Disney/ABC Owned & Operated (O&O) Stations
8 Major Designated Market Areas
WABC-TV (New York)
DMA Rank #1
Flagship ABC O&O broadcast transmitter serving New York City, Long Island, Northern New Jersey, and Southern Connecticut.
US HH Reach
6.5%
Virtual Channel
7.1
RF Channel
7
Renewal Cycle
2027 Group 2
Portfolio Reach Impact: 8 stations covering ~21.4% of U.S. TV households subject to renewal determinations.
Legal Procedural Simulator • Federal Court Ruling
Rule 12(b)(1) MTD
Select Judicial Pathway
Procedural Ruling Outcome
Dismissed
Exhaustion doctrine requires FCC review completion prior to D.C. Circuit appeal under § 402(b)
Jurisdictional & Operational Consequences:
- Disney's district court lawsuit is dismissed for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(1).
- FCC proceeds with early public-interest inquiry for all 8 ABC broadcast licenses.
- Disney may only seek judicial review in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit after a final Commission order.
Statutory Framework Breakdown
47 U.S.C. § 309(k)
Governs statutory broadcast license renewals, creating a rebuttable presumption of renewal if the licensee serves the public interest, convenience, and necessity without serious violations.
47 U.S.C. § 402(b)
Vests exclusive jurisdiction in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals for decisions granting or denying broadcast license renewal applications, barring collateral federal district court litigation.