Image from CBS 8 video. (File photo)
Nexstar Media Group, the largest owner of local television stations in the United States, just added another station to its San Diego holdings.
As part of a $6.2 billion acquisition of rival Tegna announced Tuesday, Nexstar will take over longtime local CBS affiliate KFMB along with its secondary CW broadcast.
Nexstar already owns KUSI and Fox 5, so the Texas-based company will own three of the five traditional commercial television stations in the market.
With the Tegna acquisition, Nexstar will own 265 full-power television stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia. The combined company will have stations in nine of the top 10 markets, and in 41 of the top 50 markets. That accounts for 80% of U.S. television-viewing households.
Nexstar Chairman and CEO Perry Sook said the company is “committed to delivering superior local news, sports and entertainment programming and content to local viewers.”
According to OpenSecrets.org, a research group that tracks money in U.S. politics, Nexstar has a history of contributing to both Republican and Democrat candidates.
But a clue as to how it will handle local political coverage may be indicated by a memorandum to KUSI and Fox 5 employees in February. Susan Tully, senior vice president for local content development, told employees to use President Trump’s new name for the Gulf of Mexico.
“We will be careful not to confuse our news consumers when it comes to important information from the federal government,” Tully told San Diego employees. “We should follow the new language Gulf of America.”
The merger of Nexstar and Tenga requires approval from the Federal Communications Commission, which oversees the transfer of broadcast TV licenses.