against the licenses. The dispute over the review’s purpose and its effects remains unresolved. In court, Disney lawyer Beth Wilkinson argued that the prospect of regulatory action had made the network more cautious about political programming. Disney’s filings cite decisions involving political guests on the daytime program The View and the broadcast placement of an interview with James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Texas. The company says the interview was placed online rather than on television because of the FCC scrutiny.