Though “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will return to the air Tuesday night, more than 70 local stations across the country will not carry the broadcast.
Nexstar Media and Sinclair Broadcasting, which combine to operate 72 ABC stations nationwide, will not air the late-night program.
“We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve,” Nexstar said Tuesday morning in a statement.
Nexstar and Sinclair were major factors in the initial Kimmel kerfuffle, which led to ABC yanking his show from the air last Wednesday. The broadcaster announced Kimmel’s impending return on Monday, but the show remains a political lightning rod.
Many of Nexstar and Sinclair’s ABC stations are in smaller markets, but they combine to cover about 25% of U.S. households. The biggest Kimmel-less markets on Tuesday night will be Washington, D.C, Seattle, Nashville and Salt Lake City.
Kimmel will be largely absent from the airwaves in upstate New York. Nexstar and Sinclair combine to own the local ABC stations in Albany, Rochester, Syracuse, Watertown and Utica.
Kimmel’s return was cheered by many as a victory for free speech, but it also angered many of President Trump’s supporters. Trump-appointed FCC Chairman Brendan Carr told CNBC, “We’re not done yet” after ABC initially pulled the show.
SInclair has long been known for its conservative tilt, while Nexstar is in the middle of merger talks with a rival broadcaster, Tegna, which will require approval from Carr and the FCC.
Following Trump’s election in November, Nexstar owner Perry Sook said he hoped to be “eliminating the level of activist journalism out there.”
