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By Brian Hews
Publisher | Follow X
September 19, 2025
Donald Trump has a new toy to wave around: the threat of yanking broadcast licenses from networks that don’t flatter him. Yes, apparently the cure for “bad publicity” is government censorship dressed up as regulation. It’s the Kremlin playbook: punish the messenger, not the message. Criticism becomes treason, and the license is the gulag.
The first thing to know: this is mostly bark, not much bite. Networks don’t hold broadcast licenses directly — local affiliates do. Revoking them isn’t simple. It’s a bureaucratic slugfest that runs through FCC hearings, legal challenges, and a tangle of precedent thicker than Trump’s hairspray. Sure there is a few that will bend over for Trump, but not all.
But here’s the kicker: he doesn’t have to actually pull the trigger to cause damage. The mere threat of the FCC suddenly acting like the Ministry of Truth is enough to make nervous executives sweat through their pinstripe suits. The chilling effect kicks in before a single license hearing is scheduled.
That’s the real danger. Fear becomes an editorial policy. Why risk being the next target? Why stick your neck out with hard reporting when a soft-focus puff piece will keep the regulators away? The press doesn’t have to be shut down if it can be scared into shutting itself up. And Trump, master of the intimidation game, knows this. He doesn’t need a win in court — he just needs networks to blink.
Of course, lawsuits will fly the second the FCC tries anything. The First Amendment is still a thing, despite Trump’s allergic reaction to it. Courts, civil liberties groups, and even Congress (maybe?) would pile in. Yes, precedent is firmly against content-based license revocation, but you never know with our current corrupt SCOTUS majority. But while the legal gears grind slowly, the intimidation works in real time. The man has always understood that the threat is often more powerful than the follow-through.
What happens if this continues? Expect more bland, watered-down coverage on broadcast news. Expect pro-Trump outlets to cheer and amplify. Expect audiences to splinter even further into echo chambers, while voters get less real scrutiny of their leaders and more empty noise. The distrust–retaliation loop deepens, and the country drifts into parallel realities where the facts depend on which network you dare to watch.
The irony is thick. Trump, a man who once built his entire political persona on free-wheeling, unfiltered media access, now wants to muzzle those same outlets when they don’t play cheerleader. The former reality TV star is now threatening to cancel the networks — literally. The “You’re fired” presidency has evolved into “You’re off the air.”
The silver lining? Actual mass license revocations are unlikely. Too many legal hurdles, too much backlash. Networks are well-lawyered and well-funded. If he goes too far, it will boomerang. But the darker truth is that he doesn’t need to win in court to win in practice. If media executives start playing it safe, he’s already changed the coverage. If reporters hesitate before asking the tough question, he’s already shifted the narrative.
So here we are again: the bully on the playground threatening to take the ball home unless everyone plays nice. It’s petty, it’s dangerous, and it’s exactly the kind of stunt we should expect more of. The press can’t afford to flinch. Because once fear sets the tone, it won’t matter who holds the licenses — the narrative’s already been repossessed.
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