Nexstar joins Sinclair in Returning Show to ABC stations

Jimmy Kimmel returns nationwide at ABC stations in the US.

TV station group Nexstar said it will be broadcast by “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” At his 32 ABC branches after it had preceded the show above the comments of the Late-Night host about the murderer of Charlie Kirk. Earlier Friday Sinclair said that the Kimmel brought back to its 38 ABC stations and also reversed his previous position.

The decisions of the two station groups end a brief protest of the companies that started last week after Kimmel’s comments on Monday 15 September. ABC suspended the show on 17 September before he brought back this last Tuesday, where it saw record classifications despite the Sinclair-Nexstar-Black-out.

The return of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” In all American markets there is a victory for Disney and ABC, which had been closed because he was set as a pressure of the Trump government in the sidelines of Kimmel. Disney was the target of protests and consumer threats to boycott his services (ie, by canceling Disney+) and criticism from Hollywood Guilds and others for the perception that it did not stand up for the rights of the first amendment.

“We have had conversations with managers at the Walt Disney company and appreciate their constructive approach to tackle our concerns,” Nexstar said in a statement. “As a local broadcaster, nexstar remains committed to protecting the first amendment while producing and airing local and national news that is fact-based and unbiased and, above all, broadcasting content that is in the best interest of the communities we served. In Our Commitment – and Obligation – To Be Stewards of the Public Airwaves and to Protect and Reflect The Specific Awareness of Our Communities “.

Nexstar added: “For the sake of clarity, our dedication to those principles has led our decisions during this process, regardless of every external influence of government agencies or individuals.”

The Kimmel -contro -stuff kicked in a high gear after FCC chairman Brendan Carr threatened to pursue “news worming” against ABC stations unless Kimmel was fired. “We can do this in the easy way or in the hard way,” Carr said on a conservative podcast on September 17. TV broadcasters, he said, “can find ways to change behavior and take action, to be honest, on Kimmel or there will be extra work for the FCC in front.”

The decision of Nexstar to Black -Out were generally seen as an attempt to get Carr’s good graces, because it has business for the agency immediately. In August, Nexstar announced an agreement to acquire Tegna for $ 6.2 billion, a deal that requires FCC approval; The company denied the threats of CARR influenced his decision to pull Kimmel in the air. Sinclair also claimed: ‘Our decision to prevent [‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’] Was independent of any government interaction or influence. “

By announcing that the kimmel brought back, Disney said that the decision to suspend the show was “to further avoid a tense situation for our country at an emotional moment. It is a decision that we made because we found that some comments were poorly timed and therefore insensitive.” The statement continued: “We have spent thoughtful conversations with Jimmy in the last days, and after those conversations we made the decision to return the show on Tuesday,” September 23.

Irving, established in Texas Nexstar has 32 ABC-Lieden stations (23 are owned by the company and nine are partner stations for which it offers services under joint operational agreements).

They include KTVX (Salt Lake City), WGNO (New Orleans), Wten (Albany, NY), Wsyr (Syracuse, NY), WKRN (Nashville, Tenn.), Wate (Knoxville, Tenn.), WOTV (Battle Creek, Mich.), WHTM. Ga.), KTKA (Topeka, Kan.) And WTNH (Hartford-New Haven, Conn.).

In a statement of September 17, Andrew Alford, president of the temporary employment department of Nexstar, said: “Mr Kimmel’s comments about Mr Kirk’s death are offensive and insensitive at a critical moment in our national political discourse, and we do not believe that they are the spectrum of public communities, just the public or values ​​of the public or values ​​of the public, or values ​​of the public, or values ​​of the local. Time, and we have made the difficult decision to prevent his show to prevail from cooler heads while we are going in the direction of the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.