The FCC called on broadcasters to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States with more “patriotic, pro-America” content, as Chairman Brendan Carr urged stations to pledge commit to programming that “promotes civic education, national pride, and our shared history.”
Carr’s announcement on Friday appeared to harken back to the Bicentennial of 1976, citing Schoolhouse Rock!, the ABC Saturday morning interstitials that educated children about civics. He also said that an option for broadcasters would be to start each broadcast day with the Pledge of Allegiance or The Star Spangled Banner.
The FCC chairman also laid out other options, including PSA and segments on civics and American history; highlighting local historical sites; airing music from composers like John Philip Sousa, Aaron Copland, Duke Ellington or George Gershwin; and providing announcements on “this day in history.”
The latter suggestion also was a feature of a half century ago, when CBS presented a series of historical segments called Bicentennial Minutes that ran each night for more than two years. Everyone from network stars to President Gerald Ford narrated the interstitials.
Playing the National Anthem used to be a regular feature of a station’s sign on and sign off, but started to disappear as outlets went to 24 schedules, although some have returned to the practice in recent years.
Carr is calling his effort the Pledge America Campaign, with the agency noting that broadcasters can voluntary indicate their commitment but that it would be “consistent with their longstanding public interest obligations.” The agency described the campaign as something that “enables broadcasters to lend their voices in support of Task Force 250 and the celebration of America’s 250th birthday by airing patriotic, pro-America content that celebrates the American journey and inspires its citizens by highlighting the historic accomplishments of this great nation from our founding through the Trump Administration today.”
Stations have to show how they operated in the public interest when their licenses come up for renewal, with the latest round set for 2028.
Carr said in a statement, “This type of programming is more relevant than ever, as surveys show that civics education is in rapid decline. And classic programming such as Schoolhouse Rock! is now only found in online archives. Broadcasters are uniquely positioned to help address these concerning developments by providing programming that celebrates the remarkable story of American Independence while also tailoring it to the specific needs of their local communities, in furtherance of their public interest obligations.”
“That is why I am inviting broadcasters to pledge to air programming in their local markets in support of this historic national, non-partisan celebration.”
The sole Democrat on the FCC, Anna Gomez, has been critical of Carr, calling his investigations of networks shows like The View and Saturday Night Live ways to try to pressure broadcasters to limit content that President Donald Trump dislikes. This week, Carr said that they are looking at an “enforcement action” against The View for violation of the Equal Time Rule. Gomez told reporters that “the threats are the point, the harassment is the point, because the commission is not going to survive appeal if it actually takes action against these broadcasters, because what it is doing is a violation of the First Amendment.”
In a post on X, Gomez wrote of the America 250 pledge, “Nothing is more American than defending our constitutional rights against those who would erode our civil liberties. If broadcasters choose to participate in this FCC campaign, they can do so by defending their First Amendment rights and refusing government interference.”
Schoolhouse Rock! ran in the 1970s and 80s, with one of the most remembered segments, I’m Just A Bill, debuting in 1976 as segments were presented tied to the Bicentennial.
English (US) ·