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So, putting aside my dislike of the actual merger itself for a moment. I am deeply disturbed (unfortunately, not surprised) by the 11-hour rush to consummate a deal that seemingly included government officials approving it before a pending lawsuit, of which all parties were aware. If what the NC AG and the CA AG state is true, the states reached out to Nexstar numerous times without a reply. The KUSI program guide, which included CW programming before government approval was announced, would indicate that Nexstar had knowledge well in advance that the DOJ was dropping its investigation and that the FCC was approving it. It would also indicate that Nexstar was working with Tegna on business matters prior to the official close of the deal. Just that alone is a no-no. Two entities that are separate but intend to merge must maintain a firewall of sorts until the deal is approved. This whole thing appears to be a bizarre coordination by a private company and governmental agencies to do an end run around the judiciary and due process.

I'll just put my two cents in. The misanthropic read—the honest one—is that this isn’t some grand betrayal of the public trust. It’s a system behaving exactly as designed. Maximize shareholder value, minimize cost, maintain the illusion of service. If local journalism was truly indispensable to the public at scale, it would have found a sustainable model by now. Instead, it survives in pockets—nonprofits, independents, the occasional stubborn newsroom—while the bulk of the industry becomes a content distribution network with a nostalgic costume. So, the Nexstar / Tegna deal isn’t a shocking turning point. It’s just another mile marker on a road we’ve been on for years, decades even. Fewer owners. Thinner newsrooms. Louder branding about “serving communities” paired with quieter layoffs and more syndicated filler. And the punchline? Most people won’t notice. Not really. The broadcasts will still look like news. The graphics will still spin and be flashy (or not). The anchors will still smile with that practiced urgency. The difference—the slow erosion of actual local accountability—doesn’t announce itself. It just… accumulates. Until one day, something really important happens in a town, and there’s nobody left to cover it who actually lives there. But hey—great margins.

As much as I don't want to deflate any hope in people, the chances are near zero that any court would rule the entire transaction void ab initio and require Nexstar to re-launch Tegna with all its stations. Technically speaking, the transaction itself is not unlawful. What makes this questionable at best is the entire company being bought without immediate and absolute divestures. If the courts bother growing a spine, the best case scenario would be that the courts rule that Nexstar must divest in markets that have conflicts (Knoxville, Charlotte, San Diego, as well as in addition to the markets Nexstar nominally pledged to). Tegna as a company is not coming back. It's in the history books. One can only hope that a suitable buyer would step forward in that scenario to buy the conflicting stations.

Off topic here, but still interesting to see LLT (Local Look Today, Gray's national cable channel) on the guide and on the air.

that is false. - the Bonta lawsuit was merely filed on 3/18, nothing more - His TRO plead is from 3/20/2026, after the decision (https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/2026.03.20 Memorandum of Points and Authorities ISO TRO.pdf) - there is no requirement to stay the approval of a merger due to pending lawsuits - unless a federal judge in those lawsuits invoked a TRO or preliminary injuction - the FCC used their administrative waiver power, given to them in the Communications Act of 1934, to pass the merger: Section 309(a) (47 U.S.C. § 309(a)), Section 303(r) (47 U.S.C.§ 303(r)) the Yale Journal on Regulation is even more clear: The bipartisan act of congress in 2004 set the ownership cap at 39% and created a legal vacuum. It fails to define: what 'national audience reach' means in the Telecommunications Act of 1996, what the UHF discount is and how it's calculated; how the FCC discretionary (waiver) power applies to the 39% cap, whether it's a one-time adjustment, among many other things. Shortly after it passed the FCC asked congress if the UHF discount can be clarified, congress ignored them, and left the courts to guess what congress meant, for 22 years. Congress could have chosen clarity in 2004. Instead they chose violence and now we're here.

It's a 3-branch government though. The FCC and DOJ are in only one of the branches. It's up to interpretation by the judicial of what the legislative branch wrote in 2004 (and Clayton Act previously).

In my opinion, it's only lawful because of people who have absolute power and bypass law and order just to ram through a deal without due process. I'm appalled at how people managed to vote their approval for this.

Sara Sanchez is NOT waiting for the possible repercussions of the Nexstar/TEGNA merger. She's leaving WTIC on April 19th before more changes can be implemented. For the record, Nexstar will soon have WTNH/WTIC/WCCT but is selling WCTX. https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1385537246714168&id=100057737184805

That is correct. This may end up in the Supreme Court. One possibility is that a Hold Separate order is given until the courts sort it out.

Wishing her the best!!! https://tvnewscheck.com/journalism/article/staci-spanos-returns-to-wjxt-jacksonville-as-evening-anchor-investigative-reporter/ Also in Jacksonville....Staci Spanos is returning to WJXT after eight years, to become their FIFTH evening anchor! What's partially visible in the Jeannie video is that WTLV/WJXX also has about 4 to 5 evening anchors. Both duopolies alternate evening anchor lineups on the half hour. First Coast & News 4 Jax must have money. By comparison the competition WJAX/WFOX Action News Jax follows current trends. The same two anchors do just about all of their evening shows. Yes! I was just thinking about this the other day. I remember even WNBC was in bad shape around this time. They dropped Live at Five for a generic 5 o'clock newscast, and information tips show News 4 You at 5:30. They eventually dropped one of their 5 o'clock shows in favor of Extra then a lifestyle show. They abandoned studio 6B in favor of a dull content center studio. It really turned around by 2012.

Media Consultants:"the focus group hated the newsroom backdrop" *sends a dozen charts showing why video wall backdrops are a must

That's a shame. The newsroom set looked really good, it was the best on the air between the evening shows. everyone does video walls now so that set them apart. Really liked the old school Rather looking desk that they had. This doesn't look too bad though.

Screenshot from WCHS 8 Charleston, WV website shows new “8” logo for their ABC channel 8.1 and new logo and new name “Fox Appalachia” for their Fox subchannel 8.2

Nexstar divesting WAVY here in Portsmouth (Norfolk) VA? That seems very odd, considering WAVY has been the market's news leader for decades at this point. I kinda wonder what Nexstar sees in WVEC that they don't in WAVY.

1) Mizzou is a non-profit university, so they don't need to worry as much about raking in the cash and meeting quotas to keep the stocks up. The joys of being a land-grant research institution! 2) That station is part of why the Missouri School of Journalism is one of the top journalism programs out there, and a huge draw for prospective students by getting to train in an actual newsroom (not discounting campus journalism programs- Mizzou carved out their niche by having KOMU). 3) Who says they wouldn't sell if the right offer came along?

Between CNNI's dual focus on Europe and Asia (each in a batch of different time zones) and their use of CNN/US shows, I don't think the global channel originates what would be considered a dead hour of news.

"A new strike in Iran this evening, but first a word from today's sponsors: SquareSpace, HelloFresh, and Factor."

"we need to be approachable and relatable" How? "the kids like podcasts so make it all look like a podcast"

they must really be aiming to be the least successful revision of the CBS Evening News if they're back at Studio 47.

The current longest-running anchor team in DFW and one of the longest in the entire country... Steve Eager and Heather Hays. 25 years together, and still counting, at KDFW. https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1483715459782045&id=100044308155592

That was during the GE cost cutting era. Under Comcast, NBC has invested in many of their O&Os and there has been no talk of selling actual stations publicly. What Comcast and NBCU has done is sell sports networks and NECN that seemed to become a second thought that was outside their focus. They have also grown their Telemundo O&O presence. My DMA is (except for one station - still considered a flagship though owned by a sidecar) is all network O&OS and as mentioned probably safer from many of the changes facing local TV and affiliates.

She will be missed, that's for dang sure. However, after 11 years at WESH 2 and two decades in journalism, Summer Knowles is leaving the station and the business. April 17th is her last day at WESH 2. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2131579010928516&__cft__[0]=AZaPUvNU4Hk-k3aqaA2mddW6QGDbEbpPQAca8TRJVVSTxrBO2gZTRtHu9If4BaURJkvAKJwfo-v5Wf5Gom2tnLQn0_EmWj5WmC2WbTKAcMN4AbDReph4kMQmEKUTzLfbn_rWQXiDYiz0iuZGjh5dZfZ5f3CAHHlH2I7IPHcUkI9cZdbU-l62dBdUyxF6fDMSx79kI2NSAKgwjJyq5r1DZXYj&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

Another Atlanta legend is giving up the weather clicker... WAGA's David Chandley. After 42 years in the business with 25 years at WSB and the last 11 at WAGA, he's retiring. His final day is late April. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.fox5atlanta.com/news/david-chandley-retiring-chief-meteorologist-fox-atlanta.amp

Both CNN and CBS News are shells of the brands they used to be, but data doesn't lie. CNN has 42 Million Facebook followers compared to the 11 Million for CBS News (hell, even FOX News only has 33 million followers on FB). Also (according to Google Gemini) CNN.com attracts 100-150 Million unique visitors each month, CBSnews.com draws some 87 Million visitors. Long story short, CNN still has solid value and recognition as a brand- despite what their broadcast ratings show.

This is actually not half bad for Sinclair for a change.

I have to send more of my best wishes to another Jax legend. This time, WTLV/WJXX's Jeannie Blaylock has announced that she, too, has cancer. https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/03/12/first-coast-news-anchor-jeannie-blaylock-reveals-breast-cancer-diagnosis/89122992007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=false&gca-epti=z111801p001850c001850v111801&gca-ft=83&gca-ds=sophi&fbclid=IwY2xjawQhwWVleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETExQ2xxV3I0d085MkRvUkJMc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHgdujd6OD2O-MDNEeTbTVu1r-wwDFr6Z48mQlpPlTof6IyGwLACkZb_zTQTY_aem_zi85VQlgz4exb7jDP5NwVA&link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=69b376bc4b3c2a0001d57e5a&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook