Trump admin threatens to pull ABC's broadcast license over Disney's DEI practices

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Independent

Tuesday 01 April 2025 10:05 BST


A government official has warned that ABC's broadcast license could be at risk as Disney faces an investigation into its alleged efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in hiring as the Trump administration continues its attempt to curb the practices.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr told Fox News that these practices at Disney, ABC’s parent company, could amount to discrimination.

“If the evidence does in fact play out and shows that they were engaged in race- and gender-based discrimination, that’s a very serious issue at the FCC, that could fundamentally go to their character qualifications to even hold a license,” Carr said in an interview on Monday. “But we’re going to follow the facts wherever they go.”

Since returning to office, President Trump has issued sweeping executive orders to dismantle DEI policies in schools, federal agencies, and the private sector. In late March, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Department of Labor from implementing parts of his executive orders in response to a lawsuit filed by a non-profit, Chicago Women in Trades.

Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-disney-dei-license-b2725092.html

[J_William_Ryan]

1. Another manifestation of the fascist Trump regime -

using the authority of the state to silence the press because it refuses to conform to a dictator’s capricious whims.

[Lovie777]

2. Stop it.................

enough. Damn.

[JohnSJ]

3. Since ABC already caved-in once because they didn't like what stephanopoulos said, I am not particularly confident that

ABC will NOT still bend the knee to the orange king and his fascist regime.

What they should do is take this to the f**king supreme court.

Who the f**k does this ignoramus in the WH think he is.

[no_hypocrisy]

4. What's next? Pull ABC's license if Whoopie

isn’t fired?

[Harker]

5. Where are the republicans who have been bleating about governmental overreach?

That's a rhetorical question.

[travelingthrulife]

7. They are hiding in the closet with the armed patriots who bleat about watering

the tree of democracy with blood. This is what you've been waiting for boys!

[Harker]

9. It's the quiet ones that most concern me. n/t

[PatSeg]

6. The absolute insanity continues

It is like we're living in some alternate Bizarro world.

[Harker]

10. The torrid pace and the audacity are a part of the plan.

Last edited Tue Apr 1, 2025, 10:32 AM - Edit history (1)

It's hard to react rationally and respond effectively in the face of the onslaught of what I think of as "schlock and awe."

Yet we must.

[PatSeg]

14. Yes, it is very intentional

and it rather represents the way Trump has done business his entire life - overwhelm and distract every chance you get. Never give anyone a chance to scrutinize your activities by creating ridiculous diversions. As with everything in his life, it is all just show to him.

"Schlock and awe" - apt description.

[Harker]

16. Yes, it's a show.

I hope his ratings tank sufficiently for his sponsors to pull him off the air soon.

[PatSeg]

19. God, I hope so

The crap he's doing isn't good for even the billionaires who have supported him. All their wealth isn't worth much if he destroys the society they live and work in.

[Harker]

21. Howard Beale has been on my mind lately. n/t

[yorkster]

30. Schlock and awe should replace the original

odious phrase. Excellent word choice.

[Harker]

34. These come to me at the strangest times.

Often, maybe a day or two later, I hear them spoken independently by someone else on a video clip at DU.

Odious is right. I think I might have heard it first from Rumsfeld just prior to the bombing of Iraq.

[yorkster]

36. Yes. It is forever in my mind with scenes of

March 2003 bombing of Baghdad.

[Martin68]

8. I find it amazing that Disney is perceived s a progressive entity.

[BumRushDaShow]

12. It's too "woke"

[Martin68]

25. Is there a significant difference between being woke and being progressive. They seem close to the same to me.

[BumRushDaShow]

31. Remember that the GOP takes terms that liberals/progressives use

and makes a negative out of them. They did just that with the slang term "woke" (which is basically "enlightened", "receptive", "perceptive" ) and most recently with the effort dubbed "DEI". Even the word "liberal" became an invective.

Disney went through a whole production with DeSatan in FL and despite the final outcome, managed to weaken him significantly where he was reduced to being a marginalized wacko.

[Martin68]

39. I understand that Republicans have latched onto the term "woke" as a propaganda move. I'm just making the point

that in reality the term is no different that all the other terms for liberals and progressive that the Republicans would like to turn into pejoratives. In addition, it seems obvious that Disney is primarily an enormously wealthy corporation whose primary focus is on their stockholder's bottom line. The irony is that Republicans try to portray Democrats a anti-capitalist and t the same time are punishing companies that have adopted DEI policies because it improves their profits.

[JCMach1]

11. First rule of politics. Don't F' with the Mouse

Apparently, no one told Trump this

[Miguelito Loveless]

20. DeSantis did

and got pretty much what he wanted. Disney will look at the balance sheet, see it is cheaper to cave than to fight, and will cave,

[JCMach1]

24. Except where is Desantis? What future does he have?

Mouse plays the long game

[liberalgunwilltravel]

13. Fuck he fascist

They want a war? They are going to get it. And it won't be Fucking Goofy leading it.

[Vinca]

15. What doesn't he understand about free enterprise? ABC is not Trump TV, it's a private company.

[sakabatou]

17. Not surprised, since he went after Disney

[taxi]

18. What rule of unintended consequence?

Would this not affect only the broadcast, and not the wired or Internet users? If that's the case it will be those in the most rural and remote communities that will have fewer viewing choices. Small price to pay for owning the liberals.

[LudwigPastorius]

22. Animated Princesses of Color hurt Donald's KKK feelings?

You know what they say, Trump - fuck your feelings.

[mzmolly]

23. What the motherfock!!

Free speech my ass!

[Irish_Dem]

26. He needs to be pinked slipped into a locked psych ward.

[underpants]

27. Not being racist is racist. Go ahead, let's see the scramble to get college football on TV

[Wiz Imp]

28. How many times does this need to be repeated?

The Federal Communications Commission, an independent federal
agency, does not license broadcast networks, but issues them to
individual broadcast stations that are renewed on a staggered basis for
eight-year periods.

So there is no "ABC Broadcast License" to revoke.

[BumRushDaShow]

32. They will do like was tried here in Philly with a Fox affiliate

i.e., select a local station owned by the network in a blue city, and attempt to pull the WTXF license (ironically also going after the ABC-owned station WPVI here as well).

So in the case of Disney/ABC, they own, for example, L.A.'s KABC-TV (and 2 years after the Disney purchase of ABC, they moved the station close to Disney properties, whereas the radio station with the same call letters is owned by Cumulus).

https://publicfiles.fcc.gov/tv-profile/KABC-TV

License (PDF) - https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/api/download/lm/authorization/25076ff39448107801946b6bbffa1883

License renewal notice 2022 (PDF) - https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/api/download/lm/authorization/25076f9181f47ea901821cc4648f2ac3

[samsingh]

29. and we couldn't even stop fox from lying all the time

[Bengus81]

33. GFD....Take a STAND NOW and stop this FUCKER in his tracks

Tell that POS we'll see your ass in Court.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

35. Another silly threat that trump cannot carry out in the real world

[BumRushDaShow]

38. But they can send their RW loon groups after individual stations

like they did here in Philly.

[Daleuhlmann]

37. Sneaky, Backward Way of Imposing Government Censorship on ABC!

This vindictive, old prick isn't fooling me!