Newsmax continued to wage war on the Federal Communications Commission’s approval of a merger between TV ownership groups Nexstar and Tegna continued as detailed in a March 20 article:
A coalition that includes Newsmax, DirecTV, the Communications Workers of America, and several state cable and broadband associations asked the Federal Communications Commission on Friday to immediately halt its approval of Nexstar Media Group’s acquisition of Tegna, arguing the agency unlawfully cleared a deal that would create an unprecedented broadcast giant.
In an emergency petition for stay and injunction pending appeal filed March 20, the groups said the FCC’s Media Bureau exceeded its authority when it approved the $6.2 billion transaction a day earlier and allowed the merger to close immediately.
[…]It argues that the merger will give Nexstar greater leverage to demand “ever-higher fees” from pay-TV distributors, leading to “higher prices for millions of MVPD subscribers,” while also causing harm through “imminent cuts to journalists and other workers” and reduced “competition and viewpoint diversity in news these stations produce.”
At the center of the challenge is the national television ownership cap.
Petitioners argue the FCC has no legal power to waive the 39% audience-reach limit because Congress fixed that threshold in federal law through Section 629 of the 2004 Consolidated Appropriations Act.
[…]Newsmax, CPAC, the National Religious Broadcasters, ZOA, and others have argued that the FCC should not tamper with the 39% cap set by Congress.
Newsmax went on to grouse in a March 22 article:
Newsmax and a coalition of six state cable and broadband associations launched an emergency federal court challenge on Saturday to the FCC’s approval of Nexstar Media Group’s merger with TEGNA, escalating a fast-moving legal fight over what opponents describe as the largest broadcast consolidation in U.S. history.
In filings at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the groups submitted both an emergency motion for a stay and a separate emergency petition for a writ of mandamus, asking the court to freeze further integration of the Nexstar deal and intervene immediately.
In the D.C. Circuit case, Newsmax and the cable and broadband associations of Pennsylvania, Washington, Indiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia argued that the FCC’s Media Bureau approved the transfer of TEGNA’s broadcast licenses to Nexstar late last Thursday and that Nexstar publicly announced the deal had closed roughly 15 minutes later, before opponents could secure meaningful judicial review.
[…]DIRECTV also formally entered the D.C. case Saturday on the side of the challengers.
In its notice of intention to intervene, DIRECTV said the merger would give Nexstar coverage of more than 80% of U.S. households, in conflict with the 39% national audience reach limit set by Congress.
Apparently all is forgiven between Newsmax and DirecTV, which Newsmax relentlessly attacked when DirecTV dropped its TV channel; Newsmax then had to walk back those attacks after DirecTV restored the channel.
Newsmax ultimately got what it wanted, as a March 28 article detailed:
A federal district court has temporarily blocked the merger between Nexstar and Tegna, finding that the plaintiff, DirecTV, is likely to succeed on the merits of its antitrust claims.
In a major blow to Nexstar, Chief Judge Troy Nunley for the Eastern District of California issued a detailed order granting a temporary restraining order.
Nunley found that the transaction likely violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act by substantially lessening competition in local television markets and increasing retransmission fees for distributors and consumers.
[…]“The federal court took the unusual step of stopping this merger because Brendan Carr rubber-stamped the most massive TV consolidation in history using a kangaroo process,” Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy said, commenting on the ruling.
The DirecTV case is one of multiple legal actions underway after the FCC, under Chair Brendan Carr, approved the Nexstar merger over a week ago.
Yes, Newsmax is all hunky-dory with DirecTV now that they’re working toward the same goal.