Policyband

CAR to Carr: Approve Nexstar-TEGNA Merger without Delay

'What’s important to diversity in local news is not how many owners there are, but how those owners run their stations,' said Center for American Rights President Daniel Suhr

Ted Hearn

Dec 31, 2025 — 9 min read

Photo of Nexstar CEO Perry Sook

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Nexstar: The FCC shouldn’t think twice about granting the necessary regulatory waivers to allow Nexstar Media Group to complete its $6.2 billion acquisition of TEGNA pending before the agency. “Regulatory relief is the best tool available to the [FCC] to stave off the decline of local news and support stations’ ability to invest in trusted journalism, bargain for valuable programming, and move forward with technological innovation,” said Center for American Rights President Daniel Suhr in comments about the merger filed with the FCC on Tuesday. “The [FCC] should act expeditiously to approve the license transfer application.” Nexstar needs a waiver from the 39% cap on TV households that it can reach nationally. Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez is pressuring FCC Chairman Brendan Carr not to grant a waiver, saying the 39% cap is statutory and can be changed only by Congress. (More after paywall.)