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Dear Fellow Vermonter,
It really doesn’t matter if you like Jimmy Kimmel or not, or whether you even watch late night television. What does matter is that you have the choice to watch what you want. Unfortunately, Vermonters at this moment no longer have that choice.
On Tuesday night, after ABC reconsidered its decision to remove Kimmel from the air, millions of Americans tuned in to watch his return to late-night television. His opening monologue has already been viewed over 26 million times. But Vermonters were denied the chance to see it when it originally aired. Nexstar Media Group, which owns ABC affiliate WVNY in Vermont and some 200 stations around the country, refused to broadcast it.
It is clear that Nexstar bowed to political pressure from the Trump administration. In my view, that is unacceptable.
That is why I recently wrote to Perry Sook, the CEO of Nexstar urging him to restore the Jimmy Kimmel show to WVNY and the other stations they own.
Here is part of what I wrote:
“Decisions about what Vermonters and the American people can and cannot watch on television should not be dictated by political pressure from President Donald Trump, his hand-picked Federal Communications Commission Chair (Brendan Carr), or any other government official regardless of their ideology. The role of a broadcaster is to serve the public interest — not politicians who seek to silence and censor critics and comedians who they do not like.”
In my view, Vermonters should not be denied access to the same programming that the overwhelming majority of the American people are able to see when it originally airs. Nexstar’s continued refusal to air this show undermines the rights of Vermonters to make their own decisions about what they watch and the fundamental freedom of expression.
The suggestion that critical or satirical commentary about President Trump and other public figures falls outside the “public interest” is not only deeply troubling, it is un-American. It sets a dangerous precedent for censorship of the media and political speech.
Being able to publicly criticize or make fun of the President of the United States — whether that person is a Republican, Democrat or an Independent - is what makes America a great country and sets us apart from tin pot dictatorships and authoritarian regimes.
Freedom of expression is vital to American democracy.
Broadcasters, like Nexstar, have a responsibility to protect that freedom — not undermine it as a result of political pressure from President Trump.
I hope that Nexstar reconsiders its decision and will restore the Jimmy Kimmel show to WVNY and its other stations as soon as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
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