Jawboning

     "Jawboning" is not just rustic-sounding slang for idle talk; it's a term of art.  Specifically, it's when a person in a position of government power uses that power to lean on citizens.  It's considered an abuse of office and can even be a violation of the law.

     Jawboning is what FCC Chair Brendan Carr did to ABC over (intemperate at best and possibly tasteless) comments by comedian Jimmy Kimmel.  The precise comments don't matter.  You can go look them up, and depending on your politics, they may make your blood boil or elicit a shrug.  They're not especially funny, but that's how it goes with topical satire: not every bit lands.

     The FCC doesn't regulate networks.  They regulate individual TV and radio stations, most of which are owned by a handful of very large corporations -- large and hoping to get larger.  For them to grow any further, they're going to need FCC approval.  There are limits -- "ownership caps" -- on how many stations in a given market may be owned by a single company.  Nexstar, one of the largest, is in the middle of a huge merger with another big owner, and they'll need a new, higher cap.

     So when Brendan Carr went on a podcast and said, "This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead," Nexstar was listening.  They announced the ABC stations they own weren't going to carry Kimmel's late-night talk show.  Sinclair, another big group owner, followed suit.  ABC responded by dropping Kimmel.

     ABC can do that.  They're his employer; if they don't want his show, they can (within contractual limits, and we can be sure attorneys for everyone involved are very, very busy right now) pull the plug.  Likewise, network affiliates are not necessarily required to carry every show the network shoves down the pipe (though, yet again, contacts and lawyers are involved).  The entity who crossed the line was the FCC Chairman, who was essentially saying, "Nice TV stations.  Be a shame if something happened to them," to individual ABC affiliates.  FCC regulations are many and complex; dig deep, and everyone's got something that might not be quite right.  "Give me the man and I'll give you the crime," or give him the station, in this case.

     It was jawboning.  In the Bible, mighty Samson beat a thousand men to death with the jawbone of an ass; here, a single ass is jawboning the giants of broadcasting to their knees over misfiring political humor.

     Is that really a good outcome?  And how will the next FCC Chairman use that power, if it goes unchallenged?   Even Brendan Carr once thought it was a problem, before he got control.