FCC approves $6.2 billion Nexstar-Tegna merger day after CA lawsuit was filed

A blockbuster merger between broadcast powerhouses Nexstar Media Group and Tegna has been approved by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC announced the approval of the $6.2 billion deal on Thursday, a day after the California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit in an attempt to block the merger. Nexstar oversees more than 200 owned and partner stations in 116 markets nationwide and also runs networks like The CW and NewsNation. Meanwhile, Tegna owns 64 news stations across 51 markets. Both companies own and operate local news stations in Sacramento. KXTL FOX 40 is owned by Nexstar and KXTV ABC10 is owned by Tegna.FCC chairman Brendan Carr said on X Thursday that the approval of the deal, which detractors say is an example of a media monopoly, is a way to bolster local broadcast news. “While Nexstar will own less than 15% of television stations after this deal, the transaction allows them to *increase* local news and compete in a more balanced way against the much larger players that now dominate today’s media market,” Carr said on X. According to Carr, Nexstar committed to “concrete conditions” in order to get the deal approved, which includes “divesting from a number of stations, increasing localism, and affordability steps.” It is unclear how many stations are to be divested or what increasing localism entails. On Wednesday, Bonta and the California Department of Justice called on the FCC and the United States Department of Justice to halt the deal. “If allowed to proceed, the deal would create the largest broadcast station group in the United States, putting more broadcast programming in the hands of fewer people, removing control from the communities they report to, cutting local jobs, and significantly impacting the delivery of news and other media content to Americans nationwide,” the California Department of Justice said in a statement. “Due to the considerable increase in consolidation, the deal is also expected to raise prices and harm consumers.”The release from the California DOJ also mentioned the impact the merger would have on media in the state. “In California, the combined entity would own half of the Big Four (FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS) network-affiliated stations, including the local FOX and ABC stations in the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto area and the local FOX and CBS stations in the San Diego area,” the statement reads. Click here for the full complaint from the California DOJBonta called the merger between the two broadcast entities “illegal” and said it runs “contrary to federal antitrust laws that protect consumers.” The lawsuit itself cites the Clayton Act, antitrust legislation signed in 1914 to prevent companies from creating a monopoly, Nexstar issued the following statement on the FCC’s announcement about the merger: “This transaction is essential to sustaining strong local journalism in the communities we serve. By bringing these two outstanding companies together, Nexstar will be a stronger, more dynamic enterprise—better positioned to deliver exceptional journalism and local programming with enhanced assets, capabilities, and talent. We are grateful to President Trump, Chairman Carr, and the DOJ for recognizing the dynamic forces shaping the media landscape and enabling this transaction to move forward.”See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

A blockbuster merger between broadcast powerhouses Nexstar Media Group and Tegna has been approved by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC announced the approval of the $6.2 billion deal on Thursday, a day after the California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit in an attempt to block the merger.

Nexstar oversees more than 200 owned and partner stations in 116 markets nationwide and also runs networks like The CW and NewsNation. Meanwhile, Tegna owns 64 news stations across 51 markets. Both companies own and operate local news stations in Sacramento. KXTL FOX 40 is owned by Nexstar and KXTV ABC10 is owned by Tegna.

FCC chairman Brendan Carr said on X Thursday that the approval of the deal, which detractors say is an example of a media monopoly, is a way to bolster local broadcast news.

“While Nexstar will own less than 15% of television stations after this deal, the transaction allows them to *increase* local news and compete in a more balanced way against the much larger players that now dominate today’s media market,” Carr said on X.

According to Carr, Nexstar committed to “concrete conditions” in order to get the deal approved, which includes “divesting from a number of stations, increasing localism, and affordability steps.”

It is unclear how many stations are to be divested or what increasing localism entails.

On Wednesday, Bonta and the California Department of Justice called on the FCC and the United States Department of Justice to halt the deal.

“If allowed to proceed, the deal would create the largest broadcast station group in the United States, putting more broadcast programming in the hands of fewer people, removing control from the communities they report to, cutting local jobs, and significantly impacting the delivery of news and other media content to Americans nationwide,” the California Department of Justice said in a statement. “Due to the considerable increase in consolidation, the deal is also expected to raise prices and harm consumers.”

The release from the California DOJ also mentioned the impact the merger would have on media in the state.

“In California, the combined entity would own half of the Big Four (FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS) network-affiliated stations, including the local FOX and ABC stations in the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto area and the local FOX and CBS stations in the San Diego area,” the statement reads.

Bonta called the merger between the two broadcast entities “illegal” and said it runs “contrary to federal antitrust laws that protect consumers.”

The lawsuit itself cites the Clayton Act, antitrust legislation signed in 1914 to prevent companies from creating a monopoly,

Nexstar issued the following statement on the FCC’s announcement about the merger:

“This transaction is essential to sustaining strong local journalism in the communities we serve. By bringing these two outstanding companies together, Nexstar will be a stronger, more dynamic enterprise—better positioned to deliver exceptional journalism and local programming with enhanced assets, capabilities, and talent. We are grateful to President Trump, Chairman Carr, and the DOJ for recognizing the dynamic forces shaping the media landscape and enabling this transaction to move forward.”

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel