BROADCAST BIAS: Idea of giving politicians equal time sends Colbert into a fury

Is the conception of "equal time" outdated connected today’s broadcast networks? The Federal Communications Commission enactment regulations connected the books successful 1934 requiring adjacent aerial clip for governmental candidates during an predetermination season. But that doesn’t widen to cable, oregon to streaming, oregon to the booming podcast world. You could get method and assertion the broadcast networks often travel to radical contiguous via cablegram oregon outer connections, not an antenna.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr precocious suggested late-night drama shows and daytime speech shows similar ABC’s "The View" could beryllium evaluated for imaginable violations of the aged equal-time rules. On Monday, Feb. 16, "Late Show" big Stephen Colbert gaudily announced that helium invited Texas authorities Democrat Rep. James Talarico for an interview, but lawyers told him "in nary uncertain terms" that helium couldn’t bash this, truthful helium posted a Talarico interrogation connected YouTube instead. When that YouTube video drew implicit 8 cardinal views, it was painted by wide journalists arsenic a large triumph implicit President Donald Trump. But Trump ne'er objected to this interview.

Colbert had to unfurl the nightly rant astir being a courageous dissident and each that rot: "Donald Trump’s medication wants to soundlessness anyone who says thing atrocious astir Trump connected TV, due to the fact that each Trump does is ticker TV, OK? He’s similar a toddler with excessively overmuch surface time. He gets cranky and past drops a load successful his diaper."

Then, surprisingly, CBS enactment retired a connection that suggested Colbert was a liar, that the interrogation was not banned: "The amusement was provided ineligible guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC adjacent clip regularisation for 2 different candidates, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett." On Tuesday, Colbert sputtered. "They cognize damn good that each connection of my publication past nighttime was approved by CBS's lawyers."

COLBERT FUMES AT CBS, SAYS IT BARRED HIM FROM INTERVIEWING TEXAS DEM AMID FCC CRACKDOWN

Rep. James Talarico appears with Stephen Colbert connected the CBS bid "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," successful New York connected Feb. 16. (Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)

Colbert wasn't successful information of having to invite Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn. He mightiness person to interrogation Crockett – who appeared connected the amusement past year, earlier she was a candidate. This full stunt could beryllium painted arsenic a run booster for Talarico, who raised millions of dollars disconnected the appearance. 

Then came the weirdness of CBS News covering this spat, giving some sides adjacent clip and weight. On Wednesday’s "CBS Mornings," newsman Elaine Quijano ran the opposing views, and past added different wide view: "Monday was the archetypal known clip a precocious nighttime speech amusement changed its programming since the FCC issued its caller guidance. Anna Gomez, the lone Democratic-appointed FCC commissioner, worries that determination could alteration censorship."

The "PBS News Hour" besides turned to Gomez for an onslaught connected Trump and Carr: "Anything they don't like, they privation to power and they privation to censor." Defunded PBS inactive sounds bitter.

‘THE VIEW’ HAD 128 LIBERAL GUESTS BUT ONLY TWO CONSERVATIVES IN 2025, STUDY FINDS

The ultimate irony successful this full kerfuffle is that Colbert represents the nonstop other of adjacent time. Overall, Alex Christy of NewsBusters reported that from September 2022 done Thursday, Colbert has brought connected 230 wide oregon Democrat guests, to lone 1 Republican – and that Republican was erstwhile Rep. Liz Cheney aft she was drummed retired of bureau successful a primary. So, let’s wink and accidental 231 to zero.

CBS could easy alteration the sanction of its late-night drama amusement to "The People’s Republic of Colbert." Anyone who wants to extremity their time by listening to a agelong interrogation with Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders is not looking for giggles. But that’s what viewers recovered connected January 20. Colbert announced with fanfare that this was the 19th clip he’d platformed Sanders.

This is not a "bona fide quality interview," if we’re going to usage FCC lingo. It's the lamest benignant of "Sunset Semester" socialism session. "Define oligarchy for us" isn’t adjacent a question. It’s a prompt.

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But Colbert besides enactment this shot connected the tee for Bernie:  "This is simply a red-letter time for you. Here you are administering the oath of bureau to Mayor Mamdani and I just—you’ve been fighting, you've been carrying the banner of antiauthoritarian socialists for a agelong time. What was that similar to curse successful the archetypal Democratic Socialist politician of a large city?" He recovered it "extremely gratifying."

When that YouTube video drew implicit 8 cardinal views, it was painted by wide journalists arsenic a large triumph implicit President Donald Trump. But Trump ne'er objected to this interview.

It was the aforesaid concern with Talarico – 2 Democrats talking similar Democrats. Colbert nudged: "It's not the archetypal clip you've caused immoderate drama. 'FCC opening probe into The View aft quality by Talarico.' Do you mean to origin trouble?"

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Overall, the late-night "comedy" amusement impermanent number successful 2025 was overwhelmingly stacked: 99% of the governmental guests are liberals oregon Democrats. It’s the aforesaid connected "The View." In 2025, Whoopi & Co. interviewed 128 liberals oregon Democrats to 2 Republicans oregon sort-of conservatives. Again, that’s being generous. The 2 are present erstwhile Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was fulminating against Trump, and Cheryl Hines, who was forced into defending her husband, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

These are the shows that are the astir passionately coating themselves arsenic brave upholders of Democracy erstwhile they signifier thing of the sort. Only 1 broadside is worthy hearing, and the different broadside is lone worthy smearing. 

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