The Daily Inside the Government’s Crackdown on TV
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Mar 18, 2026 
Jim Rutenberg, a New York Times writer covering media and politics, unpacks a new FCC pressure campaign on TV. He traces threats over Iran coverage and late-night interviews. He follows how an old equal-time rule was revived. He also explores why political comedy, network news, and federal power are colliding now.
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How FCC Guidance Chilled A Colbert Interview
- CBS lawyers warned Stephen Colbert that booking Texas candidate James Talarico could trigger the equal time rule after new FCC guidance targeted late-night political interviews.
- Colbert then said on air he could not run the interview on CBS, though he could still post it on YouTube.
Why Late Night Still Matters To Regulators
- The administration targets late night not just for ratings but because broadcast TV remains free, nationwide, and highly reusable online.
- Rutenberg says late-night clips from Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel still spread widely because broadcast gives them cultural lift.
How Broadcast Scarcity Created The Equal Time Rule
- The equal time rule came from early radio scarcity: government granted exclusive frequencies but demanded fair political access in return.
- Later exemptions for bona fide news reflected a core assumption that journalists, not regulators, should decide what is newsworthy.