Center for American Rights Files FCC Complaint: Demands Action over “Massive Abuse” of Public Airwaves by Late-Night Shows

The Center for American Rights formally submitted a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr calling for an inquiry into broadcast television networks’ persistent abuse of public airwaves through ideologically one-sided late-night programming.

The complaint highlights how CBS, ABC, and NBC are relentlessly left-wing and have prioritized partisan agendas over the public interest by providing overwhelmingly favorable coverage to liberal politicians and causes—often featuring Democratic candidates in the lead-up to elections while shutting out conservative voices entirely.

“Once again, the networks are failing the American people by using the airwaves to advance their own private political agenda rather than the public interest,” said Daniel Suhr, President,  Center for American Rights. “This is a massive abuse of the public airwaves. The American people are not 97 percent Democrats, and the airwaves are not a playground for partisan operatives masquerading as comedians.”

According to a recent Media Research Center analysis cited in the letter, 99 percent of political guests featured on major broadcast late-night shows over the past six months were left-wing. CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, for example, reportedly lost up to $50 million per year while doubling as a Democratic campaign platform—hosting Kamala Harris and her running mate in the final days before the 2024 election.

The Center’s letter argues that such programming violates the broadcasters’ obligation to serve the public interest and urges the FCC to investigate.