WINONA, Minn. — Late show host Jimmy Kimmel returned to his show on the ABC television network and urged viewers to stand up to President Trump’s threats against free expression. This was six days after ABC bowed to orders from Trump to get even for years of Kimmel’s pricks at him. Among 163 ABC affiliates that carried Kimmel comeback were:
> Iowa: KCRG, Cedar Rapids.
> Minnesota: K30FN-D5; Mankato; KSTP, Minneapolis; KAAL, Rochester.
> Wisconsin: WQOW, Eau Claire; WXOW; LaCrosse; WKOW, Madison.
Kimmel’s return was blocked by 70 affiliate stations owned by the Nexstar and Sinclair chains in their local markets. The two chains have no ABC affiliates in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Verbatim
Trump: “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy his job back. A true bunch of losers! Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad ratings!” Noting his recent shakedown of ABC for $16 million in an unrelated matter, Trump said: “I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 million. This one sounds even more lucrative.”
TV ratings
The Nexstar and Sinclair chain’s blackout in 70-plus local markets. The blackout distorted the overnight ratings from Nielsen Media Research. In short, Kimmel’s resurrection vis-a-vis late-night shows on other networks didn’t reflect his full audience, even so, initial reports indicated a large viewership on digital platforms in blacked-out markets.