FCC approves merger of local television owners Nexstar and Tegna as two
lawsuits seek to block it
[March 20, 2026] By
DAVID BAUDER
The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday said it had approved
the merger of local television giants Nexstar Media Group and rival
Tegna, the same day that two lawsuits trying to block the deal were
announced.
Nexstar said last August that it would buy Tegna for $6.2 billion. The
deal would create a company that owns 265 television stations in 44
states and the District of Columbia, most of them local affiliates of
ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the company had
agreed to divest itself of six of those stations.
The deal needed the approval of the Republican Trump administration's
FCC because the government had to waive rules that limit how many local
stations that one company can own. Nexstar said it had also received
approval from the Justice Department, but attempts to independently
confirm that were not immediately successful Thursday.
“We are grateful to President Trump, Chairman Carr and the DOJ for
recognizing the dynamic forces shaping the media landscape and allowing
this transaction to move forward,” said Perry Sook, Nexstar's chairman
and CEO.
Attorneys general in eight states and DirecTV filed lawsuits with the
U.S. District Court in Sacramento, California, seeking to block the
merger. The lawsuits make similar arguments that the deal will lead to
higher prices for consumers and stifle local journalism.
The action was filed by the top lawyers in California, Colorado,
Connecticut, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Oregon and Virginia —
all of them Democrats. “If this merger moves forward, cable prices will
spike for consumers in New York and across the country,” said Letitia
James, New York attorney general, on Thursday. The state lawyers argued
the merger would run afoul of federal laws designed to protect against
monopolies.
Similarly, DirecTV predicted the deal would allow Nexstar to jack up the
price it can extract from DirecTV and other distributors to carry their
stations, “which will force them to raise prices to their subscribers.”
Given Nexstar’s tendency to consolidate newsrooms in communities where
it owns more than one station, both lawsuits expressed concern that the
merger would hurt the already struggling local news business. There are
31 markets across the country where Nexstar and Tegna own at least one
station, according to the states' lawsuit.
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New York Attorney General Letitia James attends a news conference
Dec. 15, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
 In approving the deal, Carr said
that “if you care about local news, you should care about the future
of local broadcast stations.” He said the deal will ensure that the
broadcasters have the resources to continue investing in those
operations. Sook, too, said Nexstar will be a stronger company,
“better positioned to deliver exceptional journalism and local
programming.”
Nexstar had no direct comment on the lawsuits, a
spokesman said.
The merger was endorsed in February by President Donald Trump, who
wrote on social media that “we need more competition against THE
ENEMY, the Fake News National TV Networks.”
Anna Gomez, a Democratic member of the FCC, condemned the
Republican-controlled agency's decision, saying it was done behind
closed doors without an actual vote.
“Local journalism is under extraordinary strain,” she said. “Across
the country newsrooms are being consolidated, reporters laid off and
editorial decisions made far from the communities broadcast stations
are licensed to serve. The Nexstar-Tegna merger will accelerate
exactly that trend, concentrating broadcast power in fewer corporate
hands, shrinking independent editorial voices and prioritizing
national business interests over local needs.”
Nexstar flexed its muscles last fall in ordering its ABC stations to
yank late-night host Jimmy Kimmel following comments he made about
assassinated Republican activist Charlie Kirk, briefly leading to
Kimmel’s suspension. But ABC brought Kimmel back following an
outcry, and Nexstar backed down.
The attorneys general said they were open to having other states
support their actions — even those whose chief legal officials are
Republicans.
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