While Disney and ABC are set to return “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to the air tonight, the two companies that are at the heart of the global news-making controversy over the show aren’t following suit.
As previously reported, Disney’s decision to pull the show came after two major station owners, Nexstar Media and Sinclair, announced they would preempt his program and have done so since late last week.
When Disney announced Kimmel’s return yesterday, Sinclair Broadcast Group – which holds the largest number of ABC affiliates – said the pre-emption would continue and they would not broadcast Kimmel’s show.
Now, Nexstar is following in those footsteps. The company, which owns nearly a quarter of ABC‘s affiliate reach, has confirmed it will continue to preempt “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”. That means tonight’s return won’t be seen in some markets.
In a statement, Nexstar said:
“We made a decision last week to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! following what ABC referred to as Mr. Kimmel’s ‘ill-timed and insensitive’ comments at a critical time in our national discourse. We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve. In the meantime, we note that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be available nationwide on multiple Disney-owned streaming products, while our stations will focus on continuing to produce local news and other programming relevant to their respective markets.”
A Nexstar spokesperson said that most of the stations will be airing expanded local newscasts.
Source: Deadline
