Nexstar to acquire Tegna

[mre29 1967]

3 hours ago, TheRyan said:

Respectfully, what does CBS' decisions on programming have anything to do with Nexstar and Tegna merging?

 

Nothing. We just have one or two conspiracy theorists here who are absolutely convinced that they know what Nexstar will want to buy after swallowing Tegna.

 

Hopefully one of the moderators will clean things up and move all the non-Netflix-buys-Tegna posts to another thread.

 

[24994J 5888]

All kidding aside, while I totally believe Nexstar is going to try and acquire more, let's keep the discussion to the Nexstar-Tegna deal. Anything else is pure speculation, and there are appropriate channels for that. Otherwise, we'll cross that bridge (CBS or whatever) when we get to it.

[tyrannical bastard 4676]

The shame in all of this is how you have two companies that couldn't be more opposite on how they see things for OTT.

While Nexstar has moved light years this year alone, Tegna is thousands of years ahead with even creating their own 7-9am shows that run exclusively on their digital platforms.

One of the most devastating side effects could be if Nexstar squanders all of this in favor of their piecemeal digital strategy.  For a dying industry, they're still signing their death papers.  And when they control all of the network affiliations in a place, the networks will revolt and they'll be left holding the bag when they walk.

 

We're seeing all of the weather apps popping up all over the country, namely in Alabama and Mississippi. 

Local news is next when the market is decimated and there are still stories to be told.  

[Weeters 2173]

2 hours ago, tyrannical bastard said:

If our administration ramrods this deal through as it is against our current regulations, expect it to be unceremoniusly overturned and even reversed by the next administration, whenever that is.

 

And Sinclair (and others) could sue their way into the deal, getting some of the stations that should rightfully be divested or some cash as a consolation prize.

The way things are going, I sincerely doubt that this will be a huge priority for a new administration once 2029 rolls around. The damage would have been long done, there will have been even more consolidations, and there will be nobody left looking to buy. TV will be in an even worse and more precarious place than it is today. Who knows what the landscape will even look like? Who's to say that the affiliation model doesn't break down before then?

 

The money is gone, and the viewers are fleeing towards the exits. 

 

37 minutes ago, tyrannical bastard said:

We're seeing all of the weather apps popping up all over the country, namely in Alabama and Mississippi. 

Local news is next when the market is decimated and there are still stories to be told.  

The weather streamers are a huge flashing red warning light that these companies seem to be failing to notice. Weather was always one of the pillars of local news. It was one of the reasons local media executives thought they were invincible. "Everyone loves their local meteorologists, they can't get this anywhere else!"

 

Yet, several of these statewide weather streamers, and none of the big name national ones, have any connection to local media companies. They're these startup operations with a shoestring budget, doing something that a company like Nexstar could get off the ground in a week.

 

The reality is that I really don't think there's enough room here for there to be a huge amount of competition. Alabama could use a service that focuses on statewide severe weather coverage, but they don't need six of them, and whoever isn't first will really need to make waves to be noticed.

[Georgie56 3661]

WaPo on the impending merger.

[HanSolo 467]

18 hours ago, TheRyan said:

If Nexstar actually tried to buy CBS, anti-trust laws would potentially come into play.  I don’t see that happening in the near term if ever.

 

 

Has anyone been paying attention these last 7 months? 
 

Laws. Don’t. Matter. 
 

At least not any laws that impede or restrain the regime. 

[NowBergen 924]

7 minutes ago, HanSolo said:

Has anyone been paying attention these last 7 months? 
 

Laws. Don’t. Matter. 
 

At least not any laws that impede or restrain the regime. 

All you need to do is look at what Nexstar has turned "The Hill" into - more propaganda for the regime than anything else.  Now they want to control all TV news to be the same.

[rtmclaug 75]

If I was working for a Tegna station (or even a Nexstar station, especially if they’re in the same market), I’d update the resume tape ASAP. Plan for the worst, pray for the best. 

[Rusty Muck 4688]

1 hour ago, HanSolo said:

Has anyone been paying attention these last 7 months? 
 

Laws. Don’t. Matter. 
 

At least not any laws that impede or restrain the regime. 

This. Brendan Carr would be violating the overturning of Chevron but he's unconcerned about a pesky contempt of court charge when he removes all cap restrictions. Plus SCOTUS can always give him a mulligan.

[NowBergen 924]

1 hour ago, Rusty Muck said:

This. Brendan Carr would be violating the overturning of Chevron but he's unconcerned about a pesky contempt of court charge when he removes all cap restrictions. Plus SCOTUS can always give him a mulligan.

This administration strategy is F the judges.  

[tyrannical bastard 4676]

The way things are heading, we have resorted to a "fight fire with fire" mentality. 

 

Remember when Media General refused to turn over WAGT to Gray a few years back in the Gray-Schurz merger?  We could see this again as the Tegna staffers refuse to turn the keys over to Nexstar.  Jobs are at stake and so are a diversity of voices in places where Nexstar gets a third, fourth, and even a FIFTH station in the same market.

 

Unless people with a backbone start standing up, America as we know it is done for. 

Donald Trump is not a king. 

And his ass better be out of office by the next inauguration unless congress finds a LEGAL way to overturn the 22nd Amendment which limits elected presidents to TWO TERMS.

End rant.

[Rusty Muck 4688]

32 minutes ago, tyrannical bastard said:

The way things are heading, we have resorted to a "fight fire with fire" mentality. 

 

Remember when Media General refused to turn over WAGT to Gray a few years back in the Gray-Schurz merger?  We could see this again as the Tegna staffers refuse to turn the keys over to Nexstar.

Yeah that will end well lol. Nexstar will just shutter those facilities, fire everyone and convert the stations into a pure simulcast of their existing properties while also threatening retribution on their own staff if they try similar stunts. You watch as they comply out of sheer fear.

 

Union busting is real. Why else would Nexstar be headquartered in Irving, Texas, a right-to-work state?

 

It might not be a bad idea to read up on XHDE, which was literally killed off by a strike that is still technically ongoing even after the shuttered studios burned to the ground.

Edited August 21, 2025 by Rusty Muck

[MicFlag 33]

This idea of mutiny is hilarious. If there is no resistance across the industry to non-competes and people just sign them and hope for the best, there will be no resistance at all to consolidating stations. There is far more leverage by employees when presented with a non-compete: Walk away. When enough people walk away, they cannot run a station. When one company buys another with regulatory approval, there is no recourse.

[tyrannical bastard 4676]

13 minutes ago, Rusty Muck said:

Yeah that will end well lol. Nexstar will just shutter those facilities, fire everyone and convert the stations into a pure simulcast of their existing properties while also threatening retribution on their own staff if they try similar stunts. You watch as they comply out of sheer fear.

 

Union busting is real. Why else would Nexstar be headquartered in Irving, Texas, a right-to-work state?

And let's see what happens when Nexstar goes bankrupt because they're the last broadcaster who exists in a given place.

 

Newspapers are at least dying a slow death with the marketplace. Radio has more "variety" even though it's all a bunch of jukeboxes and fringe voices.

TV is being murdered against it's own regulations because someone doesn't like the truth being told.  Let TV die with the market instead of murdering it by uber-consolidating it.

That way, if a station or group goes bankrupt, the market can decide whether or not to bring it back either as a station or group.

[Rusty Muck 4688]

Scott Fybush had this take on RadioDiscussions this morning on the merger and it is worth sharing here:

Quote

 

Many of you aren't getting it. 

Yes, Nexstar wants Tegna for its big market stuff in Phoenix and Houston and Tampa, etc. 

But it wouldn't have done a deal like this for ALL of Tegna if it didn't think it was going to be allowed to get ALL of Tegna, very much including the duopoly positions it will enjoy in Cleveland, Austin, Buffalo, and the other major overlap markets. 

We are in a new period of seismic upheaval that's going to change the face of local TV in ways none of us will recognize. 

Don't get distracted by the chess pieces (will CW move from 8.2 to 34.1?!?!?) when the entire board is getting tipped over.

[Rusty Muck 4688]

23 minutes ago, tyrannical bastard said:

And let's see what happens when Nexstar goes bankrupt because they're the last broadcaster who exists in a given place.

Let. It. Burn.

 

It's going to happen anyway whether we like it or not.

[NowBergen 924]

28 minutes ago, tyrannical bastard said:

And let's see what happens when Nexstar goes bankrupt because they're the last broadcaster who exists in a given place.

 

Newspapers are at least dying a slow death with the marketplace. Radio has more "variety" even though it's all a bunch of jukeboxes and fringe voices.

TV is being murdered against it's own regulations because someone doesn't like the truth being told.  Let TV die with the market instead of murdering it by uber-consolidating it.

That way, if a station or group goes bankrupt, the market can decide whether or not to bring it back either as a station or group.

 

That does beg the question, how leveraged will Nexstar be after purchasing Tegna, and with declining ad revenue and limited reach due to duplication on Nexstar stations except for network and maybe syndicated shows, how long until the entire thing collapses when they can't pay back the loans?  I'm sure by that time Perry Sook will take his windfall and leave so others have to pick up the mess.

[tyrannical bastard 4676]

12 minutes ago, NowBergen said:

 

That does beg the question, how leveraged will Nexstar be after purchasing Tegna, and with declining ad revenue and limited reach due to duplication on Nexstar stations except for network and maybe syndicated shows, how long until the entire thing collapses when they can't pay back the loans?  I'm sure by that time Perry Sook will take his windfall and leave so others have to pick up the mess.

Seeing as how Nexstar extorts their viewers for "free" television by gouging the pay TV systems for money, it's a recipe for disaster the way that is going.

 

[Recovering Producer 410]

2 hours ago, Rusty Muck said:

Scott Fybush had this take on RadioDiscussions this morning on the merger and it is worth sharing here:

Whole heartedly agree with this. They would not do this deal if they knew they would get it all. It absolutely sucks for a lot of talented, smart, hard working people who are just salaries and benefit expenses on a spreadsheet for Nexstar. But, the election results in November made it just a matter of time before it happened.

 

Sinclair thought they could do this with their attempted purchase of Tribune, frankly, it is still surprising they didn't pull it off, a lot of the credit for that goes to Deadspin and John Oliver. But the guardrails that prevented that deal from closing are gone. A TV group takeover is, on average, the 342nd most chaotic thing happening on any given day where the federal government has a role in the outcome right now.

 

 I've said it before, I'll say it again... IF there are spinoffs, it's all sidecars, or license only to spectrum speculators and godcasters. 

 

If you want a laugh, there is someone on the broadcasting subreddit who posts rambling, delusional, incoherent, baseless speculation on divestures and other future mergers and clearly has no understanding of the business. Things that make the speculatron on its worst day appear measured and calm. Like, groups voluntarily splitting up existing duopolies, groups like Disney/ABC that haven't bought stations in 30+ years going on mass buying sprees. The level of confidence in those posts are amusing. Not even worth fighting with common sense. 

Edited August 21, 2025 by Recovering Producer
typo. Talked like a pirate and put an extra "r" in there.

[l_miro 245]

14 minutes ago, tyrannical bastard said:

The way things are heading, we have resorted to a "fight fire with fire" mentality. 

 

Remember when Media General refused to turn over WAGT to Gray a few years back in the Gray-Schurz merger?  We could see this again as the Tegna staffers refuse to turn the keys over to Nexstar.  Jobs are at stake and so are a diversity of voices in places where Nexstar gets a third, fourth, and even a FIFTH station in the same market.

 

Unless people with a backbone start standing up, America as we know it is done for. 

Donald Trump is not a king. 

And his ass better be out of office by the next inauguration unless congress finds a LEGAL way to overturn the 22nd Amendment which limits elected presidents to TWO TERMS.

End rant.

 

what does 22nd amendment have to do with anything or Nexstar specifically?  I love sheltered westerners whose closest encounter with an oppresive regime is lawful things happening in their country they don't like because their sleep paralysys villain Donald Trump is the one doing it . Same people 3 years ago: "put everyone who doesn't mask at home in jail and fire them from their jobs!". Those of us who've actually lived under opressive regimes, that aint it. I was told by authorities since I still have my Bulgarian/EU passport I have to censor myself, even while living in the US, to be compliant with the new EU wrongThink laws or face prosecution, speaking of kings.

"WAGT staffers refused to turn over keys" never happened. Great way to become unemployable though, in an industry full of gossipmongering where getting a job depends on who hires you and how much they like you.

 

I thought the news would be blowing up by now but so far it looks like it barely got traction. Both sides posting on the socials that broadcast is boomer TV, lame, old, irrelevant, who cares. So it will probably end up sailing through. Hard to argue against when everyone can grab their phone and head to the socials to air their grievances, smart tv apps, Substack, Youtube. Viewers also don't care, one look at replies under WPLG's independences posts - 2/3 were asking where can they watch David, Wheel, Jeopardy, The view, dont care about WPLG or staff jobs, who needs that much news that repeat every hour, etc...

 

Nexstar itself might not even survive that long, adding $6.5 Billion to their balance sheet when 60+% of its revenue is retrans fees, right after we watched ABC move to a LPTV station to get 100% of retrans. They're one step away from ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX going full Vancome Lady on them and moving their signals to Bob Borisovich's LPTV down the road for $15k a month. With negotiations coming up other stations will soon get Sunbeamed. We might even see a network go off air in some markets for Cable/Sat/YTTV-only distribution. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MediaZone4K 2661]

Mmmhmmm

 

[MicFlag 33]

Fybush is right. He usually is. While many people are gossiping over where a netlet will land, or whether newsrooms will consolidate, or whose tower will handle the antennas, he's pointing out it is a cataclysmic event for TV.

 

People... broadcast-only towers will no longer be required soon.

 

Clear Channel's top suits have been lusting over this moment for decades because it means they won't have to maintain those antiquated transmitters anymore. "The people will get what they want from phones." ... We're there. Top executives are itching for a reason to grab an angle grinder, put it to a tower anchor point, and be the first to let a tower fall but live to sell commercials into the future, mostly programmatically. A lot of years ago, Clear Channel explored using AI voices at its small news/talk stations as an entry point to kick anchors to the curb, but it didn't go well with focus groups. This has been in the works since high speed internet became a thing. Perry Sook just sped up what we thought would take longer.

 

"He's a conspiracy theorist!" ... Ok. But mark your calendars right now.

[ColtFromGulfcoast 869]

4 hours ago, Recovering Producer said:

If you want a laugh, there is someone on the broadcasting subreddit who posts rambling, delusional, incoherent, baseless speculation on divestures and other future mergers and clearly has no understanding of the business

Does he live in Nebraska? 

[TVLurker 389]

On 8/19/2025 at 4:08 AM, Georgie56 said:

It’s official.

I can't believe I just noticed this 2 days later.

 

This is stunning and I cannot believe the amount of monopolies and triopolies that Nexstar will soon have. WTF?

[ABC 7 Denver 1889]

54 minutes ago, TVLurker said:

I can't believe I just noticed this 2 days later.

 

This is stunning and I cannot believe the amount of monopolies and triopolies that Nexstar will soon have. WTF?

 

The argument is that there are online alternatives for local news. I'll wait for you to name me one, because it's absolutely crap. Newspapers were the only other alternative.