Don’t Touch That Dial: Attorney General Bonta Files Emergency Motion to Stop Nexstar/Tegna Merger

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Bonta today led a coalition of eight attorneys general in filing a motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to stop the merger of Tegna Inc. (Tegna) and Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (Nexstar), after the broadcasting giants received merger approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). On Wednesday night, Attorney General Bonta filed a lawsuit to block the merger, a deal that is expected to create the largest broadcast station group in the United States, put more broadcast programming in the hands of fewer people, cut local jobs, increase cable bills, and significantly impact the delivery of news and other media content to Americans nationwide.

“The federal government has an obligation to protect our economy, consumers' wallets, and competitive markets in which businesses and workers can thrive. With its approval of the disastrous Nexstar/Tegna broadcasting merger, the Trump Administration has once again put corporate interests ahead of the interests of everyday Americans — not on our watch,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Today, alongside a coalition of attorneys general, I’ve filed an emergency motion asking the court to stop this merger. This merger is illegal, plain and simple, running contrary to federal antitrust laws that protect consumers. Nexstar/Tegna is not a done deal. I will not let these corporate behemoths merge without a fight.”

If approved, this multibillion-dollar deal would combine the nation’s largest and third-largest television-station conglomerates, creating a titan covering 80% of U.S. television households. In California, the combined entity would own half of the Big Four (FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS) network-affiliated stations in two areas: the local FOX and ABC stations in the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto area and the local FOX and CBS stations in the San Diego area. Alarmingly, reports have already detailed Nexstar’s firing of long-standing journalists in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York.

The Trump Administration has shown states and consumers that it is more concerned with protecting corporate interests than in doing its job to defend the public and uphold consumer protection and antitrust laws that help make life more affordable for American families. Attorney General Bonta has responded by intervening, after the Trump Administration allegedly greenlit the Hewlett-Packard Enterprises/Juniper Networks merger not for the public interest, but to line the pockets of its friends. And he is continuing to fight for a better deal for consumers after U.S. DOJ settled days into the much-awaited Live Nation/Ticketmaster trial — an action promptly rejected by a bipartisan group of attorneys general.