Late night host Stephen Colbert has accused CBS of spiking an interview for fear of backlash from the Federal Communications Commission. On this week’s On the Media, hear about the MAGA movement trying to shift television to the right. Plus, the legal theory that the FCC is using to put pressure on the networks.
[01:00] Host Brooke Gladstone speaks with  <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/jim-rutenberg" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jim Rutenberg</a>, writer-at-large for The New York Times, about how Trump’s FCC is reviving a nearly century-old rule to crack down on late-night talk shows. Rutenberg explains why MAGA’s embrace of the FCC’s regulatory powers to go after “liberal bias” in the media signals a shift within the Republican party. 
[25:44] Brooke sits down with <a href="https://www.americanrights.org/about" rel="noopener noreferrer">Daniel Suhr</a>, the president of a legal advocacy group called the Center for American Rights and the architect behind the legal theory that the FCC is using to put pressure on TV networks. They discuss his goal to make network TV look more like the AM radio band. 
 Further reading / watching:
<ul>
 <li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/19/business/media/colbert-equal-time-fcc-brendan-carr.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">“How a Century-Old Rule Is Scrambling Late-Night TV,”</a> by Jim Rutenberg</li>
 <li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/magazine/fcc-tv-networks.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">“The MAGA Plan to Take Over TV Is Just Beginning,”</a> by Jim Rutenberg</li>
 <li><a href="https://www.yalejreg.com/nc/the-fccs-public-notice-on-bona-fide-news-by-daniel-r-suhr/" rel="noopener noreferrer">“The FCC’s Public Notice on ‘Bona Fide News,’”</a> by Daniel Suhr</li>
 <li><a href="https://wng.org/opinions/the-end-of-an-agency-1768866975" rel="noopener noreferrer">“The end of an agency,”</a> by Daniel Suhr</li>
 <li><a href="https://broadbandbreakfast.com/daniel-suhr-straight-talk-on-fcc-jawboning/" rel="noopener noreferrer">“Straight Talk on FCC 'Jawboning'”</a> by Daniel Suhr</li>
 <li><a href="https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/episodes/divided-dial-episode-3-" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Divided Dial: Episode 3 - The Liberal Bias Boogeyman</a></li>
</ul>
On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (<a href="https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm">https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm</a>). Follow our show on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/onthemedia/?hl=en">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/onthemedia">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OnTheMedia">Facebook</a> @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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