Houston’s ABC-13/KTRK-TV is part of a national campaign asking the public’s for support as one of eight ABC-affiliated TV stations tagged by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for renewal review.
FILE – Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr testifies before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Communications and Technology oversight hearing of the Federal Communications Commission on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
Jose Luis Magana/Associated Press
Houston’s ABC13 is part of a national campaign asking for public for support this week as one of eight ABC-owned TV stations directed by the Federal Communications Commission to file for early license renewal, as they challenge the regulator over the right to control their content.
A public announcement dropped on Monday urges KTRK viewers to back the station as the FCC reviews broadcast licenses.
“Show your support for KTRK-TV. You have until July 29th to tell the FCC to keep KTRK-TV on the air” the announcement reads.
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The station shared a link to submit comments as part of the FCC’s renewal process.
What stations are part of the campaign?
The ABC-owned local TV affiliates flagged by the FCC included stations in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Franciso, Fresno, North Carolina and Philadelphia.
Each of the stations shared similar messages in their spots with an emphasis on local news content.
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What is going on with the FCC?
In April, the FCC called for the Walt Disney Company to file early license renewals for the eight TV stations by May 28.
Stations typically renew their licenses every eight years, according to a CNN report.
The licenses, which grant the exclusive right for broadcasting at certain frequency over public airwaves, had originally been scheduled for renewal between 2028 and 2031, a Disney spokesperson said in a previous Houston Chronicle report.
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FCC Head Brendan Carr claims the early reviews stemmed from an investigation into parent company Disney’s DEI initiatives, and whether Disney and ABC engaged in discriminatory practices, according to CNN.
Free speech advocates say the FCC’s move specifically targets those news and entertainment outlets and platforms that rankle the president and is an attempt to punish ABC, according to previous reporting from the Chronicle.
When asked for comment, the FCC referred the Houston Chronicle to Carr’s remarks on the Katie Miller Podcast, where he said that whether broadcasters can keep their licenses or not will depend their own “conduct” and if they have acted in the public’s best interest.
Free speech debate and jokes
The FCC’s call for early license renewals came a day after President Donald Trump called for the firing of Jimmy Kimmel in a social media post because of a joke the late-night host made about first lady Melania Trump, describing her an “expectant widow.”
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The first lady joined conversation, asking via a social media post “how many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.”
Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn’t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America.
People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to…
— First Lady Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) April 27, 2026
KTRK files for renewal
ABC13, as part of KTRK Television, Inc., filed for an application with the FCC for renewal of its broadcast license on May 28, 2026, according to an announcement by the station on June 3, which included information on how the public can file comments and petitions on its behalf, the Houston Chronicle reported.
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“ABC and its stations have a long record of operating in full compliance with FCC rules and serving their local communities with trusted news, emergency information, and public-interest programming,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement to the Houston Chronicle at the time. “We are confident that record demonstrates our continued qualifications as licensees under the Communications Act and the First Amendment and are prepared to show that through the appropriate legal channels.”
The FCC has not refused renewal of a license for TV programming since the early 1980s, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The FCC comes after ‘The View’
Separately, KTRK filed a May 7 petition for a declaratory ruling in response to an FCC order to do so after James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for Sen. John Cornyn’s seat, on Feb. 2 appeared on ABC’s “The View,” which was broadcast by KTRK.
The petition states that the FCC’s Media Bureau sent a letter to KTRK after the interview aired, asking if KTRK placed a record of the Talarico appearance in the station’s political file and questioning whether the TV station considered the daytime talk show to be a bonafide news program, which would exempt it from the FCC’s requirement to provide equal time to opponents of political candidates when they appear as guests.
KTRK states in that filing that it acted in good faith based on a 2002 declaratory ruling that “The View” is a bonafide news program, which it said holds up today.
“As the 2026 election approaches, the American people need more access to political news and more exposure to political candidates, not less,” the petition states.
“It is therefore imperative that the Commission act quickly to assure broadcasters that it will uphold its long-established standards protecting broadcasters’ good faith news judgment in including political candidates in bona fide news programming.”
KTRK News Director Keaton Fuchs, Disney and the FCC did not respond to requests for comment.
ABC launches ad campaign for ‘The View’
ABC promoted an ad scheduled to air during the Monday’s episode of the “The View” that opens with the late broadcast journalist Barbara Walters describing the concept of the long-running daytime show as a space for a diverse group of women sharing diverse political viewpoints.
In the ad, a voice says that “the FCC wants to control who is allowed to appear on the show” and tells viewers they have until July 6 to scan a QR code to submit their comments in the FCC’s review process.
“The View” spots are scheduled to air during a commercial break within the hour of the show’s broadcast.
In a statement shared by the New York Times, the FCC called Disney’s TV campaign as an attempt to mislead viewers about the law.