1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:04,000 Speaker 1: Already, and this is the Daily This is the Daily 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 1: ohs oh, now it makes sense. 3 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:16,960 Speaker 2: Good morning, and welcome to the Daily OS. It's Friday, 4 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:19,400 Speaker 2: the nineteenth of September. I'm Sam Kazlowski. 5 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:20,759 Speaker 3: I'm Emma Gillespie. 6 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 2: Jimmy Kimmel's late night show has been pulled off the 7 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:27,720 Speaker 2: air for the foreseeable future after the host made comments 8 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:31,159 Speaker 2: about political reactions to the killing of Charlie Kirk. The 9 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:35,200 Speaker 2: move by Disney, which owns ABC, came after a major 10 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:38,120 Speaker 2: TV station owner said it would drop the show and 11 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 2: the head of the US Communications regulator threatened regulatory action. Today, 12 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 2: we're going to unpack what Kimmel said on air, why 13 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:49,199 Speaker 2: it's caused such a major response, and what this all 14 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 2: means for media regulation in the US. 15 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:58,960 Speaker 1: Sam, I'm so excited to dive into this topic today. 16 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:02,840 Speaker 1: It's been a really big couple of months for this 17 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:06,600 Speaker 1: late night space, for the kind of politics of comedy 18 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:10,120 Speaker 1: and US television programming. So much to chat through. But 19 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:13,640 Speaker 1: before we get into this latest controversy, can you give 20 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 1: us a quick rundown on Jimmy Kimmel. He's not the 21 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:18,760 Speaker 1: only Jimmy, so I think it would be helpful to 22 00:01:18,800 --> 00:01:21,040 Speaker 1: help our audience understand a little more about him. 23 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:22,560 Speaker 3: He's been around for a long time. 24 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 2: He absolutely has. He has hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live, his 25 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:29,520 Speaker 2: show on ABC since two thousand and three. 26 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:30,679 Speaker 3: ABC America, of course. 27 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, and so he's in his twenty second year 28 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:37,120 Speaker 2: of hosting that show. Wow in the world of comedy, 29 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:40,759 Speaker 2: but in almost any gig that is a long time Yeah, 30 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 2: you're right, there's more than one Jimmy. There's Jimmy Fallon. 31 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:47,440 Speaker 2: He hosts The Tonight Show, and together with Stephen Colbert, 32 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 2: Seth Meyers, John Olivar, there's a bit of a gang 33 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 2: of late night talk show hosts in the US. Now. 34 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 2: One important bit of context before we dive into Kimmel's 35 00:01:57,000 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 2: show on Monday Night is that generally a late night 36 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 2: show has two parts to it. It's got an opening monologue, 37 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 2: which is when the host stands up in front of 38 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 2: the audience and kind of gives their take on the 39 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:08,360 Speaker 2: day of news and current affairs. 40 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:11,880 Speaker 1: It's a bit like a stand up set meets pop 41 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:12,440 Speaker 1: culture and. 42 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 2: News exactly, and sometimes it does take a serious tone, 43 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 2: especially if there's serious things to talk about. The rest 44 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 2: of the shows normally celebrity interviews and a bit of comedy. 45 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, which I think is interesting context because obviously these 46 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:29,959 Speaker 1: shows are so tied into the fabric of US TV culture, 47 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 1: but of course here in Australia we don't really have 48 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,040 Speaker 1: anything like them. 49 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 3: What exactly did Jimmy Kimmel. 50 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:39,840 Speaker 1: Say this week that's caused this massive response? 51 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:42,960 Speaker 2: So he gets up on Monday night so it would 52 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 2: have aired Tuesday, middle of the day here in Australia, 53 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 2: and Jimmy Kimmel commented on the killing of Charlie Kirk 54 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:54,000 Speaker 2: and the political reactions to it. He said, this, we hit. 55 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 4: Some new lows over the weekend with the Maga gang 56 00:02:56,800 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 4: desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Gary Kirk 57 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:03,320 Speaker 4: is anything other than one of them, and everything they 58 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:05,800 Speaker 4: can to score political points from it. 59 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:09,800 Speaker 2: He also mocked President Trump's response to Kirk's death, particularly 60 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 2: Trump discussing White House ballroom construction. When asked about it, 61 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 2: Kimmel said, this is not how an adult grieves the 62 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:19,119 Speaker 2: murder of somebody he called a friend. This is how 63 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:21,080 Speaker 2: a four year old mourns a goldfish. 64 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:24,639 Speaker 1: Now Charlie Kirk, of course, who is the US conservative 65 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 1: political activist who was shot dead at that speaking event 66 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:31,280 Speaker 1: at a Utah university last week. 67 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 3: To Kimmel's comments, though, a. 68 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:38,520 Speaker 1: Key part of understanding the political response and the fallout 69 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 1: around it is the way in which political ideology, the 70 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 1: left versus the right, and particularly the suspects political ideology 71 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:50,040 Speaker 1: has become a point of focus. 72 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 2: Yeah. So this suspect, twenty two year old Tyler Robinson, 73 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:56,800 Speaker 2: he was arrested after turning himself into authorities, and we've 74 00:03:56,880 --> 00:04:00,320 Speaker 2: learned a bit more about his motivation and what proscues 75 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:05,520 Speaker 2: are alleging led to him allegedly assassinating Charlie Kirk. He 76 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:08,680 Speaker 2: has some text messages to his roommates saying I had 77 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:12,000 Speaker 2: enough of his hatred referring to Kirk. Some hate can't 78 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:15,240 Speaker 2: be negotiated out, and of course prosecutors are seeking the 79 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:19,680 Speaker 2: death penalty in this case. Now, Utah's governor said Robinson 80 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:24,240 Speaker 2: had quote leftist ideology, and we've heard similar comments from 81 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:27,800 Speaker 2: President Trump, Vice President J. D. Vance, and almost every 82 00:04:27,839 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 2: other major figure in the Trump White House about how 83 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 2: the political action that they need to deliver in response 84 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:39,040 Speaker 2: to Kirk's killing is going to look like a crackdown 85 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:42,960 Speaker 2: on what they categorized as extremist left wing groups and 86 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:47,720 Speaker 2: inflammatory left wing language, and that was the approach that 87 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 2: Kimmel was then criticizing on his show. 88 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:55,279 Speaker 1: Okay, So Kimmel's comments weren't necessarily about celebrating Charlie Kirk's death. 89 00:04:55,560 --> 00:05:00,640 Speaker 1: He was more pointing to a political conversation, the approach 90 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:04,479 Speaker 1: that the Trump administration is taking and criticizing that as 91 00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 1: potentially unfair or censorship. 92 00:05:07,279 --> 00:05:09,960 Speaker 2: Exactly. It's really important, actually, and to highlight what you 93 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:13,599 Speaker 2: just said, it wasn't really about the act of Charlie 94 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:16,360 Speaker 2: Kirk being killed itself at all. It was about what's 95 00:05:16,360 --> 00:05:17,040 Speaker 2: happening now. 96 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:20,359 Speaker 1: Okay, And I think it's probably an understatement to say 97 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:24,480 Speaker 1: that this assassination and the social media narrative post Charlie 98 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:28,280 Speaker 1: Kirk's death has become such a hotly debated issue in 99 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 1: the US. 100 00:05:28,839 --> 00:05:31,720 Speaker 3: We know people are losing their jobs over social media comments. 101 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:35,000 Speaker 1: Even here in Australia South Australia police are investigating someone 102 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:38,960 Speaker 1: for their comments. So that's helpful context to understand, you know, 103 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:40,680 Speaker 1: why this is so charged. 104 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:42,640 Speaker 3: But sam My question I. 105 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:47,279 Speaker 1: Suppose about Jimmy Kimmel specifically, is that late night hosts 106 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:50,360 Speaker 1: criticized politicians all the time. It's part and parcel of 107 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:54,440 Speaker 1: the job. These guys are professional comedians and broadcasters. They 108 00:05:54,480 --> 00:06:00,080 Speaker 1: engage in satirical conversations and skits all the time. So 109 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:02,200 Speaker 1: what made this different? 110 00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:04,880 Speaker 2: Well, I think to really answer that, we need to 111 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:08,520 Speaker 2: look to the FCC. So the FCC, that's the Federal 112 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:09,840 Speaker 2: Communications Commission. 113 00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:12,600 Speaker 3: This is like the US communications watchdog. 114 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:15,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, kind of. It's got a different structure and a 115 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:18,320 Speaker 2: different role in the US than a communications watchdog. Here. 116 00:06:18,839 --> 00:06:22,600 Speaker 2: The FCC is the government agency that actually regulates television 117 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:25,640 Speaker 2: and radio, not just from the content, but also from 118 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 2: the hardware. So you know, to own a signal, whether 119 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,320 Speaker 2: it be a TV signal or a radio signal in 120 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:34,839 Speaker 2: the US, the FCC grants you a license. Oh okay, 121 00:06:34,839 --> 00:06:38,440 Speaker 2: So almost think about it as like those television towers 122 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:41,359 Speaker 2: are public assets and the FCC lends them out to 123 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:42,400 Speaker 2: TV networks. 124 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:42,800 Speaker 3: Got it. 125 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:45,479 Speaker 2: And so the chair of that body is a guy 126 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:48,960 Speaker 2: called Brendan Carr, who is a really close ally of 127 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:51,800 Speaker 2: President Trump. He was installed by Trump. He was on 128 00:06:51,839 --> 00:06:56,039 Speaker 2: a podcast on Wednesday, and in that podcast he was 129 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:59,599 Speaker 2: asked about Kimmel's comments on his show, and he said 130 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:03,280 Speaker 2: that Kimmel's comments were some of the sickest conduct possible. 131 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:06,320 Speaker 2: But more importantly, he made what sounded like direct threats 132 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:09,920 Speaker 2: against the networks themselves. Right, So he said it was 133 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:12,960 Speaker 2: quote a very very serious issue right now for Disney, 134 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:16,080 Speaker 2: which is the parent company of ABC, and that we 135 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:18,320 Speaker 2: can do this the easy way or the hard way. 136 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:21,200 Speaker 2: He told the networks they could quote find ways to 137 00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:24,240 Speaker 2: change conduct and take actions on Kimmel, or there's going 138 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:27,040 Speaker 2: to be additional work for the FCC ahead. 139 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:31,120 Speaker 1: That is some very strong language to foreshadow what we 140 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:36,520 Speaker 1: know unfolded. How much power does the FCC actually have though? 141 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:38,600 Speaker 1: How significant are those remarks? 142 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 2: Well, again, it's about the ownership of those licenses, and 143 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:46,840 Speaker 2: the FCC does have the power to suspend networks if 144 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:49,960 Speaker 2: they believe they're not operating in quote the public interest. 145 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:54,240 Speaker 2: That power hasn't been used by the FCC really in 146 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 2: its history. Definitely not against a mainstream broadcaster. 147 00:07:57,240 --> 00:07:57,600 Speaker 3: Okay. 148 00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 2: The other thing that the FCC does and and definitely 149 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:03,960 Speaker 2: put a mental pin in this, is the FCC is 150 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:08,160 Speaker 2: the body that approves any mergers of media companies or 151 00:08:08,200 --> 00:08:12,600 Speaker 2: any sales of media companies. So those two powers are 152 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:15,520 Speaker 2: really key to this story. And in the interview on 153 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 2: Wednesday on the podcast, Car delivered a message to broadcast 154 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:21,440 Speaker 2: as he said, you have a license granted by us 155 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:24,440 Speaker 2: at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation 156 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:26,160 Speaker 2: to operate in the public interest. 157 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:31,200 Speaker 1: It's interesting to hear a regulator like this intervening or 158 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:34,559 Speaker 1: speaking in that manner. You know, it's not as unusual 159 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:38,920 Speaker 1: maybe for network bosses to have their say over what 160 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: goes on on their stations. But this kind of more 161 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:45,560 Speaker 1: top line regulator, it's interesting and unusual, definitely different to 162 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:48,360 Speaker 1: how things work here in Australia. But that then brings 163 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:53,360 Speaker 1: us to the station's response. How did it interpret? You 164 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:54,400 Speaker 1: know what Car had said. 165 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:57,439 Speaker 2: So we've got the main character and the story from 166 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:00,640 Speaker 2: a network perspective of ABC. They're owned by Disney. I'm 167 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:04,480 Speaker 2: introducing now another character. This network is called Nextstar, and 168 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:08,000 Speaker 2: next is the largest television station owner in the US. 169 00:09:08,040 --> 00:09:10,199 Speaker 2: It operates more than two hundred stations. 170 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:13,960 Speaker 3: Two hundred Yeah, so seriously. 171 00:09:13,559 --> 00:09:16,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, Well, I mean a lot of these stations are 172 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:19,720 Speaker 2: a state specific, so thirty two of their two hundred 173 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:25,800 Speaker 2: ABC affiliated stations, So think like ABC New Mexico or 174 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:31,040 Speaker 2: ABC Nevada and those stations will program a whole bunch 175 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:33,200 Speaker 2: of local content, so you might have a morning television 176 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:36,400 Speaker 2: show that's very locally relevant, and then they'll jump on 177 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:38,760 Speaker 2: some of the content made by some of the biggest 178 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:41,320 Speaker 2: names in the network, like Jimmy Kimmel, and program that 179 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:44,840 Speaker 2: at peak hour times at night, for example. And so 180 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:48,000 Speaker 2: they broadcast Jimmy Kimmel's show on thirty two of those 181 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:52,280 Speaker 2: two hundred stations. Car delivers those threats on a podcast 182 00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:57,400 Speaker 2: Next immediately announces it would pull Kimmel's show immediately. The 183 00:09:57,440 --> 00:10:01,080 Speaker 2: company said the comments were quote offensive and insensitive and 184 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:04,079 Speaker 2: do not reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values 185 00:10:04,080 --> 00:10:06,400 Speaker 2: of the local communities they serve, So. 186 00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:09,120 Speaker 1: An immediate reaction to the FCC's comments. 187 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:10,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, and they release these comments in the form of 188 00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:14,720 Speaker 2: a very official corporate statement. And you know, they didn't 189 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:18,480 Speaker 2: stop there. The head of the network said that continuing 190 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:21,480 Speaker 2: to air Jimmy Kimmel's show is simply not in the 191 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:24,200 Speaker 2: public interest at the current time, and that they needed 192 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:28,320 Speaker 2: to suspend the show in order to let cooler heads prevail. Now, 193 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:30,720 Speaker 2: remember what I said before about the FCC and the 194 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:34,400 Speaker 2: mergers and sales powers. Yes, there is another element to 195 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:37,640 Speaker 2: Next Star to know about, and that is that they 196 00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:41,680 Speaker 2: are waiting on FCC approval for a major business deal. 197 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:44,679 Speaker 2: And that business deal is a merger with another one 198 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:48,680 Speaker 2: of these absolutely enormous TV companies we've never heard of. Okay, 199 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:51,880 Speaker 2: So when the FCC chair makes a threat on radio, 200 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:55,319 Speaker 2: companies like Nexstar do get placed in a very, very 201 00:10:55,360 --> 00:10:56,319 Speaker 2: vulnerable position. 202 00:10:57,120 --> 00:10:59,679 Speaker 1: It's got a lot of the hallmarks of a very 203 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:05,800 Speaker 1: simler late night show network merger host sacking. 204 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:07,160 Speaker 3: To show that we're going to get into. 205 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:10,320 Speaker 1: But I want to keep talking about Next Star while 206 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:12,120 Speaker 1: this is all fresh in our minds. 207 00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:14,840 Speaker 3: So this is a network that. 208 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:19,920 Speaker 1: Distributes Kimmel's show. It suspends the broadcast of The Jimmy 209 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:23,760 Speaker 1: Kimmel Show, and then the ABC decides to suspend the 210 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:24,560 Speaker 1: show entirely. 211 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:26,640 Speaker 3: How do we go from it just pulling the show. 212 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:29,720 Speaker 1: Off the air for one day versus like an actual, 213 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:30,719 Speaker 1: bigger suspension. 214 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:35,200 Speaker 2: Well, they're calling it an indefinite suspension, so we don't. 215 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:36,320 Speaker 3: So it's not canceled. 216 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:39,920 Speaker 2: It's not canceled, but there's definitely no indication as to 217 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:41,920 Speaker 2: when it is going to return, or at least not 218 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:44,839 Speaker 2: at the time of recording. They've used a word in 219 00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:48,360 Speaker 2: the statement that the show has been preempted indefinitely, And 220 00:11:48,679 --> 00:11:52,360 Speaker 2: in broadcasting, preempted means a show is being pulled because 221 00:11:52,440 --> 00:11:55,640 Speaker 2: of something unforeseen. So let's say that there's a terror attack, 222 00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:58,720 Speaker 2: they might pull an episode of a sitcom and instead 223 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:02,040 Speaker 2: put the news in its place. Ye, And that's the 224 00:12:02,160 --> 00:12:05,280 Speaker 2: term that they're using now to describe where the situation, 225 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:08,960 Speaker 2: where Jimmy Kimmel is at. But there's definitely no line 226 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:12,480 Speaker 2: in their statement, a very short seven words statement about 227 00:12:12,559 --> 00:12:14,040 Speaker 2: you know, it's taking a day off and it will 228 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:14,800 Speaker 2: return next week. 229 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:15,360 Speaker 3: Okay. 230 00:12:15,520 --> 00:12:20,079 Speaker 1: And how did the FCC then react to that. 231 00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:23,760 Speaker 2: Suspension, Well, that FCC chair Brendan Carr, he took to 232 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:26,640 Speaker 2: x formally Twitter, and he said, I want to thank 233 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:29,840 Speaker 2: Next Star for doing the right thing. Local broadcasters have 234 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:33,000 Speaker 2: an obligation to serve the public interest. And you can 235 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:35,000 Speaker 2: then pick up that he's using a phrase that's in 236 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:37,160 Speaker 2: the charter of the FCC, and you can begin to 237 00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:40,040 Speaker 2: kind of put things together. He said, while this may 238 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:44,080 Speaker 2: be an unprecedented decision, it is important for broadcasters to 239 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:47,800 Speaker 2: push back on Disney programming that they determine fall short 240 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:52,679 Speaker 2: of community values. I hope that other broadcasters follow Nextstar's lead. 241 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:56,240 Speaker 2: Then we heard from the President, Donald Trump. He called 242 00:12:56,360 --> 00:13:00,520 Speaker 2: Kimmel's suspension quote great news for America, saying Kimi has 243 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:04,840 Speaker 2: zero talents and worse ratings than even Colbert. That's Stephen Colbert, 244 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:08,600 Speaker 2: if that's possible. Then he said that leaves Jimmy Fallon 245 00:13:08,760 --> 00:13:13,000 Speaker 2: and Seth Meyers two total losers on fake News NBC, 246 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:16,600 Speaker 2: and he called on NBC to cancel both of those shows. 247 00:13:16,679 --> 00:13:20,840 Speaker 1: Okay, but we know that Donald Trump has a long 248 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:25,480 Speaker 1: term loathing, I think for late night hosts, because these 249 00:13:25,559 --> 00:13:28,439 Speaker 1: are the comedians that do make fun of his policies 250 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:32,040 Speaker 1: and have, especially in recent years, you know, made no 251 00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:36,200 Speaker 1: real effort to kind of conceal their distaste for Donald 252 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:37,840 Speaker 1: Trump as a politician. 253 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:41,160 Speaker 3: What about Jimmy Kimmel himself. Have we heard from. 254 00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:43,560 Speaker 2: Him at the time of recording. We haven't. So we 255 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:47,560 Speaker 2: haven't heard any more from ABC slash Disney on their 256 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:51,079 Speaker 2: decision and what motivated that decision. And no, we haven't 257 00:13:51,080 --> 00:13:53,120 Speaker 2: heard from Kimmel or any representatives. 258 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:56,760 Speaker 1: Okay, I'm sure we will see a pattern of you know, 259 00:13:56,960 --> 00:13:59,680 Speaker 1: celebrities and other late night hosts coming out in solidarity 260 00:13:59,679 --> 00:14:02,439 Speaker 1: with him, because we have a previous example to draw on. 261 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:05,640 Speaker 1: That's how things unfolded when it was announced that Stephen 262 00:14:05,679 --> 00:14:10,480 Speaker 1: Colbert was being canceled. Talk to me about that show 263 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:16,280 Speaker 1: and the relationship between late night TV hosts and American politics. 264 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:18,560 Speaker 2: Well, Stephen Colbert was on the air for ten years 265 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:21,400 Speaker 2: with The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS. And 266 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:24,200 Speaker 2: think about these timelines. I mean, we've got twenty three 267 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:26,400 Speaker 2: years for Kimmel, We've got ten years for Colbert. These 268 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:30,680 Speaker 2: are very well entrenched stars of late night television. 269 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:32,760 Speaker 3: On national free to air broadcast. 270 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:36,240 Speaker 2: Very influential shows, especially now having found new audiences on 271 00:14:36,280 --> 00:14:39,560 Speaker 2: YouTube as well. That's something else to consider. So in July, 272 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:42,640 Speaker 2: CBS canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, just three 273 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:47,720 Speaker 2: days after Colbert criticized a settlements reached by Paramount with Trump. 274 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:52,720 Speaker 2: Paramount owns CBS. Trump was suing the network for airing 275 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:56,360 Speaker 2: commentary about a civil case where Trump was found liable 276 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:59,600 Speaker 2: for sexual abuse. CBS ended up settling that case with 277 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:03,600 Speaker 2: Trump for sixteen million US dollars. Now, at the time 278 00:15:03,880 --> 00:15:08,080 Speaker 2: of Colbert's cancelation, CBS called it a purely financial decision, 279 00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:11,040 Speaker 2: and that's relating to the demise of late night television, 280 00:15:11,240 --> 00:15:15,000 Speaker 2: changing viewership numbers, advertisers not as attracted to the products, 281 00:15:15,040 --> 00:15:18,360 Speaker 2: and that's all true, but it is also worth noting 282 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:22,920 Speaker 2: that Paramount is also currently awaiting FCC approval for its 283 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:26,520 Speaker 2: own merger. That's with Skydance Media, and that's multi billion 284 00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:27,280 Speaker 2: dollar merger. 285 00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:29,200 Speaker 3: Yeah, we've heard a lot about that deal. 286 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:33,560 Speaker 1: It is incredibly financially valuable, and there was a lot 287 00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:36,040 Speaker 1: of criticism at the time about the relationship between that 288 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:37,840 Speaker 1: merger and the decision about Colbert. 289 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:39,360 Speaker 3: Colbert, who of course. 290 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:41,920 Speaker 1: Won an Emmy this week, I think it's probably a 291 00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:44,320 Speaker 1: good time to play a little bit of a moment 292 00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:48,000 Speaker 1: from his speech which speaks to this kind of broader conversation. 293 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:51,640 Speaker 5: Sometimes you only truly know how much you love something 294 00:15:51,840 --> 00:15:53,720 Speaker 5: when you get a sense that you might be losing it. 295 00:15:54,200 --> 00:15:57,720 Speaker 5: Ten years later, in September of twenty twenty five, my friends, 296 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:03,400 Speaker 5: I have never loved my country desperately. God bless America, 297 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 5: Stay strong, be brave, and if the elevator tries to 298 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:10,400 Speaker 5: bring you down, go crazy and punch a higher floor. 299 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:16,000 Speaker 1: WHOA sam This might be a hard question to answer, 300 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:18,640 Speaker 1: and I know there's a lot at play in the 301 00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:22,880 Speaker 1: current political climate. But is this the new normal for 302 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:24,160 Speaker 1: US media? 303 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:25,560 Speaker 3: Is this a new. 304 00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:29,680 Speaker 1: Kind of relationship between politics and television. 305 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:34,480 Speaker 2: It's entirely new. I mean, we haven't seen the wave 306 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:37,600 Speaker 2: of civil actions by the President of the United States 307 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:41,000 Speaker 2: against major news outlets. I mean, think about even this week, 308 00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:44,640 Speaker 2: a fifteen billion dollar lawsuit launched by President Trump against 309 00:16:44,680 --> 00:16:46,920 Speaker 2: the New York Times. A couple of weeks ago, it 310 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:49,360 Speaker 2: was an action against the Wall Street Journal and News Corp. 311 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:53,600 Speaker 2: This is a staggering pace of civil action. It is 312 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:57,520 Speaker 2: also unprecedented that we're seeing this type of language being 313 00:16:57,640 --> 00:17:02,320 Speaker 2: used against political commentary in the space. And that's a 314 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:04,840 Speaker 2: big point here. I mean, the White House hosts an 315 00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:08,240 Speaker 2: event every year where they actually invite a comedian to 316 00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:10,440 Speaker 2: come and roast the President of the United States, the 317 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:14,119 Speaker 2: White House Correspondence Dinner. So it's in built into the 318 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:17,640 Speaker 2: kind of political psyche that comedians should be allowed to commentate, 319 00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:21,000 Speaker 2: and that this is changing quite quickly. The other thing 320 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:23,520 Speaker 2: to note is the changing role of the FCC. So 321 00:17:23,880 --> 00:17:28,000 Speaker 2: the FCC, historically, the chair of the FCC isn't somebody 322 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:31,000 Speaker 2: that we would hear from. It was a pretty boring job. 323 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:34,280 Speaker 2: It was kind of to make sure that TV stations 324 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:37,720 Speaker 2: covered all parts of the country, and that people weren't 325 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:40,160 Speaker 2: getting ripped off with dial up internet all that kind 326 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:44,040 Speaker 2: of thing. It wasn't a political position, but now it's 327 00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:47,720 Speaker 2: really become a political instrument. There's actually a new kind 328 00:17:47,760 --> 00:17:51,920 Speaker 2: of group that's formed of former FCC chairs and commissioners. 329 00:17:52,480 --> 00:17:56,240 Speaker 2: They put out a statement recently that warned that the 330 00:17:56,280 --> 00:18:01,560 Speaker 2: agency now risks functioning as quote, the White House personal censor. 331 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:07,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, that word censor censorship has been thrown around a 332 00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:10,480 Speaker 1: lot in the last few months. But I don't think 333 00:18:10,520 --> 00:18:13,240 Speaker 1: this conversation is going away. And I'm sure we're going 334 00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:16,359 Speaker 1: to hear even more on this in the days and 335 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:19,040 Speaker 1: weeks to come as we wait to hear and learn 336 00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:20,080 Speaker 1: more about. 337 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:20,760 Speaker 3: Jimmy Kimmel's fate. 338 00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:23,520 Speaker 2: Definitely, and as we can see from Stephen Colbert and 339 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:26,919 Speaker 2: his appearance at the Emmys, these stars tend to not 340 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:29,119 Speaker 2: go quietly, so we'll see what happens next. 341 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:30,480 Speaker 3: So so interesting. 342 00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:33,520 Speaker 1: Thank you for unpacking that for us today, Sam, Thanks Sam, 343 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:36,080 Speaker 1: and thank you for listening to today's episode. That's all 344 00:18:36,119 --> 00:18:38,119 Speaker 1: for today's Deep Dive, but we will be back a 345 00:18:38,119 --> 00:18:41,280 Speaker 1: little later on with your afternoon news headlines. Until then, 346 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:45,880 Speaker 1: have a good day. 347 00:18:46,320 --> 00:18:48,640 Speaker 2: My name is Lily Madden and I'm a proud Aarunda 348 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:53,679 Speaker 2: Bungelung Kalkotin woman from Gadigl country. The Daily oz acknowledges 349 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:55,920 Speaker 2: that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the 350 00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:59,480 Speaker 2: Gadighl people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and Torris 351 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:02,720 Speaker 2: Strait Island nations. We pay our respects to the first 352 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:05,199 Speaker 2: peoples of these countries, both past and present.