Overview
- Nexstar closed its purchase of Tegna after FCC and Justice Department clearance, creating a broadcaster with about 265 stations that reach roughly 80% of U.S. TV homes.
- The FCC approved the deal through a staff waiver of the national ownership limit, and Nexstar agreed to sell six stations and make affordability and local-news commitments.
- State attorneys general from California, New York and other states sought an emergency order to halt integration, while DirecTV filed an antitrust suit alleging higher costs and weaker local competition.
- The FCC urged a judge to let the approval stand and indicated the full commission may review the staff decision, and the court has not ruled on requests to freeze the deal.
- The dispute turned combative as Gov. Gavin Newsom called Chair Brendan Carr a “disgrace” and Carr said Newsom is serving “liberal Hollywood donors,” while FCC Democrat Anna Gomez called Carr’s broadcaster threats “regulatory harassment.”