Two US companies allow Jimmy Kimmel Live! They ended a short boycott that began after the show's return to airwaves on Friday to return to ABC Station.
In a statement posted on social media, the Sinclair Broadcast Group said Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show will return to all of the 38 effective ABC affiliate stations on September 26th.
“Last week we received thoughtful feedback from our audiences, advertisers and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives,” Sinclair said in a statement.
The company also said it had noticed “nasty acts of violence” referring to a shooting into the lobby of Sacramento ABC station last Friday.
“These events highlight why responsible broadcasting is important and why respectful dialogue between different voices is so important,” Sinclair added.
A while later, Nexstar Media Group said that it will return Kimmel's show to 28 ABC affiliate stations starting Friday night.
“We are grateful for the constructive approach we have discussed with executives at Walt Disney Company and addressed concerns,” the company said in a statement.
“As a local broadcaster, Nexstar continues to be committed to protecting and broadcasting the First Amendment while producing and broadcasting content, which is factual and most of all, the best interests of the communities we serve.”
Kimmel was allowed to return to work and hosted the show again on September 23rd after the network said there was a “thoughtful conversation” with Kimmel.
Both Sinclair and Nexter said this week that Kimmel will continue to move away from ABC's radio waves despite his return, but that he has continued his conversation with ABC and Disney.
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“In a continuous and constructive discussion with ABC, Sinclair proposed measures to enhance accountability, audience feedback and community dialogue, including independent ombudsmen across the network,” Sinclair said Friday.
It noted that the company has not yet adopted these measures.
ABC has stopped Jimmy Kimmel Live! Completely on September 17th after a named host commented on the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during the air.
The suspension was announced shortly after Nexstar and Sinclair said they would take the Kimmel show first.
Brendan Kerr, chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission, suggested earlier that day that companies should take action against Kimmel over his comments.
“We can do this in an easy or difficult way,” Kerr added, noting that Democrats and other critics amounted to government pressure on affiliate stations, ABC and Disney.
President Donald Trump has been openly critical of past late-night hosts, and previously suggested putting pressure on the network to cancel the show.
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Speaking at a press conference last month, Trump responded to reporters:
“Fallon has no talent. Kimmel has no talent. They are next. They are going. They are going. They are going. I don't know, but I imagine because they get it – Colbert has a better rating than Kimmel or Fallon.”
In that statement, Sinclair said his previous decision to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! It was carried out without government pressure.
“Our decision to preempt this programme was unrelated to government interactions and influence,” he said.
Nexstar also argued that the decision was made because of its commitment to “being a public radio steward and protecting and reflecting the specific sensibilities of our community.”
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“To be clear, our commitment to these principles has guided our decisions throughout this process, independent of external influences from government agencies and individuals,” the company's statement said.
Last month, Nexstar announced a $6.2 billion deal to buy Tegna Inc., which owns 64 other television stations.
This transaction requires that the FCC change the rules that limit the number of stations that a single company can own. Carr has expressed openness to changes in rules.
Sinclair also petitioned the FCC to relax rules restricting station ownership.
Kimmel has referenced his decision not to air the show at several stations since returning to ABC this week.
“We're broadcasting tonight from Los Angeles, California to about 75% of the country,” he said in his monologue Thursday night.
He noted that next week's show will be held in Brooklyn, New York.
“All we have to do now is move around so that the FCC can't get us,” he joked.
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