#nexstar

Brian Steinberg at Variety:

The Federal Communications Commission signaled it will vote on Aug. 6 to repeal the longstanding cap on ownership of TV stations, replacing a limit that keeps owners from controlling stations in more than 39% of markets with a case-by-case review of transactions that might come before regulators. “Today, national programmers can distribute their programming to 100 percent of the country — either through their own streaming services or through deals they cut with nationwide ‘virtual cable companies,’ like YouTube TV. The cap no longer constrains their control over distribution in this respect,” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr wrote in an op-ed published by Brietbart. “Nor does the cap limit other players in today’s media market. Cable channels like MS NOW can reach 100 percent of the country. Social media sites from Bluesky to X can reach 100 percent of the country. Netflix can reach 100 percent too. Same with podcasts and all other forms of digital content.” A decision by the FCC to eliminate the cap might have immediate consequences. Nexstar, one of the largest owners of TV stations in the U.S., has been barred by a federal court from completing its recent acquisition of Tegna, a smaller TV station owner, on the grounds that the transaction would give Nexstar too much control over local TV properties across the country. Nexstar also owns national outlets like the CW broadcast network and the NewsNation cable-news outlet.

More insanity from FCC Chair Brendan Carr.

تأمل “The Hill” التابعة لشركة Nexstar في الحصول على دفعة من تقديم مستوى جديد من المحتوى للمشتركين المتشددين. ستطلق مجلة واشنطن العاصمة، التي تحلل السياسة والسياسات للأشخاص الذين يركزون على ما يجري داخل منطقة بيلتواي، يوم الأربعاء “The Hill Insider”، وهي فئة اشتراك جديدة تتميز بإمكانية الوصول إلى النشرات الإخبارية المتميزة، ومكالمات الفيديو التفاعلية المباشرة مع صحفيي النشرة، وتقارير أعمق تقدم…

En 2006, cuando The CW nació de las cenizas de UPN y The WB, pocos imaginaban que aquella cadena menor se convertiría en el refugio de la televisión de género. Con una audiencia joven como objetivo, se atrevió a emitir series que desafiaban las convenciones: desde musicales sobre salud mental hasta apocalipsis adolescentes protagonizados por criminales juveniles. Durante más de una década, The CW…

A federal judge late Friday put a hold on the $6.2 billion merger between Nexstar Media Group and Tegna, a deal that would create the largest operator of local television stations in the country. U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley in California granted a request from DirecTV, which argued in a lawsuit that the pending merger violates federal antitrust laws. Eight attorneys general, led by…

Todd Spangler at Variety:

Nexstar Media Group said it “has closed its acquisition” of Tegna in a $6.2 billion deal that would following approval of the transaction from the FCC and the Department of Justice. The deal would augment Nexstar, already the biggest TV station group in the U.S., with Tegna’s footprint — resulting in a company with 259 full-power stations (after divesting six), variously affiliated with networks including ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC. While the deal will give the combined company reach across 80% of U.S. TV households, it will own less than 15% of the 1,777 local TV stations in the country.

Nexstar’s announcement comes after eight state attorneys general and DirecTV filed federal lawsuits seeking to block the Tegna takeover, which both alleged that the merger will increase prices for consumers and harm the production of local news. In approving the deal, the FCC granted the companies a waiver of its ownership-cap rule that prohibits any local station owner from reaching more than 39% of U.S. households. Nexstar has committed to divesting six stations across six different markets as well as “commitments that go to affordability and localism,” per the FCC. [...]

According to the companies, their holdings overlapped in 35 designated market areas (DMAs), and the combined company would operate 265 full-power television stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia and in 132 of the country’s 210 television DMAs. The applicants sought both a waiver of the FCC’s 39% TV station group ownership cap and waivers of the Local Television Ownership rule in 23 DMAs to allow it to own more than two stations in the DMA; in addition, the consolidated company would own two stations in each of 17 DMAs. Nexstar committed to divest the following TV stations no later than two years following the Tegna deal close: KTVD, Denver, Colorado; WTHR, Indianapolis, Indiana; WCTX, New Haven, Connecticut; WAVY, Portsmouth, Virginia; WUPL, Slidell, Louisiana; and KNWA, Rogers, Arkansas. [...] The eight states that sued to block the Nexstar-Tegna merger in a lawsuit filed late Wednesday (March 18) — California, New York, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, North Carolina, Connecticut and Virginia — alleged that the merger violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act, which prohibits mergers that substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly.

Trump-friendly Nexstar claims its merger with Tegna has been closed and greenlit by the FCC and DOJ, even as lawsuits from 8 AGs and DirecTV are still ongoing.

This merger is a murderous assault on American values, and must be halted.

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McKinley Franklin at THR:

President Donald Trump is showing support for the pending Nexstar–Tegna merger. Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday where he shared his thoughts on the deal, which is under review by the FCC, writing in favor of the merger that he says “will help knock out the Fake News.” “We need more competition against THE ENEMY, the Fake News National TV Networks. 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,” the president wrote. “Those that are opposed don’t fully understand how good the concept of this Deal is for them, but they will in the future. GET THAT DEAL DONE! PRESIDENT DJT.”

In August, Nexstar and Tegna entered a definitive agreement for a merger, which would see the former company emerge with 265 local TV stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia and 132 of the country’s 210 television DMAs, or Nielsen’s Designated Market Areas. In total, this would cover 80 percent of U.S. TV households. And while the merger hasn’t been approved yet by the FCC, chairman Brendan Carr reshared Trump’s social media post in support of said deal on Saturday.

Trump cheerleads for the disastrous Nexstar/Tegna merger on the groups of “knock[ing] the fake news” that will further entrench right-wing control of the news media and weaken competitive media voices.

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