A bipartisan group of state AGs is raising issue with the efforts of broadcast companies Tegna and Nexstar Media Group to continue toward a merger in violation of a preliminary injunction issued earlier this year.
The injunction was issued in a court challenge to FCC chair Brendan Carr, who wants to change a federal rule that bars a single multimedia company from reaching more than 39 percent of U.S. households, so that the Trump-friendly folks at Nexstar can buy out the Northern Virginia-based Tegna, in a move that would give Nexstar reach into 80 percent of U.S. households.
The state AGs are alleging that Nexstar personnel continuing to sit on Tegna’s board of directors violates the court order because it enables Nexstar to improperly control Tegna, and prevents the companies from operating independently while the lawsuit proceeds.
“Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of our democracy, and the reality is the free press is under attack,” said Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, who is a member of the AG group fighting the merger.
This matter is of importance to Virginia because Nexstar, were it to get its hands on Tegna, would control the three major network affiliates in the Norfolk TV market, the 44th-biggest TV market in the nation, covering 779,000 households.
“Fewer local newsrooms mean fewer opportunities for the pursuit of the truth and reduced public accountability. This merger further jeopardizes journalistic integrity and independence of our media at a time when it is needed most. This office will continue to fight for consumers and for the people who rely on local news stations in communities across the Commonwealth,” Jones said.
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Chris Graham
