Media consolidation is shaping who folds under political pressure - and who could be next - Poynter

"Hours after Brendan Carr - the head of the government agency responsible for regulating broadcast transmissions - threatened to use his power to go after ABC "the hard way," the network caved. ABC announced late Wednesday it was pulling Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talk show off the air "indefinitely." Earlier in the week, Kimmel had attracted ire from some conservatives, including Carr, for his comments about the killing of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk."

"Media watchers called Kimmel's sidelining an alarming act of capitulation - one that fit into a larger pattern of media giants self-censoring in anticipatory obedience to President Donald Trump and his administration. Kimmel's show, though popular, was just one cog in the Disney media empire (ABC's parent company), and its distribution relied in part on two other media behemoths, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcasting Group."

"A similar scenario played out earlier this year between CBS News and the Trump administration. Before Trump took office, CBS News' then-parent company Paramount was waiting for regulatory approval of its $8 billion merger with Skydance. The deal was expected to close during the first half of this year, but the FCC did not approve it until late July - after Paramount agreed to pay Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit he had filed against them in October."

Brendan Carr, head of the Federal Communications Commission, threatened to use regulatory power against ABC after Jimmy Kimmel criticized conservatives over the killing of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk. ABC pulled Kimmel's late-night show off the air indefinitely following the threat. Media watchers described the sidelining as an alarming act of capitulation and part of a broader pattern of media giants self-censoring in anticipatory obedience to President Donald Trump and his administration. Kimmel's show relied on distribution partners Nexstar and Sinclair, both pursuing FCC-regulated acquisitions, increasing vulnerability to political pressure. A similar pattern occurred with Paramount and a delayed FCC approval tied to a lawsuit settlement.

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