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<\/p>\nAnnouncing its decision to dump Kimmel\u2019s show immediately, Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar\u2019s broadcasting division, described the comedian\u2019s comments as \u201coffensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located\u201d.<\/p>\n
Nexstar would replace his show with alternative content, Alford said, \u201cin an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue\u201d.<\/p>\n
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FCC chairman Brendan Carr.Credit: The New York Times<\/p>\n
Regardless of where you sit on the political spectrum, there is much to be said for a call for respectful, constructive dialogue. <\/p>\n
However, it is worth noting Nexstar is currently in the process of acquiring a rival broadcaster, TEGNA, for $US6.2 billion ($9.4 billion). That deal needs to be approved by the Federal Communications Commission, the regulator headed by Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee and close ally.<\/p>\n
That would be the same Brendan Carr who contributed to the controversial Project 2025 blueprint, many of whose recommendations around the dismantling of government regulations and protections for minorities and the environment have been (unofficially) implemented in Trump\u2019s second term. The same Brendan Carr who has spearheaded investigations into a number of America\u2019s media companies \u2013 including NPR, PBS, Comcast (owner of NBC) and CBS \u2013 over Trump-related reporting. The same Brendan Carr who claimed on X in July that \u201cthe partisan left\u2019s ritualistic wailing and gnashing of teeth over [the axing of Stephen] Colbert is quite revealing\u201d.<\/p>\n
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Stephen Colbert accepting the Emmy Award this week for outstanding talk series, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.Credit: AP<\/p>\n
At the time he posted that, the FCC was determining whether to grant approval to the proposed merger between Paramount (owner of CBS) and Skydance, owned by David Ellison, son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison (by some accounts the richest person in the world, and a strong Trump ally).<\/p>\n
On July 25, a week after CBS announced it was axing The Late Show With Stephen Colbert from May 2026, the merger was approved.<\/p>\n
It is impossible to prove causal links between these things, but there is a clear pattern in Trump\u2019s relationship with the media. Sow distrust, claim deceit, block or approve, and sue. All designed to weaken the fourth estate and reduce its ability to keep the bastards honest.<\/p>\n
Trump sued Meta for suspending his social media accounts over what it deemed his incitement of the riots in Washington on January 6, 2021. In February this year, the company settled for $25 million.<\/p>\n
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