The Merger, the President, and the Regulator: How a $6.2 Billion Deal Is Reshaping American Media — and Raising Alarms About Press Freedom

In a move that stunned media reform advocates and alarmed First Amendment scholars, the Federal Communications Commission approved a $6.2 billion merger between Nexstar Media Group and rival broadcaster Tegna on Thursday — the same day two separate lawsuits were filed seeking to block it. The deal, endorsed directly and loudly by President Donald Trump, will create by far the largest local television broadcasting company in the United States, reaching upwards of 80 percent of American households. To make it happen, the FCC had to set aside its own decades-old rules designed to prevent exactly this kind of concentrated media power that caps household reach at 39 percent.

The story of how this merger came to be approved — and what it means for the future of local journalism — is also a story about political pressure, corporate capitulation, and a federal regulatory agency that critics say has effectively stopped functioning as an independent check on power.

The Deal: What It Is and Why It Matters

Nexstar announced in August 2025 that it intended to purchase Tegna for $6.2 billion. Nexstar, headquartered in Irving, Texas, was already the largest owner of local TV stations in the United States, with 201 stations in 116 television markets. Tegna operated 64 full-power broadcast television stations across 51 markets. The combined company now controls 265 television stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia — affiliates of ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC — in addition to the cable news network NewsNation and the digital news outlet The Hill.

The central legal obstacle was the FCC’s National Television Ownership Rule — a regulation that prevents any single company from owning stations that collectively reach more than 39 percent of U.S. television households. Nexstar and Tegna’s combined footprint reaches at least 60 to 70 percent, by the FCC’s own admission, and as high as 80 percent according to California’s attorney general. To allow the deal to proceed, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr granted Nexstar a formal waiver of that rule — a decision made, critics noted, not through an open vote of the full commission, but behind closed doors.

“This merger was approved behind closed doors with no open process, no full Commission vote, and no transparency for the consumers and communities who will bear the consequences,” said Anna Gomez, the lone Democratic commissioner on the FCC, in a scathing statement. “A transaction of this magnitude, which includes new and novel issues before the FCC, demands open deliberation before the full Commission, not a quiet sign-off meant to avoid public scrutiny.”

As a condition of approval, the FCC required Nexstar to divest six stations — in Denver, Indianapolis, New Haven (Connecticut), Portsmouth (Virginia), and Slidell (Louisiana).

Trump’s Hand in the Deal

From the beginning, the approval of this merger was unusually political.

When Nexstar first announced the Tegna acquisition in August 2025, President Trump was actually opposed. But things changed — and the timing is instructive.

In September 2025, FCC Chairman Carr publicly condemned late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel over comments Kimmel made about conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who had been assassinated earlier that month. Carr — on a podcast appearance — strongly hinted that local stations carrying Kimmel faced regulatory risk, saying “there are avenues here for the FCC.” Nexstar, which operates 32 ABC affiliate stations, swiftly yanked Kimmel’s show from all of its ABC-affiliated markets. Carr publicly thanked Nexstar for “doing the right thing.”

Weeks later, as Kimmel’s show returned to ABC after enormous public backlash and after Disney negotiated his comeback, Nexstar and Sinclair briefly continued their blackout — then relented. Both companies denied their decisions were influenced by the FCC. But observers noted the obvious: both Nexstar and Sinclair were companies with massive regulatory interests before the Trump administration at that very moment.

After Nexstar pulled Kimmel — an act that drew both condemnation from free speech advocates and quiet approval from the Trump White House — the president reversed his prior position of opposing the merger. On February 7, 2026, Trump posted on Truth Social: “Get that deal done!” He framed the merger as a weapon against what he called the “Fake News National TV Networks,” writing that the deal would help “knock out the Fake News” by creating “more competition, and at a higher and more sophisticated level.”

Trump has a long history of labeling news outlets that expose the wrongdoing, scandals, and crimes of him and his administration as “Fake News.” On the other hand, pro-MAGA Fox News settled for a staggering $787.5 million for their part in spreading false information about Dominion Voting Systems and the election. Fox is still waiting the outcome of Smartmatic’s $2.7 billion false conspiracies lawsuit against the network. Other pro-MAGA networks One America News Network/OANN and Newsmax faced similar lawsuits for their false election claims.

Within hours, FCC Chairman Carr posted on social media: “Let’s get it done.” The approval followed a few weeks later.

“This outcome was inevitable once the president gave his marching orders to the FCC, which is still by law, if not in practice, an independent agency,” said a statement from the advocacy group Public Knowledge. “On February 7, President Trump posted that the merger should be approved to fight ‘THE ENEMY, the Fake News National TV Networks.’ FCC Chairman Brendan Carr echoed him within hours. The Bureau then approved the deal on an abnormally short timeline. Congress created the FCC as an independent agency for a reason. Broadcast licensing decisions are supposed to be made on the merits, not ordered up by the president on social media and executed by a compliant chairman.”

Nexstar CEO Perry Sook, for his part, made little effort to obscure the arrangement. He had openly lobbied Trump, going on Fox Business’s “Maria Bartiromo” show to praise Trump’s policies. His company described itself in FCC filings as “the anti-fake news” in “an age of disinformation and political agendas.” On an earnings call, Sook said directly: “Having the endorsement of the nation’s chief executive doesn’t hurt in the regulatory agencies.” After the deal closed, Sook thanked “President Trump, Chairman Carr and the DOJ for recognizing the dynamic forces shaping the media landscape and allowing this transaction to move forward.”

Matt Wood, general counsel for the media reform group Free Press, was blunt: Carr “has ignored the law and the facts of this merger, promising to get it done for President Trump while pressuring newsrooms to warp their coverage of the administration.”

The FCC: An “Independent Agency” in Name Only

The Nexstar-Tegna episode sits within a larger and deeply troubling pattern. Under Chairman Carr, the FCC — historically an independent regulatory body meant to be insulated from presidential pressure — has increasingly functioned as an arm of the Trump administration’s political and media agenda.

The clearest recent example: just days ago, on March 14, 2026, Carr threatened American broadcasters with the loss of their licenses over coverage he deemed insufficiently favorable to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Carr posted on X: “Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions — also known as the fake news — have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up. The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not.”

The post came directly after Trump complained on Truth Social that news reporting about Iranian missile strikes damaging U.S. Air Force tanker aircraft at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia constituted “intentionally misleading headlines.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, separately, had singled out CNN in a Pentagon briefing, saying “the sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better” — a reference to a pending, Trump-approved corporate acquisition that would put CNN under new ownership friendly to the administration.

Trump endorsed Carr’s threats the following day: “I am so thrilled to see Brendan Carr, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), looking at the licenses of some of these Corrupt and Highly Unpatriotic ‘News’ Organizations.”

Legal experts were nearly unanimous that Carr’s threats were largely unenforceable. The FCC has not denied a license renewal in decades. Any such attempt would trigger prolonged litigation, and stations would have a strong First Amendment case.

“Chairman Carr’s threats are hollow,” said public interest attorney Andrew Jay Schwartzman. “TV licenses don’t even come up for renewal until late 2028.”

But others argued that hollowness is not the point. “Let’s be direct: What Chair Carr is describing is government control of the press,” said Tara Puckey, CEO of the Radio Television Digital News Association. The lone Democratic FCC commissioner, Gomez, noted that the threat itself is the weapon — that pressure alone shapes corporate decisions, especially when massive mergers are pending federal approval.

Democratic lawmakers used words like “authoritarian,” “fascist,” and “straight out of the authoritarian playbook” to describe Carr’s conduct. Even Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin voiced discomfort, saying he opposed “the heavy hand of government no matter who’s wielding it.” Free speech advocacy group FIRE said in a statement: “When the government demands the press become a state mouthpiece under the threat of punishment, something has gone very wrong.”

Carr had engaged in similar conduct months earlier, threatening to investigate TV stations for “news distortion” over coverage of the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He also opened enforcement proceedings against “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” over claims of an “equal time” rule violation — a proceeding Colbert said led CBS to decline to air his interview with a Texas state legislator out of fear of FCC retaliation.

The Human Cost: Layoffs Across American Newsrooms

Even as Nexstar argued before federal regulators that media consolidation would strengthen local journalism, the company was simultaneously cutting newsroom jobs at an accelerating pace.

In December 2024, Nexstar announced it would cut approximately 2 percent of its total workforce — roughly 260 positions — concentrated in its local station portfolio.

In February 2026, with the Tegna deal on the horizon, the cuts deepened and became more visible. At WGN-TV in Chicago — one of America’s most storied local news stations — nine on-air journalists were laid off in a single day, including anchors, reporters, and a meteorologist. Days later, Nexstar’s KTLA in Los Angeles — another historic station — laid off longtime weatherman Mark Kriski (an eight-time local Emmy winner who had returned to work after a stroke), midday anchors Lu Parker and Glen Walker, meteorologist Kacey Montoya, and reporter Ellina Abovian. At WPIX in New York, four on-air journalists were cut, including a 6 and 10 p.m. co-anchor.

Nexstar also eliminated creative services positions across its station portfolio, centralizing what remains in hub operations in Dallas and Nashville. The company had already moved station voiceover work to an automated service.

SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin condemned the cuts: “By laying off journalists across the country, Nexstar is eroding the resources and talent that local communities rely on for trusted news. These actions highlight the risks of media consolidation and underscore the urgent need for regulators and the company to prioritize the public interest.”

Critics noted the painful contradiction: Nexstar was telling the FCC that the Tegna merger was essential to preserving local journalism while simultaneously eliminating local journalists.

Analysts warned of more to come. With the Tegna deal now closed, Nexstar will own overlapping stations in 31 markets across the country. Consolidation of newsrooms in cities like St. Louis and Indianapolis — where both Nexstar and Tegna previously operated — is widely expected. Meanwhile, the company carries roughly $6.3 billion in debt from its station portfolio as of the end of 2025, before factoring in the cost of the Tegna acquisition itself. Financial pressure to cut costs will be intense.

The Impact on North Dakota

For viewers in North Dakota, the Nexstar-Tegna merger may feel remote — the company’s most newsworthy layoffs have occurred in major markets like Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. But Nexstar’s footprint in North Dakota is significant and its track record here already shows the pattern of consolidation critics fear.

Nexstar owns the KX Television network — four CBS-affiliated stations serving central and western North Dakota: KXMB-TV (channel 12) in Bismarck, the flagship; KXMC-TV (channel 13) in Minot; KXMD-TV (channel 11) in Williston; and KXMA in Dickinson. Nexstar purchased these stations from the Reiten family for $44 million in a deal that closed in February 2016.

The pattern of consolidation has already altered journalism in the state. Before Nexstar’s acquisition, KXMC in Minot produced its own full schedule of local newscasts. Since Nexstar took over, KXMC’s standalone newscast schedule has been significantly reduced, with many broadcasts replaced by weather and sports inserts during airings of KXMB’s Bismarck-produced newscasts. KXMA in Dickinson and KXMD in Williston, previously local bureaus that contributed their own inserts, have had those operations largely merged with Bismarck. Local inserts for those communities have been eliminated entirely — meaning viewers in Dickinson and Williston receive Bismarck news repackaged as their “local” broadcast.

Nexstar’s company-wide creative services layoffs — centralizing production in Dallas and Nashville — have resulted in eliminating positions in North Dakota. The pattern at smaller and more rural markets like Dickinson and Williston, where local journalism is already thin, suggests further erosion is likely as the company manages its expanded debt load following the Tegna acquisition.

Quid Pro Quo? The Question That Won’t Go Away

What makes the Nexstar-Tegna saga so extraordinary is the degree to which the transactional nature of the relationship between the company and the Trump administration has been made explicit — by the participants themselves.

Consider the timeline:

• August 2025: Nexstar announces Tegna acquisition. Trump is opposed.
• September 2025: FCC Chair Carr threatens Kimmel and ABC. Nexstar pulls Kimmel. Carr thanks Nexstar publicly.
• September–November 2025: Nexstar’s NewsNation airs new MAGA-friendly programming. Sook appears on Fox Business praising Trump.
• February 7, 2026: Trump posts “Get that deal done!” Carr echoes him within hours.
• March 19, 2026: FCC approves the merger. Sook thanks Trump and Carr by name.

Media observers noted that Nexstar described itself as “the anti-fake news” in regulatory filings — language that mirrors Trump’s own political rhetoric almost verbatim. They noted NewsNation running promotional material targeting CNN, positioning itself as friendlier to the administration. One analysis publication reported that NewsNation’s cable channel ran a promotional ad mocking CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins at the exact same time other news networks were covering the fallout from Trump’s war with Iran.

The public interest firm Free Press charged that Carr had “promised to get it done for President Trump while pressuring newsrooms to warp their coverage of the administration.” Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones said the entire episode is part of Trump’s “efforts to suppress freedom of speech.” California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who leads the coalition of eight state attorneys general that has filed suit to block the merger, said: “This merger is illegal, plain and simple, running contrary to federal antitrust laws that protect consumers.”

Those eight states — California, New York, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, North Carolina, Connecticut, and Virginia — filed an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order on Friday. DirecTV, which predicts the merger will allow Nexstar to dramatically increase the fees it can extract from pay-TV distributors, also filed its own lawsuit.

Echoes of State-Controlled Media

The parallels critics draw between what is unfolding in American broadcast media and the structure of state-controlled media in authoritarian governments are, to many observers, no longer abstract.

In countries like Russia and North Korea, media consolidation in the hands of loyalists to the ruling government — combined with regulatory or legal threats against outlets that stray from official narratives — is the mechanism by which journalistic independence is strangled. The state does not typically seize media organizations outright; it creates conditions in which independent journalism becomes economically or legally untenable, while government-aligned outlets prosper through regulatory favor, favorable mergers, and beneficial licensing.

The parallels to what is unfolding in the United States are not identical — and it is important to acknowledge that American media companies retain significant independence, the courts remain available, and Carr’s threats have been widely assessed as legally difficult to enforce. But the structural similarities are real enough to have drawn alarm from across the political spectrum.

The FCC — by law, an independent agency — is now, in the assessment of critics including the advocacy group Public Knowledge, operating as an instrument of the executive. The chairman’s behavior has been synchronized with the president’s social media posts in matters of broadcast regulation. Corporate media executives are openly courting presidential favor as a prerequisite for regulatory approval of major mergers. A company that publicly pulled a comedian critical of the president received a regulatory windfall worth billions of dollars. Another company’s interview with a state legislator never aired on broadcast television because lawyers feared FCC retaliation.

“Again and again, Carr’s tenure as FCC chairman has been marked by his shameless willingness to bully and threaten our free press,” said Will Creeley, legal director at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

The long-term danger, scholars and advocates warn, is not any single action but the cumulative effect: a chilling of editorial independence, a pattern in which broadcast companies learn to internalize what the government wants before it even has to ask, and a media landscape increasingly consolidated in the hands of entities that have made their political loyalty legible to those who control their regulatory fate.

Senator Elizabeth Warren put it plainly: “Constitutional law 101: it’s illegal for the government to censor free speech it just doesn’t like. This threat is straight out of the authoritarian playbook.”

What Comes Next

The legal battles over the Nexstar-Tegna merger are just beginning. Eight state attorneys general are pressing emergency courts to halt the deal before the companies complete integration. DirecTV is pursuing its own antitrust claims. Questions about whether Congress — rather than the FCC alone — has authority to waive the 39 percent ownership cap remain unresolved and are likely to wind through the courts for years.

FCC Commissioner Gomez urged broadcasters to continue working without fear: “Carr’s threats violate the First Amendment and will go nowhere. Broadcasters should continue covering the news, fiercely and independently, without fear of government pressure.”

In newsrooms large and small — from WGN in Chicago to KXMB in Bismarck — journalists are left to absorb what this moment means. Many of their colleagues are gone. The companies they work for are under pressure to please a president whose view of the press as “the enemy” is not a rhetorical flourish, but a policy framework. And the regulatory agency charged with protecting the public interest in broadcasting is, at least for now, taking its cues from a Truth Social post.

In a democracy, that is a story worth telling — and defending the right to tell it may matter more now than at any point in recent memory.

This report is based on statements from the FCC, court filings from the attorneys general of California, New York, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, North Carolina, Connecticut, and Virginia; statements from Nexstar Media Group; statements from SAG-AFTRA; public posts and official statements from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and President Donald Trump; published reporting from NPR, CNN, Deadline, Variety, The Hill, NBC News, and other outlets; and publicly available historical information about North Dakota television broadcasting.