In a tale as old as broadcast time, a media giant's plan to swallow its rival and control over 80% of the local TV market has hit a legal speed bump, proving that even in a deregulatory frenzy, someone might still read the antitrust laws.
Our story begins in 2025, when FCC Chairman Brendan Carr launched his "Delete, Delete, Delete" initiative to strip away "unnecessary regulatory burdens." This conveniently cleared the path for Nexstar, which already owned over 200 stations and was at the 39% national ownership cap, to announce a $6.2 billion deal to buy rival Tegna. Nexstar's argument? Blame Big Tech. With ad money fleeing to Netflix and YouTube, they claimed this merger was necessary to build "more robust local journalism." Opponents called it a basic antitrust violation that would give one company editorial control over most local newsrooms.
The plot thickened in the second Trump administration, where companies learned the fastest regulatory approval might come from bypassing agencies and talking to Donald Trump directly. Nexstar showed its loyalty last September by briefly pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! after Carr suggested the FCC could revoke licenses over the comedian's comments. This loyalty, however, wasn't enough for all MAGA allies. Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy sued to block the merger, accusing Nexstar of jacking up carriage fees for his network while offering its own NewsNation for cheap.
The merger then got a MAGA makeover. NewsNation hired pro-Trump commentator Katie Pavlich and a political group called Keep News Local ran ads praising Trump, calling the deal "crucial for MAGA to survive." Trump's own Truth Social posts waffled, calling it an "EXPANSION OF THE FAKE NEWS NETWORKS" in November but saying it would "help knock out the Fake News" by February. Inside NewsNation, employees feared the network was steering hard right to appeal to Trump and Carr.
When Trump greenlit the merger in mid-March, Nexstar and Tegna jumped the gun, announcing they had already started merging, with Tegna CEO Mike Steib selling $22.6 million in stock. This prompted eight state attorneys general and DirecTV to secure an emergency restraining order. On April 17, US District Judge Troy Nunley issued a formal injunction, ruling Tegna must operate independently until legal proceedings conclude.
Meanwhile, even Congress is furious at Carr. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) sent a joint letter admonishing him for letting staff waive rules instead of having the full commission vote. They noted this hasty approval would complicate the merger financially. Cruz had previously slammed Carr as a "mafioso" for using the FCC to target Kimmel.
Legally paused or not, the fallout has begun. NPR reported that Tegna journalists have already received orders to stop airing content from ABC, CBS, and NBC - outlets targeted by Carr - and start broadcasting from Nexstar's NewsNation instead.