EVANSTON, Ill. (WGN) — The controversy surrounding Jimmy Kimmel and his late-night show entered the classroom as Northwestern University communication students studied the situation in class on Thursday.

Inside the university's School of Communication, professor Rick Morris had planned to cover how the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) holds regulatory power over local broadcast television stations. But it's not every day that part of the lesson plan comes right from the headlines: 'ABC pulls Kimmel's show off the air after Kirk remarks, network announces indefinite pause.'

"The government has a way of applying pressure," Morris said.

It happened after Nexstar – the owner of WGN and more than 200 other local TV stations – said it would preempt Kimmel's show on its ABC affiliates.

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