A group of 13 states has expanded its antitrust lawsuit to block Nexstar Media Group’s $6.1 billion merger with Tegna, turning the challenge into a bipartisan effort.
Five new states — Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Vermont — joined the original eight on Thursday. Indiana, Kansas, and Pennsylvania have Republican attorneys general, broadening the case beyond an initially all-Democratic coalition.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Sacramento, California, seeks to prevent the deal that would create the nation’s largest local broadcast television group, reaching 80% of U.S. households.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach (R) said the issue transcends party lines: “These aren’t Republican or Democratic issues. They are American issues.” Kobach criticized the merger for concentrating broadcast programming in fewer hands, cutting local jobs, raising cable bills, and harming news delivery nationwide.
Nexstar fired back Friday morning, posting on X that the attorneys general misunderstand the challenges facing local news. The company blamed Big Tech platforms, social media misinformation, and economic pressures for newsroom closures, warning: “The alternative to this deal is not more independently owned outlets – it’s the demise of your local broadcast station.”
Nexstar said it plans to expand local news coverage in many markets and announced a separate agreement with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R). Yost said Nexstar committed to upholding journalistic independence, calling it “a cornerstone principle of our democracy.”
Despite the legal pushback, FCC Chairman Brandon Carr supported the merger by waiving the agency’s 39% national ownership cap.