By Ted Johnson, Deadline.com, 8-18-26 ABC filed an unprecedented First Amendment lawsuit against the FCC on Aug. 18, claiming that its investigations and regulatory actions are part of a Trump administration “retaliatory campaign” to curb the network’s free speech. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., also seeks to halt a [...]

By Nick Langan, RadioWorld.com, 8-7-26 President Donald Trump has nominated Republican Danielle Thumann Severs, who is a senior counsel to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, to serve on one of the two open seats on the commission. The nomination was sent to the U.S. Senate on Aug. 7, where it will go through a formal [...]

By George Winslow, TVTechnology.com, 8-6-26 In a landmark vote that is likely to encourage a wave of deals in the broadcast station business, the Federal Communications Commission has voted to change TV station ownership rules in a way that would allow the agency to approve mergers that exceed the caps on a case-by-case basis if [...]

By Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter.com, 7-30-26ABC is officially calling on the Federal Communications Commission to drop its “extraordinary and unprecedented” proceeding to call in the Disney-owned network’s stations for an early broadcast license renewal.The network responded to the Brendan Carr-led agency in a new filing July 30.“There is no question why the Commission is singling out [...]

By Salvador Rizzo, washingtonpost.com, 7-23-26 The Justice Department agreed to withdraw subpoenas it issued to New York Times reporters after a federal judge sharply questioned the government’s demand that they testify before a grand jury about their reporting on security concerns with President Donald Trump’s new Air Force One jet. U.S. District Judge Arun [...]

By Eric Tucker and Jocelyn Noveck, APnews.com, 7-20-26 President Donald Trump’s administration sought phone records of several New York Times journalists and even those of some of their relatives, according to a motion unsealed July 20 – an unusually aggressive attempt to unmask the confidential sources of reporters who wrote about Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air [...]

By George Winslow, TVTechnology.com, 7-15-26 In a move that could fundamentally reshape the broadcast industry and usher in a wave of consolidation, the Federal Communications Commission will vote on Aug. 6 on an Order that repeals the FCC’s 39% national television multiple ownership rule. Chairman Brendan Carr announced the move in an op-ed in [...]

By InsideRadio.com, 7-9-26 The Trump administration intends to push forward with new advertising restrictions on the pharmaceutical industry. A notice has been issued saying that the Food and Drug Administration will move in the coming months to effectively eliminate the option for prescription drug advertisements broadcast through media such as radio or television…. Specifics of [...]

By Scott Nover, washingtonpost.com, 7-7-26 A federal judge on July 2 ruled in favor of The Washington Post, throwing out a $3.8-billion defamation lawsuit filed in 2023 by President Donald Trump’s social media company, Trump Media and Technology Group. U.S. District Judge Thomas Barber, who is based in Tampa, wrote in a summary docket [...]

By Perry Stein, washingtonpost.com, 6-23-26 The Justice Department took the extraordinary step of seeking to force reporters for The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal to testify before a federal grand jury – but withdrew the subpoenas earlier this month after they were challenged by the news organizations, according to a Justice Department [...]