We’ve been busy.
On March 19, Nexstar closed its $6.2 billion acquisition of TEGNA within 15 minutes of receiving a staff-level FCC approval. No full Commission vote. No public hearing. No review of our detailed 143-page petition to deny. Fifteen minutes.
The next day, we joined our public interest allies at the FCC, demanding the agency reverse the decision. It violates federal law. Congress set a 39% cap on the share of American households any single broadcaster can reach. This merger blows past that, giving Nexstar access to 80% of TV homes in this country. The FCC does not have the authority to waive a statutory cap.
By Monday, we were in federal court in DC, represented by Democracy Forward alongside Free Press, Public Knowledge, and Communications Workers of America, a union representing journalists and broadcast workers. We asked the court to halt the merger’s approval and require the FCC to answer for what it did.
Meanwhile, eight state attorneys general and DirecTV filed antitrust suits in federal court in California. A week after the FCC approved the deal, the California court issued a temporary restraining order pausing the integration.
The judge found the merger is likely to harm competition, raise prices, and shutter newsrooms. Nexstar’s stock dropped sharply. Nexstar is now operating TEGNA as a separate subsidiary under that order, though the company is already telling the court it can’t fully comply.
On April 7, the California court heard arguments on whether to extend the freeze and on what terms. We will keep you posted on what’s to come. Follow us on Bluesky for the latest.