Nexstar's $6.2 Billion Acquisition of Tegna Gets Trump Administration Approval
Nexstar's $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna won speedy approval from Trump administration regulators but faces tough challenge from antitrust lawsuits.
Objective Facts
Nexstar's $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna won rapid approval from the Trump administration in mid-March 2026, with Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr posting about approval just three days after both the FCC and Justice Department green-lit the deal. In February 2026, President Trump endorsed the deal as part of his campaign against major news outlets, posting "GET THAT DEAL DONE!" on Truth Social, and Carr echoed the call immediately. The FCC granted Nexstar a waiver without holding a full commission vote—the agency simply said it had been approved by the media bureau—with Carr stating that declining local newspapers made it imperative to support local broadcast TV stations. On the very same mid-March day the FCC and Justice Department announced approval, Nexstar revealed it had already closed the deal, with CEO Perry Sook thanking Trump and Carr. Just as numerous state attorneys general said they were poised to sue to block the deal, a federal judge in Sacramento temporarily blocked Nexstar from operating Tegna stations. Eight state Democratic attorneys general and satellite TV giant DirecTV sued, representing a coalition that claims the merger violates antitrust law by making Nexstar too powerful in the local TV business.
Left-Leaning Perspective
Left-leaning coverage focused heavily on the lack of transparency in the approval process and the appearance of political favoritism. FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez, the lone Democrat on the FCC, blasted the decision as a choice of 'bureaucratic cover over public accountability,' stating the merger was 'approved behind closed doors with no open process, no full Commission vote, and no transparency for the consumers and communities who will bear the consequences'. Gomez characterized the rushed approval as part of a 'billionaire bypass' system in which billionaires with perceived White House connections receive fast-track approval for their business transactions. State attorneys general amplified these concerns: California Attorney General Rob Bonta argued the deal threatens local journalism, noting Nexstar's established track record of consolidating newsrooms when it owns multiple stations in a market, and stating 'This merger is illegal, plain and simple'. Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) sent a letter raising 'serious concerns' about the FCC's use of delegated authority, with Cruz writing that 'The size of the transaction and the scope of the waivers presented are precisely the type of novel and consequential issues that Commission precedent, as well as basic principles of administrative accountability to the American people, require to be decided by the full Commission'. Left-aligned critics emphasized that the approval bypassed the public process entirely, undermining regulatory transparency and suggesting the decision was driven by political allegiance rather than merits review. Gomez posted on social media that there was 'bipartisan agreement that the Nexstar-Tegna merger—the largest local broadcast TV transaction in history—should've been voted by the full Commission, not approved behind closed doors to help billionaire buddies bypass the law'.
Right-Leaning Perspective
Right-leaning and pro-deregulation voices framed the deal as necessary to help local broadcasters compete against big tech and national networks. President Donald Trump endorsed the deal via Truth Social, writing 'We need more competition against THE ENEMY, the Fake News National TV Networks' and 'Letting Good Deals get done like Nexstar - Tegna will help knock out the Fake News because there will be more competition, and at a higher and more sophisticated level'. FCC Chair Brendan Carr immediately echoed Trump's position, saying 'President Trump is exactly right. The national networks like Comcast & Disney have amassed too much power'. Carr justified the approval by citing the decline of local newspapers and stating that local broadcast TV stations were essential to the health of local journalism. The National Association of Broadcasters, representing the industry, praised the approval, with trade group leadership thanking Carr for 'his recognition that the national ownership cap is outdated and no longer reflects today's media marketplace'. Nexstar CEO Perry Sook argued that the Trump administration's deregulatory policies gave local broadcasters the opportunity to 'expand reach, level the playing field, and compete more effectively with the Big Tech and legacy Big Media companies'. Right-aligned voices portrayed the deal as a pro-growth, pro-competition deregulatory move that would strengthen local media against larger corporate rivals. Carr stated that the waiver 'promotes the underlying purpose of the FCC's media regulations by promoting competition, localism, and diversity'.
Deep Dive
The approval's specific angle revolves around how the Trump administration expedited the deal through regulatory channels and the procedural questions this raised. The FCC took 15 months to kill Sinclair's attempted $3.9 billion takeover of Tribune Media, 10 months to approve Nexstar's acquisition of Tribune, and a year for Skydance's $6 billion Paramount deal, making the Nexstar-Tegna approval exceptionally fast by historical comparison. This speed advantage came through deliberate procedural choices: the FCC granted Nexstar a waiver without holding a commission vote, with the agency simply stating it had been approved by the media bureau. The right's argument rests on legitimate competitive concerns: broadcasters argue that the 39% rule places onerous limitations on their ability to compete when tech companies like Google and Amazon can scale streaming businesses without restraint, and consolidation allows elimination of redundancies to compete against large tech-backed services. The left's argument emphasizes both antitrust precedent and journalism concerns: California's antitrust deputy attorney general contended the deal flew in the face of decades of antitrust precedent, while Colorado's attorney general argued 'we want a robust dissemination of ideas from different sources' and that 'it's important that there's rival sources'. However, what both sides genuinely disagree on is whether Nexstar's history of cutting dozens of jobs after taking over Tribune stations in 2019, and again earlier this year in anticipation of Tegna debt service, suggests newsroom consolidation will inevitably follow. What remains unresolved is whether a federal judge will ultimately block the merger and, if so, whether Nexstar can feasibly unwind the deal or must sell assets.