In Depth with Dan: Why Jimmy Kimmel's show was pulled off the air
TRUCKS AND S U.
OKAY. LET'S TALK ABOUT JIMMY
KIMMEL.
>> HE AND HIS LATE NIGHT SHOW
ARE OFF THE AIR INDEFINITELY
AFTER SOMETHING HE SAID DURING
THE OPEN MONOLOGUE. HERE'S THAT
CLIP.
>> IT'S A NEW LOWS OVER THE
WEEKEND WITH THE MAG AGAIN,
DESPERATELY TRYING TO
CHARACTERIZE THIS KID WHO
MURDERED CHARLIE KIRK IS
ANYTHING OTHER THAN ONE OF THEM
AND WHAT EVERYTHING THEY CAN
TO SCORE POLITICAL POINTS FROM
IT. OK? SO NOW?
>> HE IS OFF THE AIR AND SOME
PEOPLE ARE UP IN ARMS ABOUT
THIS, CALLING IT CANCEL CULTURE
OR HYPOCRISY FROM THE RIGHT AND
SOME CONFUSION AROUND FREEDOM
OF SPEECH. SO LET'S TRY AND
UNPACK ALL OF THIS TONIGHT
WHERE TO START SO FIRST, JIMMY
KIMMEL WORKS FOR ABC. WHY DOES
THAT MATTER? WILL ABC JUST LIKE
NBC AND CBS? THEY ARE ON PUBLIC
AIRWAYS. SO ALL YOU NEED IS THE
RABBIT EARS TO TUNE IT. THAT
MEANS THAT THE KIND OF PLAY BY
DIFFERENT RULES THAN THE CABLE
NEWS NETWORKS THE HAVE TO PAY
FOR LIKE FOX NEWS, CNN NEWSMAX,
ETC. TODAY THE FCC CHAIRMAN
EXPLAINED THAT ON CNBC WHEN HE
SAID THIS.
>> BROADCAST TV IS DIFFERENT
AND WE'RE ON A CABLE SHOW RIGHT
NOW. YOU DON'T HAVE AN FCC
LICENSE. YOU DON'T HAVE AN
OBLIGATION TO SERVE THE PUBLIC
INTEREST PODCAST. DO EITHER
STANDUP COMEDIANS, WHETHER
THEY'RE ON LOTS OF FORMS OF
COMMUNICATIONS, DON'T. KIMMEL
IS FREE TO DO THAT. BUT IF YOU
BROADCAST TV LICENSE, THAT
MEANS THAT YOU HAVE SOMETHING
THAT VERY FEW PEOPLE HAVE AND
YOU'RE EXCLUDING OTHER PEOPLE
FROM HAVING ACCESS TO VALUABLE
PUBLIC RESOURCE. AND IT COMES
WITH AN OBLIGATION TO SERVE THE
PUBLIC INTEREST.
>> BECAUSE KIMMEL SAID WHAT
HE SAID ON ABC. HE IS HELD TO A
DIFFERENT STANDARD. THEN THE
STUFF YOU SEE ON THE FOX NEWS
AND THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF HOT
TAKES ON THAT STATION. ONE OF
THEIR ANCHORS, JESSE WATERS
SAID THIS WHEN COMMENTING ON
CHARLIE KIRK'S ASSASSINATION.
>> WE'RE AT WAR WITH US.
WHETHER WE WANT TO ACCEPT IT OR
NOT, THEY ARE AT WAR WITH US.
WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO ABOUT IT?
HOW MUCH POLITICAL VIOLENCE
ARE WE GONNA TOLERATE?
>> NOW YOU MAY SEE BOTH OF
THESE PEOPLE AS INFLUENTIAL
VOICES SHARING SIMILAR MESSAGES
OF ACCUSATION AND DIVISION.
BUT AGAIN, ONLY KIMMEL WORKS
FOR A NETWORK ON PUBLIC AIRWAYS
HELD TO ACCOUNT BY THE FCC.
HERE IS ANOTHER CLIP FROM THE
FCC CHAIRMAN. BASICALLY SAYING
IF ABC DIDN'T DROP KIMMEL.
>> BUT FRANKLY, WHEN YOU SEE
STUFF LIKE THIS I MEAN, LOOK,
WE CAN DO THIS THE EASY WAY OR
THE HARD WAY THESE COMPANIES
CAN FIND WAYS TO CHANGE,
CONDUCT, TO TAKE ACTION,
ON KIMMEL OR, YOU KNOW, THERE'S
GONNA BE ADDITIONAL WORK FOR
THE FCC.
>> THIS IS JUST THE LATEST
INSTALLMENT OF THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION THREATENING THE
BIG BROADCASTERS LAST MONTH.
HE POSTED ON TRUTH SOCIAL
SAYING ABC AND NBC SHOULD LOSE
THEIR LICENSES. BUT BEFORE THE
FCC COULD ACT, KIMMEL WAS
ALREADY DROPPED BUT NOT BY ABC.
NOT NOT. AT FIRST, IT WAS
ACTUALLY NEXSTAR THAT MADE THE
FIRST MOVE. WHO IS NEXT?
START? WELL, THEY ARE ONE OF
THE BIGGEST MEDIA COMPANIES IN
THE COUNTRY. THEY OWN 200
STATIONS NATIONWIDE. SOME OF
THEM ARE ABC STATION SUMMER.
NBC SUMMER CBS. THEY ACTUALLY
ON THE CBS STATION RIGHT HERE
IN RALEIGH ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
NEXSTAR CAN REACH ABOUT 68 TO
70% OF US HOW HOUSEHOLDS THIS
IS KIND OF SOMETHING THAT MOST
PEOPLE I DON'T REALLY THINK
ABOUT OR UNDERSTAND WHEN IT
COMES TO YOUR LOCAL NEWS.
YOU SEE ABC DOESN'T OWN OR
OPERATE EVERY LOCAL ABC STATION
IN THE COUNTRY, MOST OF THEM
ARE OWNED BY MASSIVE, PUBLICLY
TRADED MEDIA OWNERSHIP GROUPS
AND NEXSTAR IS THE BIGGEST ONE.
HERE IS A LIST OF THE TOP 5
FOR INSTANCE, WRAL IS ON NBC
AND FOX RIGHT. BUT WE ARE RUN
BY NBC OR FOX. WE ARE OWNED
BY A RALLY COMPANY CAPITAL
BROADCASTING AND WE HAVE A
MUTUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THOSE
NETWORKS. WE GIVE THEM THE THE
AIRWAYS TO ACCESS THE PEOPLE
HERE IN THE TRIANGLE AND THEY
GIVE US THE BIG NATIONAL
PROGRAMS TO DRIVE VIEWERSHIP
AND ADVERTISING. WHY AM I
TELLING YOU ALL THIS? WELL,
HOURS BEFORE ABC ANNOUNCED THAT
KIMMEL WAS GETTING PULLED,
NEXSTAR PULLED HIM. FIRST OF
NEXSTAR'S 200 STATIONS. 32 OF
THEM ARE ABC STATIONS. AGAIN.
WHY EXACTLY DOES THAT MATTER?
WELL, BECAUSE NEXSTAR IS TRYING
TO BUY ONE OF THE OTHER TOP
5 MEDIA COMPANIES TAKING UP,
WHICH IS PRETTY MUCH A DONE
DEAL EXCEPT THEY STILL NEED
THAT FCC APPROVAL. NOW THE
SPECULATION IS IF NEXT STAR
MOVES AGAINST KIMMEL THAT WILL
MAKE THE WHITE HOUSE HAPPY AND
THEN BETTER THEIR CHANCES OF
GETTING THAT APPROVAL AGAIN,
THERE IS NO PROOF TO THIS CLAIM
AND I ONLY BRING IT UP BECAUSE
WE JUST WENT THROUGH THIS WITH
STEPHEN COLBERT. HE WAS ALSO
FAMOUSLY CRITICAL OF THE
PRESIDENT AND HIS SHOW WAS
CANCELED. JUST BEFORE THE FCC
APPROVED PARAMOUNT'S MERGER
WITH SKYDANCE MEDIA PEOPLE
ACCUSE PARAMOUNT OF PLAYING
SIMILAR POLITICS. BUT AGAIN,
THESE ARE JUST ACCUSATIONS THE
PEOPLE MAKING THEM SAY THEY
ARE JUST FOLLOWING THE MONEY.
BUT LET'S KEEP FOLLOWING IT.
YES, COLD AIR WAS THE NUMBER
ONE LATE NIGHT HOST. BUT THAT
TITLE MEANS A LOT LESS THIS
YEAR THAN IT DID LAST YEAR IN
THE YEAR BEFORE IN THE BEFORE.
THE SHOWS HAVE BIG STAFFS.
THE FAMOUS HOST HAVE BIG
SALARIES IN THE AD. REVENUE HAS
NOT BEEN KEEPING UP OVER THE
PAST YEARS. THIS IS A
TRAJECTORY THAT HAS BEEN FELT
BY EVERY LATE NIGHT SHOW,
INCLUDING CAMELS. BUSINESS
INSIDER REPORTED ADVERTISERS
SPENDING ON LATE NIGHT SHOWS
HAS BEEN CUT IN HALF OVER THE
PAST 6 YEARS FROM 439 MILLION
DOLLARS IN 2018 TO 221 MILLION
DOLLARS IN 2024, THAT IS A
PRETTY STEEP DROP. WHAT DO YOU
THINK IS THIS ABOUT
PRESIDENTIAL POWER MONEY
BUSINESS POLITICS, ALL OF THE
ABOVE IS WORTH THINKING ABOUT.
BUT I WILL SAY THIS FREEDOM OF
SPEECH IS THE FIRST AMENDMENT
THAT PROTECTS YOU FROM
GOVERNMENT CENSORSHIP. ARRESTS
WERE FIGHTS BUT DOESN'T MEAN
YOU HAVE A FREE PASS TO SAY
WHATEVER YOU WANT WITHOUT
CONSEQUENCES. EVERYBODY HAS
A BOSS. IF YOU WORK FOR A
COMPANY, YOU REPRESENT THE
COMPANY AND ITS VALUES AND ITS
CO WORKERS AND ITS GOALS.
IF YOU SAY SOMETHING THAT
DOESN'T ALIGN WITH THOSE VALUES
AND THOSE GOALS, THE BOSS CAN
FIRE YOU. IF YOU ARE THE BOSS,
YOU STILL HAVE A BOSS. IT'S
YOUR CUSTOMERS. LOOK AT BUD
LIGHT. A RECENT FAMOUS EXAMPLE.
WHAT HAPPENED? THEY PARTNERED
WITH THE TRANSGENDER INFLUENCER
AND THE RESPONSE WAS A HUGE
WAVE OF CONSERVATIVES AND
BOYCOTTING BUDLIGHT IN ONE
MONTH SALES TANKED AND THEY
WATCHED NEARLY ONE AND A HALF
BILLION DOLLARS. SO WHAT DID
ANHEUSER BUSCH DO?
THEY THEY WANTED TO APPEASE THE
PEOPLE WHO ARE BUYING THEIR
BEER ANYMORE. SO THEY PIVOTED
ENTIRELY THE TONE DOWN THE
ACTIVIST IN LGBTQ SUPPORT.
THEY HIRED FAMOUS COMEDIAN
SHANE GILLIS, A MAN WHO WAS
ONCE CANCELED FIRED BY SNL FOR
OLD JOKES THAT SOME PEOPLE
THOUGHT WERE RACIST AND
HOMOPHOBIC. FAST FORWARD A FEW
YEARS. BUT LIGHT IS BACK.
GILLIS IS HUGE AND EVEN HOSTED
SNL. THE PLACE THE FIRE DIDN'T
BOTH BACK FROM CANCELLATION
BECAUSE WELL, MONEY BUSINESS
POLITICS MAY BE IN THAT ORDER.
BUT WHAT DOES ANY OF THIS HAVE
TO DO WITH YOU AND YOUR LIFE
AND YOUR JOB AND YOUR FAMILY
I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO ME.
WHAT WHAT I THINK. BUT I'M MORE
INTERESTED IN WHAT YOU THINK
ABOUT THIS. SO LET'S LET'S KEEP
THIS CONVERSATION GOING.
SEND ME AN E-MAIL, DAN, A WRAL
DOT COM. I WANT TO HEAR FROM
YOU. YOU GET YOUR FEW THOUGHT.
YOUR INPUT, ALL THE INTELLIGENT
VIEWERS OUT THERE ALWAYS HELP
DRIVE THE SECOND. THIS IS A
COMPLICATED ISSUE. THERE WAS A
LOT TO TALK ABOUT HERE. AND I
WONDER IF THERE WAS A PIECE OF
THIS. YOU THINK WE SHOULD BE
TALKING MORE ABOUT? TELL ME