States and DirecTV Ask Court to Bar Nexstar-Controlled Directors on Tegna Board

Overview

• A bipartisan coalition of 13 state attorneys general filed a motion in federal court alleging Nexstar has placed current and recent Nexstar personnel on Tegna’s board in violation of an existing hold-separate injunction.
• DirecTV has joined the states in the filing, signaling distributor concern that Nexstar’s board moves could give it improper leverage in retransmission negotiations.
• The plaintiffs asked the court to clarify that current and recent Nexstar employees may not sit on Tegna’s board and to order expedited discovery and monthly operational reports showing how Tegna is run.
• Nexstar denies the allegations, saying it has scrupulously complied with the hold-separate order and that Tegna remains independent from Nexstar’s day-to-day operations.
• The dispute matters because the proposed merger would combine two of the largest U.S. broadcast groups, a union the states say could reach roughly 80% of TV households and lead to higher cable bills, newsroom job cuts, and less independent local news.