Newsmax’s extended efforts in trying to stop the merger of TV ownership groups Nexstar and Tegna appears to have gone for naught. A March 20 article detailed the loss and next planned steps:
In a sweeping and controversial move, the Federal Communications Commission under Chairman Brendan Carr has approved the $6.2 billion merger between Nexstar Media Group and Tegna, creating the largest television broadcasting company in U.S. history.
The decision, which was followed almost immediately by Nexstar’s rapid closing of the deal, has ignited legal challenges, opposition across the political spectrum, and renewed debate over federal media ownership limits.
The newly combined company will control or operate about 260 television stations across 44 states and Washington, D.C., reaching an estimated 80% of U.S. households.
That scale far exceeds the longstanding 39% national audience reach cap established by Congress in 2004, raising immediate questions about the legality of the FCC’s approval. The FCC said it used a waiver to circumvent the cap.
The FCC also flouted Republican lawmakers who had called for the full commission to vote on the merger and cap changes, and instead made the decision at the Media Bureau, an administrative level.
Industry insiders were as stunned by Nexstar’s unprecedented decision to close the transaction within hours of receiving regulatory clearance from both the FCC and the Department of Justice as they were by the approval itself.
Newsmax went on to note the strange bedfellows fighting the merger:
Legal challenges were already underway. Just hours before the deal closed, attorneys general from eight states, led by California, filed suit to block the merger on antitrust grounds.
The coalition, which includes New York, Colorado, and Virginia, argues that the transaction will reduce competition, inflate retransmission fees charged to cable and satellite providers, and ultimately increase costs for consumers.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta made clear the fight is far from over, stating, “Nexstar/Tegna is not a done deal. California will not let the parties merge without a fight.”
DirecTV and industry groups representing smaller cable operators have also filed or signaled support for legal action, warning that the combined company will wield outsized leverage in carriage negotiations, particularly harming rural and smaller market providers.
[…]FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez, the sole Democrat on the panel, sharply criticized both the substance and the process of the decision, noting it was approved by the Media Bureau without a full commission vote.
“A transaction of this magnitude demands open deliberation, not a quiet sign-off meant to avoid public scrutiny,” Gomez said.
[…]Perhaps more striking is the unusually strong opposition from prominent conservative figures and media organizations.
While Carr and some allies argue the merger will bolster conservative influence in broadcast media, others on the right see it as a dangerous concentration of power.
Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy has argued the deal gives Nexstar 80% reach across the U.S., far more than federal law permits.
The article also perpetuated the false notion that Nexstar’s NewsNation channel is liberal:
Newsmax and others have said Nexstar is a liberal-leaning media company. In the 2024 election, nearly 80% of its employee donations for the presidential race went to Democrat Kamala Harris.
Nexstar’s new channel carries a lineup of left-wing hosts led by Chris Cuomo in prime time.
Aa we’ve documented, NewsNation is very much a right-leaning channel.
The same day, Newsmax had more on the largely Democratic attirbets general opposing the merger:
A coalition of eight state attorneys general on Friday filed an emergency motion in federal court seeking to temporarily halt the newly approved merger between Nexstar Media Group and Tegna Inc., warning the deal threatens competition, local journalism, and consumer costs nationwide.
The motion for a temporary restraining order, or TRO, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, comes just one day after federal regulators cleared the multibillion-dollar transaction and Nexstar moved quickly to close the deal.
The states involved include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and Virginia.
Newsmax failed to disclose the political orientation of the atttorneys general — somethjing it likely would not have done if they were allies of Newsmax in this particular case.
Newsmax followed up in a March 24 article:
Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz, R-Texas, sharply criticized the Federal Communications Commission over its approval of the $6.2 billion merger between Nexstar Media Group and Tegna Inc., arguing the agency sidestepped proper procedure by failing to hold a full commission vote.
The merger, approved just over a week ago, creates the largest television broadcaster in the United States.
If not stopped in court, the liberal Nexstar will own 260 TV stations across 44 states — more stations than owned by NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX combined.
[…]The controversy over the waiver has been building for months.
Critics argue that bypassing the TV ownership cap without a full commission vote sets a dangerous precedent, effectively allowing regulators to rewrite statutory limits through administrative action.
Newsmax failed to explain what makes Nexstar “liberal,” given that its cable news outlet is right-leaning.