From Obama to Trump to Biden: When networks said ‘no’ to presidential speeches
When two major news networks, NBC and ABC, chose not to air President Donald Trump’s primetime address on Thursday, it caused a stir in the White House and on social media.
The president took time during his address to specifically call out the organizations, saying they should have their broadcasting licenses revoked. Meanwhile, Americans on social media have backed the president, criticizing the networks and calling on the Federal Communications Commission to step in.
Some have even described the networks’ decision as unheard of.
However, Thursday was not the first time networks have chosen to skip out on a president’s prime-time address. In fact, in the last 12 years, it has happened on numerous occasions.
When have networks skipped airing a president’s remarks?
Dating back to 2014, major networks like NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox didn’t air President Barack Obama’s primetime address regarding his executive actions on immigration. Reporting at the time said executives viewed the address as a policy speech rather than a national emergency and were reluctant to interrupt popular primetime programming.
Then, in 2020, Trump gave a speech similar to Thursday’s, discussing election fraud. Several networks cut away from his address mid-speech due to what they called baseless claims. Rather, they chose to prioritize fact-checking over unverified statements.
Even more recently, networks chose not to air former President Joe Biden’s “Battle for the Soul of the Nation” address in September 2022. It was a similar instance to Obama’s in 2014, with network executives finding the speech too political because it criticized Trump and came just two months before the midterm elections.
What are the rules and policies for networks?
What it all comes down to is this: the First Amendment gives television networks broad editorial discretion to decide what to broadcast.
That said, however, there are longstanding customs and considerations that may influence a network’s decision on whether or not to air a presidential address.
So here’s how it works.
When the president wants to deliver a prime-time address, the White House typically contacts the broadcast networks to request live coverage, referred to as carriage. The networks then independently decide whether to grant the request, typically taking into consideration the following:
- Is it an emergency or national security matter?
- Is it breaking news?
- Is it primarily a policy speech?
- Is it overtly political or campaign-related?
- What programming would have to be preempted?
Additionally, there are certain situations that have historically led executives to grant airtime. These include declarations of war or military action, terrorist attacks, major natural disasters, and many Oval Office addresses involving urgent matters.
The FCC’s role
Now, to dive into the FCC of it all. Yes, the FCC regulates U.S. broadcasters in many ways. The misconception, however, is that the FCC can actually force networks to air presidential speeches — it can’t.
There is no law or FCC rule requiring broadcast networks to carry a president’s speech live. The decision rests with each network’s news executives, who have broad editorial discretion under the First Amendment.
And when it comes to Trump’s request that the networks lose their licenses, the FCC has no authority to do so.
While the FCC does license local broadcast stations, the commission does not license the national television networks themselves, nor does it have the authority to revoke a station’s license simply because it declined to air a presidential address.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
