A coalition of state attorneys general just widened its legal offensive against a media merger that could reshape how 80% of American households receive local news. The bipartisan push arrived days after a federal judge temporarily froze the controversial $6.2 billion tie-up between broadcasting titan Nexstar and rival Tegna.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta confirmed Thursday that five additional states have enlisted in the antitrust lawsuit. Massachusetts, Vermont, Indiana, Kansas, and Pennsylvania now join seven other states that filed suit in March. Their core argument: the consolidation would crush competition across dozens of local TV markets, trigger job losses, and drive up cable subscription costs for viewers nationwide.
U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley in Sacramento reinforced that position with an April 17 ruling. He determined the states would likely prevail on their claims and barred the companies from merging operations while litigation proceeds. The order did not reverse the transaction itself, which closed rapidly after the Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission both signed off on March 19. Nexstar responded by announcing an immediate appeal.
The company blasted the expanding legal challenge in blunt terms. “These misguided attorneys general are strangling local journalism,” Nexstar declared, pinning the real crisis on dominant tech platforms, viral misinformation, and economic headwinds that have already shuttered newsrooms across the country. The broadcaster insists the Tegna deal will fortify stations and channel fresh investment into local reporting.
Meanwhile, a separate accommodation emerged from Ohio. Republican Attorney General Dave Yost struck a side agreement requiring Nexstar to preserve the editorial independence of two stations in Columbus and Cleveland where the merger would create dual ownership. The pact mandates separate news teams at each outlet and locks in current levels of local programming through 2030.
The merged entity would form the nation’s largest broadcast station group. As state enforcers and the company brace for a protracted courtroom battle, the outcome promises to set a new threshold for how much consolidation local media markets can sustain.
