Speaking of the Fairness Doctrine, listen to this: The Man With a Plan to Reshape Broadcast TV [View all]

Perhaps you've heard of the On the Media podcast. If not, now is a good time to start listening.

On February 20, 2026, the topic was The Man With a Plan to Reshape Broadcast TV. Read on and learn more at the website:

https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/articles/the-man-with-a-plan-to-reshape-broadcast-tv

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  Jim Rutenberg, 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 Daniel Suhr, 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.