Attorney General Jay Jones Jointly Files Lawsuit to Block $6.2 Billion Nexstar/Tegna Broadcasting Merger

Merger would create a media giant covering 80% of U.S. television households, driving up costs and harming consumers

Richmond, VA - Late last night, Attorney General Jay Jones, alongside a coalition of 8 attorneys general, filed a lawsuit to block the acquisition of Tegna Inc. (Tegna) by Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (Nexstar). Tegna and Nexstar are two major broadcast station companies that own and operate television stations throughout the country. If allowed to proceed, the deal would create the largest broadcast station group in the United States, putting more broadcast programming in the hands of fewer people, removing control from the communities they report to, cutting local jobs, and significantly impacting the delivery of news and other media content to Americans nationwide. Due to the considerable increase in consolidation, the deal is also expected to raise prices and harm consumers.

This acquisition of Tegna would allow Nexstar to control three major affiliates in the Norfolk television market alone.

“Our free press is under constant threat from Donald Trump, and Virginians simply cannot afford to lose more independent local news voices. Unfortunately, we already know what happens when Nexstar comes to town to buy local television stations – stations close, jobs are cut, and local news quality is reduced,” said Attorney General Jones. “Reports show that over 65% of Virginians trust local news to report accurately, compared to less than 46% for national news. Trust that is built by the independent local news voices heard in homes throughout Virginia every day. When stations close and those voices are eliminated, ties to the community become strained or broken altogether. Virginians deserve to get their news from the diverse, community-focused reporting that they trust, not recycled content created to serve only the bottom line.”

The lawsuit, filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, alleges the merger clearly violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act, which holds that mergers that substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly are illegal. In addition to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) also has authority and responsibility to halt such a merger, as the $6.2 billion Nexstar/Tegna deal would violate an FCC rule which would prohibit this merger. However, on February 7, 2026, President Trump tweeted “Get that deal done!,” saying that the two companies should be allowed to merge in order to “Knock out the Fake News” from the “Fake News National TV Networks.” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr immediately responded on social media: “Let’s get it done.”

In filing today's lawsuit, Attorney General Jones joins the attorneys general of California, New York, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, Connecticut, and North Carolina.

The Trump Administration has shown states and consumers that it is more concerned with protecting corporate interests than doing its job to defend the public and uphold consumer protection and antitrust laws that help make life affordable for American families. DOJ settled days into the much-awaited Live Nation/Ticketmaster trial — an action promptly rejected by a bipartisan group of attorneys general.

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