Republican state attorneys general join lawsuit to stop $6.2B local TV merger

Five more states are joining a federal antitrust lawsuit aimed at stopping the blockbuster merger of Nexstar and Tegna, a corporate tie-up that would create the largest operator of local television stations in the country.

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California Attorney General Rob Bonta, whose office is leading the court challenge, said Thursday that Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Vermont had joined as plaintiffs, making the suit a bipartisan effort.

“This is not controversial stuff — this merger is illegal and will give Nexstar and Tegna the ability to control and raise prices, fire journalists, and dominate the media landscape,” Bonta said in a statement.

“We welcome our sister states into the fray and look forward to fighting alongside them,” Bonta added.

Nexstar and Tegna did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.

The new plaintiffs join a lineup that includes state attorneys general for Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Oregon and Virginia. The 13 state attorneys general filed an amended complaint Thursday.

The attorneys general of Indiana and Kansas are Republicans, while the others behind the suit are Democrats.

U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley in California two weeks ago issued a preliminary injunction pausing the merger as the case goes forward. Bonta’s office at the time touted the ruling as a “critical win in our case.”

The Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department both approved the merger last month. President Donald Trump also publicly backed the deal.

In green-lighting it, the FCC waived a rule barring any single company from owning television stations that reach more than 39% of U.S. households. The combined entity would own 264 TV stations and reach as many as 80% of U.S. households, according to estimates cited in court documents.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, said waiving the rule was “consistent” with the agency’s legal authority.

Nexstar CEO Perry Sook has touted the benefits of the transaction, calling it “essential to sustaining strong local journalism in the communities we serve.”