The full coalition now includes Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Virginia, in addition to California.
In a statement, Nexstar labeled the attorneys general "misguided" and charged them with "strangling local journalism." The company pointed to what it described as the unchecked growth of Big Tech, social media misinformation, and economic headwinds that have already shuttered newsrooms as the genuine threats to local news. "The alternative to this deal is not more independently owned outlets — it's the demise of your local broadcast station," Nexstar said.
If combined, Nexstar and Tegna would become the largest local broadcast group in the country, with 264 stations reaching about 80% of U.S. households. Critics of the deal say it would reduce competition in many local markets, raise cable bills, and lead to job losses.
On April 17, a federal judge sided with the plaintiffs on the question of likely harm, concluding they had a strong chance of proving the deal would substantially diminish competition in local television. The resulting order from U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley in Sacramento freezes any operational integration between Nexstar and Tegna without reversing the transaction itself. Nexstar has appealed the injunction, with its opening brief due May 20 at the Ninth Circuit.
Federal regulators cleared the path for the deal on March 19, with sign-off from both the Justice Department and the FCC. To do so, the FCC set aside its longstanding cap that prohibits a single broadcaster from reaching more than 39% of the national television audience. President Donald Trump expressed public support for the merger, according to NBC News.
Ohio's Republican Attorney General Dave Yost took a different path, negotiating a standalone accord with Nexstar rather than joining the multistate suit, according to Reuters. Under the agreement, Nexstar must keep separate editorial operations and sustain current local programming commitments at its Columbus and Cleveland stations — markets where the merger would give the company dual affiliate ownership — through the end of 2030.
