Nexstar Media Group spent $3.2 million on lobbying efforts in 2025 as the TV affiliate station giant seeks regulatory approval on its pending $6.2 billion merger with rival Tegna. The figure is roughly 10 times more than the company spent on lobbying every year from 2018 to 2023, according to OpenSecrets.
The nonprofit notes that the funds were spent on lobbying the government to lift the national television ownership cap, which limits a single entity from reaching more than 39% of U.S. TV households. Approval of the Tegna merger is dependent on raising or eliminating the 39% cap, which was put in place by Congress in 2004.
In order to help sway the FCC, Congress and the White House, Nexstar hired lobbyist Jeff Miller at the start of 2025, who served as finance chair on President Trump’s second inaugural committee. Nexstar paid Miller Strategies $510,000 over the course of 2025, according to OpenSecrets, though most of its lobbying was handled by the company’s in-house team.
Meanwhile, Tegna spent $550,000 exclusively on Miller Strategies in its first year of lobbying in 2025. Combined, the lobbying firm raked in over a million dollars from just the potential Nexstar-Tegna merger.
A Nexstar spokesperson declined to comment. Tegna did not immediately return TheWrap’s request for comment.
Upon closing of the Tegna deal, Nexstar would have 265 television stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia, representing 80% of U.S. television households. It will add Big-4 affiliate stations in markets including Phoenix, Atlanta, Toledo and Portland, Maine. The combined company will also have stations in nine of the top 10 markets, and in 41 of the top 50.
Additionally, it would have combined net revenue of $8.1 billion and $2.56 billion in adjusted earnings before stock-based compensation, excluding synergies. Nexstar expects to generate synergies of approximately $300 million from the deal.
After previously expressing his opposition to lifting the ownership cap, President Trump changed his tune earlier this month, calling for the Nexstar-Tegna deal to be approved as a way to counter what he called the “Fake News National TV Networks.” Trump said the merger would increase competition and operate “at a higher and more sophisticated level,” adding in all caps: “GET THAT DEAL DONE!”
FCC chairman Brendan Carr, who shared Trump’s post at the time, has said he supports the Nexstar-Tegna transaction. But critics have argued that the FCC does not have the authority to lift the ownership cap and that it must be approved by Congress. Senate lawmakers recently held a hearing examining the rules around broadcast media ownership in the digital age.
“We’re going to be moving forward with it here,” Carr said during his monthly press conference on Wednesday when asked if he’d issue a waiver to Nexstar and Tegna. “In terms of the exact document that we do that through, stay tuned and when we release it, you’ll see it.”
In addition to Nexstar and Tegna, Sinclair spent $800,000 lobbying the federal government in 2025 on issues such as media ownership and the communications ecosystem — nearly four times more than it had spent every year from 2018 to 2023.
In August, Sinclair said it was launching a strategic review looking at potential opportunities including acquisitions, strategic partnerships and business combinations with partners in the broadcast and the broader media and technology ecosystem. It is also evaluating the benefits of separating its ventures business through a “spin-off, split-off, or other transaction.”
In November, Sinclair revealed it had built a stake in rival E.W. Scripps and submitted a takeover bid for the company, which was rejected. In response, Scripps adopted a shareholder rights plan, commonly referred to as a poison pill, to protect shareholders from “coercive tactics” and to provide the board with time to “thoroughly evaluate the offer and any other potential strategic alternatives.”
A Sinclair spokesperson declined to comment on Friday.
When looking at the wider industry, Sinclair executives have estimated that consolidating two similarly sized broadcast station groups could unlock $600 million to $900 million in annual synergies through mergers and “portfolio optimizations.”
Sinclair owns, operates and/or provides services to 178 television stations in 81 markets affiliated with all the major broadcast networks. It also owns the Tennis Channel and multicast networks Charge, Comet, Roar and The Nest and recently sold its local news streaming aggregator NewsOn to Zeam for an undisclosed amount.
As of Nov. 1, Sinclair has closed 11 partner-station acquisitions, completed one station swap, sold stations in four markets, acquired non-licensed assets in two markets and obtained the NBC affiliation in one market. It also has 10 option exercises pending FCC approval and two that have been approved and are awaiting final closing. Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley noted that the moves would represent at least $30 million in incremental annualized EBITDA once completed.
