Nexstar to acquire Tegna

[GoldenShine_10 263]

12 hours ago, ABC 7 Denver said:

 

And ruled illegal. Standard General acquisition 2.0, as far TEGNA is concerned.

 

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

[mre29 1967]

Quote

The $6.2 billion deal would give Nexstar 265 stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia, representing 80% of U.S. TV households, far larger than any other station group. But Nexstar needs waiver from the FCC, given a current ownership cap that limits entities from amassing stations that cover more than 39% of the country.

 

Good grief, it's worse than I thought.

 

[TVLurker 389]

On 2/7/2026 at 5:54 PM, AmericanErrorist said:

The deal has Donald Trump's support (and Brendan Carr agrees):

I just read Brendan Carr's response and he is completely tone-deaf and also really unintelligent. 

 

Comcast and Disney don't own every affiliate and only own 12-13 stations when accounted for. To bring up Disney/Comcast to get support for an illegal merger is assinine.

[AmericanErrorist 267]

23 minutes ago, TVLurker said:

I just read Brendan Carr's response and he is completely tone-deaf and also really unintelligent. 

 

Comcast and Disney don't own every affiliate and only own 12-13 stations when accounted for. To bring up Disney/Comcast to get support for an illegal merger is assinine.

I read it as more about network programming, but how exactly would this combination really challenge that, other that competing national news programs?

[TVLurker 389]

I'm tempted to sign up for an X account and pay for a mandatory subscription just to be able to tell Barr how stupid he sounds despite the owner's obvious political views.

 

If anybody else has an X account, join in.

[broadcastfan9751 150]

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that a coalition of states including California, Colorado and New York are planning an antitrust challenge to the deal.

[GoldenShine_10 263]

1 hour ago, broadcastfan9751 said:

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that a coalition of states including California, Colorado and New York are planning an antitrust challenge to the deal.

 

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

[PhotogNews 8]

The coalition of State AG sue to block the merger: https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-sues-stop-nexstar-tegna-merger

[MD TV 389]

On 3/6/2026 at 8:41 PM, broadcastfan9751 said:

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that a coalition of states including California, Colorado and New York are planning an antitrust challenge to the deal.

And it's been announced. 8 states are involved:

 

https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/states-lawsuit-block-nexstar-tegna-merger-1236693222/

[Glimmer 340]

DirecTV has filed its own lawsuit to block the merger

[GoldenShine_10 263]

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

[AKA 70]

Chief Meteorologist Jeremy Lagoo has abruptly, and with no advance notice to the viewers, left KREM — and based on his tearful farewell, it doesn’t appear he did so willingly:

 

 

There’s a rumor on local Reddit, unconfirmed, that he was fired because he mentioned during one of his forecasts that climate change is impacting the weather locally. Could this move have been made by KREM to appease the incoming right-wing leadership at Nexstar?

Complicating matters is that Lagoo is engaged to KREM morning anchor Nicole Hernandez.

 

His Facebook post announcing his departure reads:

 

Never stop fighting for what is right.

 

I loved my job. My career was a dream.
 

I am heartbroken. If you watched it live, the tears were real. The pain is real.
 

For a long time, I was a vagabond. I didn’t belong. Somewhere along the way, sharing my love of weather not only got me paid, but gave me purpose.

 

I cannot express my gratitude for you accepting me and trusting me. It means the world to me. Thank you.

 

I will be staying in Spokane. The Inland Northwest is my home. The outdoors drew me in, the people kept me.
 

My love for weather will never fade. I will always love talking the forecast or even some weird clouds you saw last week.

 

Nicole and I will be getting married at the end of May. I feel blessed to have found my soulmate. I promise to never take that for granted and to cherish every moment together.

 

I will always care about my community and will work to make it better. For everyone.

 

It’s not goodbye. 
It’s see you around.

 

Be good,
Jeremy

Edited March 19 by AKA

[GoldenShine_10 263]

1 hour ago, AKA said:

Chief Meteorologist Jeremy Lagoo has abruptly, and with no advance notice to the viewers, left KREM — and based on his tearful farewell, it doesn’t appear he did so willingly:

 

 

There’s a rumor on local Reddit, unconfirmed, that he was fired because he mentioned during one of his forecasts that climate change is impacting the weather locally. Could this move have been made by KREM to appease the incoming right-wing leadership at Nexstar?

Complicating matters is that Lagoo is engaged to KREM morning anchor Nicole Hernandez.

 

His Facebook post announcing his departure reads:

 

Never stop fighting for what is right.

 

I loved my job. My career was a dream.
 

I am heartbroken. If you watched it live, the tears were real. The pain is real.
 

For a long time, I was a vagabond. I didn’t belong. Somewhere along the way, sharing my love of weather not only got me paid, but gave me purpose.

 

I cannot express my gratitude for you accepting me and trusting me. It means the world to me. Thank you.

 

I will be staying in Spokane. The Inland Northwest is my home. The outdoors drew me in, the people kept me.
 

My love for weather will never fade. I will always love talking the forecast or even some weird clouds you saw last week.

 

Nicole and I will be getting married at the end of May. I feel blessed to have found my soulmate. I promise to never take that for granted and to cherish every moment together.

 

I will always care about my community and will work to make it better. For everyone.

 

It’s not goodbye. 
It’s see you around.

 

Be good,
Jeremy

 

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

[MD TV 389]

And on this same day Nexstar says this acquisition is complete, as they got FCC and DOJ approval:

 

https://www.nexstar.tv/nexstar-media-group-inc-closes-acquisition-of-tegna-inc/

[DENDude 259]

KUSA is reporting the deal is Done!  Tegna Media is no more and is now a division of Nexstar, although there are court challenges by some AGs. 

 

The Tegna website as of 5:13PM MDT now redirects to Nexstar's website. 

Edited March 19 by DENDude

[Dave Lampstein 287]

edit: nevermind, story/link was already posted. 
 

anyway RIP local TV news 

Edited March 19 by Dave Lampstein

[Archiva 20]

Nexstar is going to divest WTHR, WAVY, KTVD, WUPL, KNWA and WCTX, per the FCC document. 
https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-26-267A1.pdf

 

Quote

"Nexstar commits to divest the following stations:   KTVD(TV), Denver, Colorado; WTHR(TV), Indianapolis, Indiana; WCTX(TV), New Haven, Connecticut; WAVY-TV, Portsmouth, Virginia; WUPL(TV), Slidell, Louisiana; and KNWA-TV, Rogers, Arkansas  Moreover, Nexstar commits to divesting these stations “no later than two years following the TEGNA Closing Date, provided that a waiver of the Local TVO Rule remains necessary under the Commission’s rules at such time"

 

[nomadcowatbk 188]

what station ranks 5th in St Louis? Does KPLR outrate KDNL?

[AmericanErrorist 267]

As Tegna doesn't exist anymore, I guess the states will ask for a breakup?

[ABC 7 Denver 1889]

I’m sorry, but this is wholly fucked. Nobody with a straight face can pretend this serves the viewer. What it does serve is debt structures, investor appetites, and the same consolidation treadmill that’s been shredding local news for decades. Every time one of these mega-deals goes through, newsrooms shrink, investigative coverage dies off, and more “local” stations start parroting the same pre-packaged garbage.

Carr’s statement is pure, Grade A bullshit. The idea that this somehow helps local broadcasters “compete” with tech companies is laughable. Google and Facebook don’t produce journalism. They host distribution networks. Nexstar and Tegna are supposed to create the journalism those platforms amplify. But instead of reinvesting in actual reporting, they’ll gut staff and load up on syndicated filler while pretending it’s innovation.

This isn’t modernization. It’s cannibalization, and we’re watching what’s left of local news get carved up for parts.

Edited March 20 by ABC 7 Denver

[GraphicsMan 345]

Courts could still block it.

[AmericanErrorist 267]

7 minutes ago, GraphicsMan said:

Courts could still block it.

What we're trying to say is that Tegna no longer exists and that the deal cannot be "blocked" per se. The courts can still unwind it through various means, but the Tegna board has gotten their wish and are now out of the station business.

 

Note that the deal closed on the very day DirecTV and the states filed their lawsuits, a timing masterstroke on the part of Nexstar and the FCC.

Edited March 20 by AmericanErrorist

[GraphicsMan 345]

8 minutes ago, AmericanErrorist said:

What we're trying to say is that Tegna no longer exists and that the deal cannot be "blocked" per se. The courts can still unwind it through various means, but the Tegna board has gotten their wish and are now out of the station business.

 

Note that the deal closed on the very day DirecTV and the states filed their lawsuits, a timing masterstroke on the part of Nexstar and the FCC.

So in short it’s over…

[ABC 7 Denver 1889]

19 minutes ago, GraphicsMan said:

Courts could still block it.

 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/nexstar-closes-tegna-deal-creating-local-tv-giant-1236541636/

"With the greenlight, Nexstar will begin integrating Tegna into its operations. Although the lawsuits from the states and DirecTV pose a threat, courts have historically been more open to stopping a deal rather than unwinding one."

I've contacted my AG directly.

Edited March 20 by ABC 7 Denver

[GraphicsMan 345]

1 minute ago, ABC 7 Denver said:

 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/nexstar-closes-tegna-deal-creating-local-tv-giant-1236541636/

"With the greenlight, Nexstar will begin integrating Tegna into its operations. Although the lawsuits from the states and DirecTV pose a threat, courts have historically been more open to stopping a deal rather than unwinding one."

I’m confused. So then the courts ohhhh now I get it essentially there not gonna help.