Following Sinclair confirming it will resume airing “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in the U.S. on its 38 ABC stations, fellow TV station group Nexstar said it will also resume airing the show on its 32 ABC affiliates.
The decisions end the short-lived protest by the companies that started last week following Kimmel’s remarks on Monday, September 15th. ABC suspended the show on Wednesday, September 17th, before bringing it back this past Tuesday, September 23rd and drawing record ratings despite the Sinclair-Nexstar blackout.
Disney has made no editorial or content concessions to Sinclair or Nexstar in resolving the standoffs. What was seen as a flex of power by these network affiliates has not resolved in the way they would like.
Both Sinclair and Nexstar, despite agreeing to end their Kimmel blackouts, asset that they were justified in originally deciding to preempt the show and claim pressure from the Trump administration wasn’t part of their decision making.
In a memo to staff on Friday afternoon, Nexstar CEO Perry Sook and president/COO Mike Biard thanked employees for their patience. They added that some employees faced “hostile and even threatening reactions”.
The memo also spoke about the issue of free speech the whole affair has brought up, saying: “That isn’t a violation of the First Amendment – it’s an exercise of editorial responsibility and stewardship of the public airwaves.”
Additionally, MarketPlace.org reports that consumers were not only cancelling Disney+ in protest to the removal, they also were keeping track of the companies that were advertising with Nexstar and Sinclair and telling them that they will no longer do business there – leading to companies pausing advertising with those affiliate networks which rely on those ad dollars.
One marketing agency CEO, Hollywood Branded’s Stacy Jones, tells the outlet: “We are in an era of cord-cutting, where consumers are already turning away from local television. Broadcast stations simply don’t have the same captive audiences they once did. For affiliates, that makes reputational missteps riskier — they can’t afford to give viewers or advertisers another reason to disengage when both groups are already drifting away.”
Source: Variety
