WBOC-TV chief meteorologist Dan Satterfield on WBOC on November 4, 2024

President Donald Trump is now hinting at using the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to intimidate broadcasters into silence. But a retired TV news weather forecaster with more than four decades of experience says Americans have a unique tool at their disposal that could yield significant results in their efforts to fight back.

Trump said Thursday on Air Force One that he may have his FCC threaten to revoke the broadcast licenses of TV stations that air content critical of him and his administration. His threat came the day after ABC announced it would pull late-night host Jimmy Kimmel off their air "indefinitely" after a threat from FCC chairman Brendan Carr.

ABC's announcement came on the heels of TV conglomerate Nexstar announcing it was preempting Kimmel's show with other content on all of its ABC affiliates due to comments Kimmel made about the Trump administration trying to "score political points" off of the recent killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Broadcast giant Sinclair — which has been repeatedly criticized for forcing its local TV news affiliates to air scripted far-right commentary segments — called on Kimmel to not only apologize for his comments, but to make a donation to Kirk's far-right advocacy group Turning Point USA.

In a Thursday post to his official Facebook page, Dan Satterfield — who retired from Salisbury, Maryland CBS affiliate WBOC-TV in 2024 after 12 years at the station — acknowledged that he had been inundated with messages from people asking how they can best fight back against Trump's attempts to censor broadcasters. And he drew on his wealth of TV news experience to tell his audience that they already had a powerful weapon at their disposal – their phone.

"The best way to complain that will have the biggest impact? See if you have a Sinclair or [N]exstar station in your area," Satterfield wrote. "2. Watch the local newscast tonight or some time this week. 3. Note the companies that bought tv adverts. 4. Call them and let them know you will boycott them until they quit supporting that media company."

"Trust me. I worked in tv for 45 years. Nothing you do will have greater impact. Nothing," he continued. "This is a much more effective tool than cancelling Disney. We did cancel Disney but calling Joe’s Jeep dealership who is buying adds on the local [N]exstar station will have a BIG impact. Joe doesn’t need that grief. He will find another station to buy adverts on."

Nexstar's decision to preempt Kimmel comes as the company is seeking the FCC's approval to acquire competitor Tegna in a $6.2 billion deal. Should the acquisition be approved, Nexstar would own TV stations broadcasting to approximately 80 percent of American households.