The Nexstar–Tegna merger is being challenged in the courts on a number of fronts, but in the meantime it’s the source of a political clash between California Governor Gavin Newsom and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr.
The merger, which would create a broadcast giant of nearly 260 stations across the country, got clearance from the FCC and the Justice Department last week. Nexstar then quickly announced that its deal to acquire Tegna had closed.
In giving the deal the greenlight, the FCC’s Media Bureau granted Nexstar a waiver from the agency’s national media ownership cap, which limits any one entity from amassing stations covering more than 50% of the country. The Nexstar-Tegna stations reach 80%.
“I think it’s a disgrace. I think Brendan Carr is a disgrace,” Newsom told a reporter earlier this week. “I think what’s going on in this country is a disgrace. Eighty percent
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