State Attorneys General Step Up to Stop Nexstar’s Unlawful Takeover of Tegna

WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed an antitrust suit in California to block Nexstar’s takeover of Tegna. If not blocked, the merger would give the giant broadcasting chain control of hundreds of local TV stations reaching 80 percent of U.S. households in violation of U.S. law. Seven other states — Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Oregon and Virginia — joined the lawsuit.

The state attorneys general stepped in after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr indicated his intent to approve the deal, despite it clearly violating congressionally established media-ownership limits. “This merger is illegal, plain and simple, running contrary to federal antitrust laws that protect consumers,” Bonta said in a statement. “When broadcast media is owned by a handful of companies, we get fewer voices, less competition, and communities lose the critical check on power that local journalism delivers.”

In late 2025, Nexstar filed an application seeking FCC approval to acquire Tegna’s broadcast licenses. Nexstar demonstrated its willingness to meddle with content to please Trump when in 2025 it suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! in response to threats from the administration.  

The multibillion-dollar deal would combine the nation’s largest television-station conglomerate with its fourth largest. Nexstar controls more than 200 owned or partner television station stations in 116 local U.S. markets. The combined entity would have 265 full-power television stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia, present in 132 of the country’s 210 television Designated Market Areas. The resulting conglomerate would have a national audience reach of twice the “National Cap” established by Congress.

In December,  a coalition of labor unions and media-justice groups — including Free Press — petitioned the FCC to deny the merger on the grounds that the agency is prohibited by law from waiving, altering, or eliminating this National Cap. In their application for approval Nexstar sought a waiver of this limit, even though the combination of these two broadcast giants would cause incredibly high levels of concentration in local TV markets, raise cable and satellite prices around the country, and cause irreparable harm to local news, journalists and consumers. Dozens of other organizations weighed in with their opposition to the deal. 

Free Press General Counsel and Vice President of Policy Matt Wood said:

“If the Federal Communications Commission won’t do its job, antitrust enforcers can still do theirs. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has ignored the law and the facts of this merger, promising to get it done for President Trump while pressuring newsrooms to warp their coverage of the administration. Nexstar has been all too willing to comply with Carr’s bullying if it means getting this deal done and cementing its domination over the local airwaves. 

“Donald Trump’s efforts to consolidate major media in the hands of his political cronies is a perfect example of why Congress prohibited TV broadcasters from getting this big in the first place. Giant media conglomerates like Nexstar are bad for democracy writ large, and particularly harmful to the local communities these broadcasters are obligated to serve.

“If it went through unchallenged, the Nexstar-Tegna deal would result in more newsroom layoffs, as the new bosses fire reporters and churn out more of the cookie-cutter content that comes from the downsizing at local stations. These cuts come from distant corporate headquarters of companies that are local broadcasters in name only. They lead to less original local news competition, worse coverage, and less viewpoint and ownership diversity.

“Nexstar was banking on a merger-friendly FCC to ignore the law and bend the rules like this. This deal would create a massive broadcast conglomerate willing to put the political agenda of Donald Trump over the needs of the communities local television serves. We’re glad to see the state attorneys general stepping in to protect the public and block this unlawful merger.”

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