California attorney general asks judge to block Nexstar-Tegna merger

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California Attorney General Rob Bonta is requesting a court to block Nexstar Media Group’s $6.2 billion purchase of Tegna, another development in a series of complications surrounding the merger.

Nexstar completed its acquisition of Tegna late Thursday, even though California Attorney General Bonta and seven other Democratic state attorneys general had filed a lawsuit challenging the deal the day before.

State officials filed a lawsuit to prevent the two broadcasting companies from merging, arguing that the combined company would break antitrust laws and exceed federal limits on how many stations one entity can own.

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Sacramento.

Shortly after that paperwork was submitted, the Federal Communications Commission gave Nexstar the green light to acquire Tribune Media, allowing the largest TV station owner in the country to merge with the third-largest.

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A lawsuit is challenging Nexstar’s plan to buy Tegna for $6.2 billion. If the deal goes through, the combined company would cover 80% of households across the United States.

The purchase gives Nexstar, which owns KTLA-TV Channel 5 in Los Angeles, 265 television stations.

I was really glad to hear that on Friday, Attorney General Bonta, along with other state AGs, asked the court to put a hold on this takeover until they can have a proper hearing about it. It feels like a good first step to protecting us!

California Attorney General Rob Bonta stated on Friday that the proposed merger between Nexstar and Tegna is still under review and he intends to vigorously oppose it. He doesn’t plan to allow these large companies to combine without a legal challenge.

It was not immediately clear when a judge might rule on the request for a restraining order.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta attended a hearing in Burbank on Friday to discuss the potential effects of a major deal: a proposed $111 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery. While Bonta’s office is investigating the merger, he stated that a decision on whether to block it hasn’t been made yet.

For now, he is focused on derailing the Nexstar-Tegna deal.

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Nexstar Media Group has finalized the purchase of Tegna, even though some state attorneys general raised concerns about the deal.

Attorney General Bonta stated that his office sued to block the deal before it was finalized. He believes their legal argument is very compelling and that the deal should not be allowed to proceed.

The central question is whether the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was authorized to make an exception, letting Nexstar control television stations that reach almost 80% of homes across the United States. Back in 2003, Congress had limited ownership of TV stations to a maximum of 39% of the national audience.

The Department of Justice also gave its blessing to close the deal.

The three FCC commissioners didn’t take a vote, even though the single Democratic commissioner urged them to hold an open discussion and decision-making process.

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After KTLA let go of several experienced journalists, many viewers and colleagues have been expressing their disappointment and frustration online.

Approval of the merger was rapid after President Trump endorsed the consolidation on Feb. 7.

In a social media post, Trump called for more competition to challenge what he referred to as “Fake News National TV Networks.”

Trump posted that approving deals like the proposed merger between Nexstar and Tegna would help reduce what he calls “Fake News” by increasing competition and raising the quality of news reporting. He urged the deal to be completed, writing, “GET THAT DEAL DONE!”

Nexstar’s founder and CEO, Perry Sook, expressed his gratitude to Donald Trump and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on Thursday. He stated that Nexstar appreciated their understanding of the changes happening in the media industry, which allowed the deal to proceed.

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2026-03-21 02:31