After more than a week off the company’s network affiliates, Jimmy Kimmel Live! is slated to return to Nexstar Media Group-owned ABC stations on Friday night.
In a statement released on Friday afternoon, the local television ownership giant revealed it will stop preempting the program, and will allow the program to air in its 11:35 PM ET timeslot.
“We have had discussions with executives at The Walt Disney Company and appreciate their constructive
approach to addressing our concerns,” a statement from Nexstar reads. “As a local broadcaster, Nexstar remains committed to protecting the First Amendment while producing and airing local and national news that is fact-based and unbiased and, above all, broadcasting content that is in the best interest of the communities we serve. We stand apart from cable television, monolithic streaming services, and national networks in our commitment – and obligation – to be stewards of the public airwaves and to protect and reflect the specific sensibilities of our communities.
“To be clear, our commitment to those principles has guided our decisions throughout this process, independent of any external influence from government agencies or individuals,” the statement concluded.
The decision from Nexstar mimics that of Sinclair Broadcast Group, which also reinstated the program on Friday. In that announcement, Sinclair stated that it did not feel pressured by any government entity to come to the decision it did in either preempting or returning the show.
“Our decision to preempt this program was independent of any government interaction or influence,” the Sinclair statement shared. “Free speech providues broadcasters with the right to exercise judgment as to the content of their local stations. While we understand that not everyone will agree with our decisions about programming, it is simply inconsistent to champion free speech while demanding that broadcasters air specific content.”
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