Plus: Duolingo is moving its focus away from virality; King Charles III charms Trump.
The FCC is moving to fast-track a review of broadcast licenses for stations owned by Disney’s ABC network, years ahead of the normal renewal timeline.
Officially, the FCC said the review is a part of an investigation into Disney’s DEI policies, CNBC reports.
But the move comes after President Donald Trump publicly criticized ABC and called for talk show host Jimmy Kimmel to be fired over a joke he made about Trump’s death, saying Melania Trump looked like an “expectant widow.”
Kimmel, who was suspended for a short time over previous political statements, was allowed to continue his show normally this time. Disney is now overseen by new CEO Josh D’Amaro, who has not publicly addressed the issue.
Disney released a statement: “ABC and its stations have a long record of operating in full compliance with FCC rules and serving their local communities with trusted news, emergency information, and public‑interest programming.
“We are confident that record demonstrates our continued qualifications as licensees under the Communications Act and the First Amendment and are prepared to show that through the appropriate legal channels. Our focus remains, as always, on serving viewers in the local communities where our stations operate.”
Why it matters: Unlike last time, Disney is standing its ground.
Instead of focusing their message on politics and drumming up more controversy and polarization, they emphasize their “long history” of trust and compliance.” This keeps the message centered on facts, not jokes.
They’re also not responding defensively. They’re reminding audiences what they provide: “trusted news, emergency information and public-interest programming.” This shows that they’re invested in communities and they’ll continue providing value there.
The second part of the statement shows confidence in their ability to pushback against the FCC with strong, clear language like being “prepared to fight” if necessary. This sends a message that Disney isn’t cowering to political pressure, which is something companies have had to tip-toe around. It’s also a different approach from last time, after Disney lost more than 1.7 million subscribers when it suspended Kimmel, showing this is just as much of a calculated business move as a strong comms response.
In high stakes moments like this, the best responses are calm, clear and even-keeled, sticking to the facts and leaving extra noise out of it.
Editor’s Top Reads:
- Duolingo built a huge following on TikTok by being intentionally chaotic. Its green owl mascot became known for “unhinged” posts that included dark humor, absurd jokes and online behavior that felt really different from any other brand a few years back. But Business Insider reports that the company is now pulling that back and resetting its strategy. “There isn’t that much room to grow in terms of audience and impressions we can drive from our own account,” CMO Manu Orssaud told the outlet. Instead, the social-first brand is shifting toward Reddit, often cited first in AI search, more blog posts and WhatsApp. And it’s developing a “creator army” to help content feel more like storytelling, Orssaud said. The strategy shift is also happening after the company received backlash online for how it was using AI. It’s great when a brand goes viral for a fun post or campaign, but as Orssaud pointed out, it’s not sustainable or infinitely repeatable. Brands need to think more long term when it comes to social strategy. What’s GEO friendly? What metrics are important? Impact is less about being viral and more about being intentional.
- King Charles III attended a U.S. state dinner and addressed Congress with pomp and circumstance, charming attendees and offering Trump a historic bell as a gesture of goodwill, NYT He was the articulate leader he’s known to be, emphasizing the U.S.’s and U.K.’s longstanding relationship. But he was also political without sounding political. “With the spirit of 1776 in our minds, we can perhaps agree that we do not always agree – at least in the first instance…Ours is a partnership born out of dispute, but no less strong for it, so perhaps, in this example, we can discern that our nations are in fact instinctively like-minded – a product of the common democratic, legal and social traditions in which our governance is rooted to this day.” King Charles also backed NATO and showed support for Ukraine during parts of his speech, and sometimes poked fun at Trump. He made points about democracy, cooperation and global risk without naming names. He was speaking for multiple audiences here, which is important as a leader. He was able to both charm Trump and stand his ground, leaning into language that showed unity, peace and bridge-building. Essentially, his message was clear enough to land but not overt enough to offend. It’s an example of being a diplomatic leader in what could have been a tense situation.
- LinkedIn released its latest list of top employers for long-term career growth, ranking companies based on real user data like promotions, skills development and internal mobility. JP Morgan, Walmart, Amazon, Bank of America and Microsoft were high on the list, focusing particularly on AI skills training. “One of the things I’m most proud of at Amazon is watching people grow into roles nobody (maybe even themselves) would have predicted,” Amazon’s Drew Herdener posted following the announcement. “Teammates who didn’t have the on-paper experience for their next role but showed the right curiosity and drive, and were given the chance to try something completely new.” This should signal to organizations that prospective employees are no longer only looking for comprehensive benefits packages or high salaries, they want to know there’s opportunity for training, development and investment in them as people. Being featured on this list is a great recruitment tool but also a nice way for others to get a feel for what steps the top organizations are taking now to improve employee experiences.
Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at courtneyb@ragan.com.
The post The Scoop: Disney says it’s ‘prepared to fight’ FCC license review appeared first on PR Daily.
