Republican state attorneys general join lawsuit to stop $6.2B local TV merger
Five additional states—Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Vermont—have joined a federal antitrust lawsuit seeking to block Nexstar's $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna, bringing the total number of participating states to 13. The lawsuit, now a bipartisan effort, argues the merger would harm competition, raise prices, and consolidate media power. A federal judge has already issued a preliminary injunction halting the deal, despite approval from the FCC, the Department of Justice, and public support from President Donald Trump.
- ▪Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Vermont joined 8 other states in a federal antitrust lawsuit to block the Nexstar-Tegna merger.
- ▪The lawsuit is led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and includes both Republican and Democratic state attorneys general.
- ▪U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley issued a preliminary injunction pausing the merger as the legal case proceeds.
- ▪The FCC and the Department of Justice approved the merger, with the FCC waiving a rule limiting station ownership to 39% of U.S. households.
- ▪The combined Nexstar-Tegna entity would control approximately 264 TV stations and reach up to 80% of U.S. households.
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BREAKING NEWSMay. 1, 2026, 1:16 AM UTCMediaMediaRepublican state attorneys general join lawsuit to stop $6.2B local TV mergerIndiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Vermont have joined with eight other states in a federal antitrust lawsuit aimed at blocking the Nexstar-Tegna deal.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Signage is displayed outside Tegna Inc. headquarters in McLean, Virginia, U.S., on March, 13, 2020. Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg via Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleBy Daniel ArkinFive more states are joining a federal antitrust lawsuit aimed at stopping the blockbuster merger between Nexstar and Tegna, a corporate tie-up that would create the largest operator of local television stations in the nation.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get…
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