Protesters rallied outside of the Nexstar WTEN Channel 10 studios in Albany Wednesday night.
Huddled together with smeared signs, ponchos, and umbrellas, rallygoers were protesting WTEN’s parent company Nexstar after it opted not to broadcast “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” which Disney reinstated earlier this week.
The national show was suspended briefly after host Jimmy Kimmel made controversial remarks following the death of Charlie Kirk, a conservative political activist, who was gunned down on the Utah Valley University campus earlier this month.
Kimmel returned to the air Tuesday night across the nation, but nearly a quarter ABC’s local affiliates, did not air the programming. Sinclair and Nexstar control more than 20 percent of ABC’s local stations. Kimmel had this to say as a part of his anticipated monologue.
“Thanks to those who supported our show, cared enough to do something about it, to make your voices heard, so that mine could be heard,” Kimmel said. “I will never forget it, and maybe, maybe, most of all, I want to thank people who don’t support my show and what I believe, but support my right to share those beliefs anyway.”
Federal, state, and local officials participating in the rally included U.S. Congressman Paul Tonko, New York State Senator Patricia Fahy, Assemblymember Gabriella Romero, and a representative for City of Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan.
Speaking with reporters under several umbrellas, Congressman Paul Tonko of New York’s 20th District, says freedom of speech is the foundation of American society.
“This is a functioning democracy. We need not to go into autocracy. We need to make certain we hold fast to our freedoms of speech and freedom of press,” Tonko said. “How dare you deny us our voices? How dare you monitor and choose what speech is acceptable? That's not how it works.”
SingleCut brewery in Clifton Park, which sponsors News 10, is backing the protesters, saying they “would not have collaborated with WTEN” if they previously had known its standing.
Protesters also plan to rally outside of the Sinclair WRGB Channel 6 studios in Niskayuna on Monday night.
Advocacy group Troy Indivisible is hosting the Niskayuna Sinclair event to protest WRGB’s owner, Sinclair, which Indivisible says has a “long history of infusing local news with national right-wing political viewpoints.”
At WTEN, Elise Chan stood on the corner of the studio’s driveway and told WAMC she took free speech for granted.
“I'm standing here for future generations because it is, it's tenuous and it's fragile, just like you know, our Constitution and our way of life is in our democracy, it's just really fragile, and it's something we, none of us, can take for granted, and even 60 degrees in the pouring rain, it's just invigorating to be here and to be able to voice my displeasures,” Chan said.
WTEN declined to comment.
