The Federal Communications Commission gave its blessing Thursday to Nexstar’s purchase of select television stations from Tegna, moving forward with a deal that faces mounting legal opposition.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr defended the decision, stating: “By approving this transaction, which allows Nexstar to own less than 15% of television stations, the FCC acts mindful of the media marketplace that exits today — not the one from decades past.”
The regulatory approval arrived just one day after eight states launched legal action in Sacramento federal court, attempting to halt the merger that would create the nation’s largest broadcast television station operator.
Television and streaming service DirecTV also jumped into the legal fray Wednesday evening, filing its own lawsuit to stop the transaction from proceeding.
Nexstar Chief Executive Perry Sook defended the deal’s importance, saying: “This transaction is essential to sustaining strong local journalism in the communities we serve.”
