Policyband

Newsmax-Promoted Poll Claims GOP Primary Voters Oppose Nexstar-TEGNA Merger By a Lot

Sixty-Eight Percent of GOP Primary Voters in Public Opinion Strategies Poll Strongly Opposed the TV Station Deal

Ted Hearn

Feb 10, 2026 — 10 min read

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Merger: Did President Trump ditch his base in calling for regulatory approval of the Nexstar-TEGNA merger? A new poll – apparently commissioned by merger foe Newsmax – found Republican primary voters were strongly opposed to the $6.2 billion deal that involves Nexstar’s acquisition of 64 TEGNA stations across 51 markets. The poll, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, also found Republican voters placed high value on local television news and preferred stations that are locally owned. Nexstar, based in Irving, Texas, did not comment. “The poll also indicated these voters fear large media mergers as a threat to fair debate, local coverage, and consumer costs,” Newsmax said in a story about the poll that it posted to its news website. (More after paywall.)