The FCC is seeking the public’s input on Nexstar Media Group and Tegna’s pending $6.2 billion merger.
On Monday, the agency began accepting the two companies’ applications to transfer the licenses of Tegna’s 64 full-power television stations, one AM radio station, one FM radio station and other related FCC licenses to Nexstar.
Per a public notice released by the agency, Nexstar has said that it would serve 54.5% of the national audience post-transaction and is seeking a waiver of the National Television Multiple Ownership Rule, which prohibits a single entity from owning television stations that, in the aggregate, reach more than 39% of total U.S. television households. The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has vacated a portion of the rule that prohibits common ownership of two of the top four ranked stations in the same market, subject to certain exceptions.
The FCC has set a deadline of Dec. 31 for all petitions to deny the merger, while oppositions to those petitions are due Jan. 15, 2026. Replies to the oppositions are then due Jan. 26, 2026.
The Nexstar-Tegna deal would create a local TV giant that would own a total of 265 television stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia, reaching approximately 80% of U.S. households.
The deal is subject to the modification or elimination of the 39% ownership cap. The rule was first implemented in 1941 and was raised by Congress in 2004 to ensure viewpoint diversity and prevent monopolization.
In addition to seeking public comment on the merger, the FCC refreshed the record and asked for public comment on whether to retain, modify or eliminate the national broadcast ownership cap in June. It later advanced its review of broadcast ownership rules in September, seeking public comment on retaining, modifying or eliminating the local radio, television and dual network rules.
FCC chairman Brendan Carr has expressed a willingness to modify or eliminate the cap to empower local broadcasters, who have argued consolidation would help them better compete against legacy media and Big Tech.
Despite Carr’s support, the FCC’s sole Democrat Anna Gomez has previously said that the move would “drastically alter the media ecosystem and the number of voices that are a part of it” and that only Congress has the authority to modify or eliminate it.
Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy has also expressed opposition to the move, arguing it would be a “disaster for conservatives around the country.”
“The answer to Big Tech consolidation is not to give left-wing TV broadcasters massive consolidation and power, too. You don’t fix Big Tech consolidation by creating another industry with massive left-wing consolidation,” Ruddy said. “Congress alone should handle it and not allow these big networks to get more power.”
And President Donald Trump has said he would “not be happy” if raising or eliminating the cap allows “Radical Left Networks to ‘enlarge’,” specifically calling out ABC and NBC.
In a recent statement, Nexstar said it continues to believe that the landscape is “ripe for regulatory reform” and that it remains on the path to completing its transaction with Tegna in the second half of 2026.
“We agree with President Trump that the status quo is no longer acceptable, nor should the government do anything to strengthen the stranglehold of legacy media and Big Tech on the marketplace of ideas,” the company said. “Those platforms already reach into every pocket, purse, and backpack in America, and the best way to disrupt their monopolistic power is to allow local broadcasters an opportunity to compete on a level playing field. Americans want more access to local news and a variety of voices without the filter of the coastal elites. ”
It argued that by modernizing the FCC’s rules, regulators will ensure that local communities benefit from “an array of fact-based local journalism — the anti-fake news — for years to come.”
“This is an historic opportunity to change the status quo and deliver a win for Americans across the country who are weary of legacy media’s leverage over local broadcasters,” the statement concluded.
