Programs on this radio station are our responsibility. Programs on ABC television stations are theirs—including ABC-4 in Salt Lake City. By law, under the Communications Act of 1934, broadcasters must serve the public interest, convenience, and necessity. That’s more than policy—it’s the law. When a host says something offensive or false, stations have a duty to act. That’s exactly what ABC-4’s licensee, Nexstar, did with Jimmy Kimmel. And frankly, before FCC Chairman Brendan Carr ever made his comments, it’s likely people across the Wasatch Range were already telling ABC-4 that Kimmel had to go. His ratings were collapsing—just 129,000 viewers nationally in the key 18–49 demographic in August, according to Nielsen. With numbers like that, ABC and Nexstar couldn’t risk more viewers tuning out. So don’t blame President Trump for Kimmel’s downfall. Blame his poor performance and the decision of ABC-4 and Nexstar to listen to their viewers.
