Brendan Carr, the Trump-appointed chairman of the FCC, wants television broadcasters to unite around the American flag to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary this year, suggesting, for example, that local stations could start “every broadcast day” with “The Star-Spangled Banner” or the “Pledge of Allegiance.”
On Friday, Kahl announced the America’s Promise campaign, which he sees as part of the White House’s Salute to America 250 Task Force agenda, which “invites citizens to renew their love for American history, experience the beauty of our nation, and ignite a spirit of adventure and innovation that will lift our country to new heights over the next 250 years.”
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According to the FCC, Kahl is responding to a call from the Trump White House through the America’s Promise campaign, which “enables broadcasters to support Task Force 250 and celebrate America’s 250th birthday by airing patriotic, pro-American content that celebrates America’s journey and inspires its citizens by highlighting the historic achievements of this great country from its founding to today’s Trump administration.”
The agency’s announcement comes as Carr said he wants to help local stations resist the amount of reverse compensation national networks pay for programming.
Carr has also taken an aggressive stance in applying FCC rules to combat what he sees as pro-left bias in some national network programming. They included his threat to investigate local broadcasters for “news distortion” if they aired “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Carr also said the FCC’s “equal time” rules for political candidates would apply to daytime and late-night programs deemed not to be “genuine” news programming. The Federal Communications Commission is investigating whether ABC’s “The View” may have violated equal time rules after James Talarico, a Texas politician running for U.S. Senate, appeared on the show. Last Monday, Stephen Colbert said CBS lawyers blocked “The Late Show” from airing his interview with Talarico because of concerns it would trigger the Federal Communications Commission’s equal time rules.
“The White House is leading the nation’s celebration of this historic event through the Salute to America 250 Task Force, which calls on the federal government and other agencies to commemorate this important moment,” Kahl said in a statement Friday. “As part of this effort, I am calling on broadcasters to commit to providing programming that promotes civic education, national pride and our shared history.”
Carr continued, “This type of programming is more important than ever as surveys show civic education is in rapid decline. And classic shows like ‘Schoolhouse Rock! “Now available only in the online archive. Broadcasters are uniquely positioned to help address these worrying developments by delivering programming that celebrates the extraordinary story of America’s independence while being tailored to the specific needs of local communities to further their public interest obligations.”
The FCC’s Republican chairman also provided examples of “nonpartisan” programming celebrating pro-American programming:
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Run PSAs, short films, or full-length specials dedicated to promoting civic education, inspiring local stories, and American history
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Includes segments from regular news programs highlighting local sites important to U.S. and regional history, such as National Park Service sites
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Each broadcast day begins with the “Star-Spangled Banner” or the Pledge of Allegiance
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Play the music of America’s greatest composers such as John Philip Sousa, Aaron Copland, Duke Ellington or George Gershwin
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Provides a daily “This Day in American History” bulletin highlighting the significant events that occurred on that day in history
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Working with community organizations and other groups, they are already working to bring America’s stories of unity, perseverance and victory to light
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