ABC pushes back on equal-time rules for The View, in FCC dispute

ABC asked the Federal Communications Commission to reject a bid that would bring The View under equal-time rules for political candidates, arguing that the agency would be singling out a daytime panel show for treatment meant for broadcast access disputes, not editorial programming. The company said the case is about whether the FCC can turn a complaint into a broader test of newsroom independence, especially for a show built around opinion, interviews and cultural commentary.

ABC and Houston affiliate KTRK-TV filed their petition on May 7, asking for a declaratory ruling that The View is a bona fide news interview program. The FCC Media Bureau opened MB Docket No. 26-124 on May 22, 2026, through Public Notice DA-26-517, and asked for comment on whether the program fits the exemption in 47 CFR 73.1941. That rule removes bona fide newscasts, bona fide news interviews, bona fide news documentaries and on-the-spot coverage of bona fide news events from equal-opportunities treatment. The notice listed the current co-hosts as Joy Behar, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Whoopi Goldberg, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro. Comments were due June 22, and reply comments were due July 6.

ABC has said The View has carried an FCC exemption since 2002 and has not materially changed since then. The network also pointed to a 2002-era staff letter and said hundreds of political candidates have appeared on the show under that understanding. Its filing argues that the FCC’s current scrutiny is unprecedented, threatens editorial independence and raises First Amendment concerns, while the political climate, not the program, has changed since the earlier ruling.

The dispute sits beside a separate fight over access and political retaliation. Amanda McGonigle, who runs the CatsOnACouch social media accounts and has more than 1.9 million Instagram followers, says she was barred from a May 2026 event in Bangor, Maine, for Vice President JD Vance after she properly registered and waited in line. Her lawsuit says armed Secret Service agents told her she was excluded because officials knew where she stood politically. The American Civil Liberties Union says it filed suit on her behalf against the U.S. Secret Service and the Executive Office of the President.

The FCC docket drew unusual attention, with more than 76,000 comments by late June and later counts topping 77,000. If the agency broadens its reading of equal-time rules, broadcasters could face new pressure on guest booking, political interviews and other programming that mixes politics with commentary, creating a precedent that reaches far beyond The View.