First Amendment ‘Not Symbolic,’ Says NAB’s Curtis LeGeyt.

National Association of Broadcasters President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt says the furor surrounding ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” highlights a larger issue facing the industry: the ability of broadcasters to make editorial decisions free from government influence.

“Broadcasters must be able to make decisions about the content on our airwaves free from government influence,” LeGeyt said in a blog post. “The First Amendment affords our stations — and all Americans — this fundamental right, and the mere perception that broadcasters acted because of undue pressure is a problem for our credibility and the trust we have built with our audiences.”

LeGeyt noted that political pressure on media is not new and has come from both sides of the aisle. “During the Obama administration, journalists decried the use of the Espionage Act to investigate reporters and demand their confidential sources,” he said. “Under the Biden administration, reporters faced growing barriers to access, and local affiliate stations were targeted based on the actions of cable news networks. Today, we continue to see veiled threats suggesting broadcasters should be penalized for airing content that is contrary to a particular point of view.”

“These attempts were wrong then, and they are wrong now,” LeGeyt emphasized.

At a time when broadcasters already face “extraordinary disruption in the media ecosystem from Big Tech,” LeGeyt cautioned that political interference could further discourage investment in local journalism. “If the very act of owning or transferring a broadcast license carries the risk of political interference, it will drive investment further away from local stations at the very moment we need more resources to sustain local journalism,” he said.

LeGeyt underscored NAB’s role in fighting for broadcasters’ ability to compete, invest in newsrooms, and deliver freely available content across platforms. But, he added, none of that matters if stations cannot operate without fear of government retribution.

“That is why this week’s celebration of First Amendment Day is not just symbolic,” LeGeyt said. “It is a reminder that the ability of local broadcasters to speak without fear of intimidation or interference is essential for the health of our democracy. NAB will continue to defend that freedom — publicly when necessary, and privately when most effective. Because without it, everything else falls away.”