GoldenShine_10

And then this gets INCREDIBLY messy. The ex-Tegna stations become an "all you can eat buffet".

This was likely rushed by order of Trump through a friendly FCC and DOJ. If a court steps in, they will likely not "rebuild" Tegna, but rather be forced to sell them all to other companies.

I see 3 scenarios here now that the FCC and DOJ, as expected, showed dereliction of duty: 1) The courts let this stand. That would be a disaster. The next breakup chance would be 2029. 2) The courts order additional divestitures (i.e., district or state courts), probably including major stations, on antitrust and legal rules (not FCC guidelines which seem to be waived by Carr). 3) The courts void the deal, forcing a new owner to come in or putting a strong suspension on Nexstar.

I wonder if KXLY or KHQ will pick him up once the non-compete is done?

This looks like a deal that's headed for an ALJ and possibly death in courts.

Which could be the death knell for the deal, since the FCC cannot get around what courts say.

It puts the rest of Morris on the clock too. Nexstar would be a good fit - except for their obsession with national coverage.

My guess is the first thing they get rid of are the smaller (non-top 10) CBS O&O's.

The FCC will almost certainly bless the waivers, but I suspect it will get stopped in court before it can be consummated.

And then get stuck in courts due to the national cap.

While KOTV goes into the stratosphere even higher ratings-wise...making Tulsa essentially a "one-news" town in the Nielsen numbers.

KOTV is in the catbird's seat and dominates ratings. As long as Griffin doesn't get sold (even though I'm sure it would get interest), it should continue to dominate Oklahoma.

What is the "outside date" for this deal where the sides can walk away?

Could some affiliates decide to pre-empt it and have additional local newscasts?

I wonder if there are markets where they are now in 4th place, behind a local newscast at that time on a Fox affiliate?

Once the non-compete expires, could WBBH/WZVN try to grab him? If not for the WFTX situation, I would have sensed it leading into a sale.

Not sure? It probably depends on how much NBC pushes the issue. Does this affect stations Gray is currently acquiring? (Or potential acquisitions in 2026)

It could be if they start losing affiliates over this.

Residential property - there's a lot of people willing to risk it for the next hurricane.

They need to probably look to getting more sports coverage so they can fill those Saturday nights.

In the case of WCCB, it could be sold now without an issue, as it is likely ranked 5th, and Gray only has WBTV.

Hunt Valley loses again! I think their failed Tribune deal blacklisted them.

That brings them 2 steps away from full coverage in Tennessee. Chattanooga is probably a case of them waiting to grab WRCB (which I am sure they have high interest in and would fit Gray extremely well), but the Tri-Cities will likely be out of reach barring a trade.

Could that have played a role in the loss of WANF?

https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/fcc-sets-deadlines-for-comments-on-nexstar-acquisition-of-tegna Here's where to mention the lack of candor that Nexstar has had in the paperwork, along with the fact that it is built on a house of cards and relying on endless waivers. There are numerous fallacies in the paperwork, regarding competition (or lack thereof) and ignoring the stations that they control through shell companies. Petitions so far: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/search/search-filings/results?q=(proceedings.name:("25-331"))