FCC approves Nexstar's purchase of Tegna, creating broadcast giant hours after lawsuits sought to block deal
CBSN
The Federal Communication Commission announced Thursday evening that it had approved the $6.2 billion merger of major broadcast station owners Nexstar and Tegna. The move came on the same day that attorneys general in eight states and DirecTV filed separate lawsuits seeking to block the deal, arguing that it will lead to higher prices for consumers and stifle local journalism. In:
The Federal Communication Commission announced Thursday evening that it had approved the $6.2 billion merger of major broadcast station owners Nexstar and Tegna. The move came on the same day that attorneys general in eight states and DirecTV filed separate lawsuits seeking to block the deal, arguing that it will lead to higher prices for consumers and stifle local journalism.
The FCC said in a statement announcing its approval that Nexstar's acquisition of Tegna will "enable these broadcast TV stations to counter the growing power that national programmers have amassed in recent years."
With the deal, Nexstar will still own less than 15% of television stations in the U.S., the FCC said.
In a lengthy social media post marking the approval, FCC Chair Brendan Carr said that Nexstar had agreed to "certain concrete conditions" as part of the deal, including "divesting a number of stations, increasing localism, and affordability steps."
In its own statement, Nexstar said that the "transaction is essential to sustaining strong local journalism in the communities we serve," with a company spokesperson adding in an email to CBS News that it would "let the press release speak for itself and will not be making any further comment."
Washington — Two former FBI agents who helped investigate President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results sued the federal government on Thursday, alleging they were wrongfully terminated simply because they worked on the probe.
The man who drove a truck into a synagogue in Michigan and opened fire last Thursday sent a photo of himself with the AR-style rifle he had during the attack to a family member in Lebanon, according to a U.S. official who provided a copy of the picture. In:
Washington — The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday advanced Sen. Markwayne Mullin's nomination to lead the Department of Homeland Security, setting up a vote before the full chamber as early as next week. Alan He contributed to this report.
Dallas — On March 13, Afghan immigrant Naseer Paktiawal received a call from Immigration and Custom Enforcement, which had just arrested his brother in North Texas. The first thing his brother told him was that he wasn't feeling well. In:
More than 40% of TSA officers called out of work on Tuesday at an airport in Houston – one of three major airports in the U.S. where over a third of workers called out that day. Kris Van Cleave contributed to this report. In:
Higher U.S. gasoline prices stemming from the Iran war could effectively wipe out the fatter tax refunds many Americans are expected to collect this year, a new analysis found. Edited by Alain Sherter In:
Two crew members of a tugboat were killed and two others were injured in what the Coast Guard described Wednesday as a "confined space incident" aboard a barge moored in southeast Alaska last weekend. In:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine are holding a briefing for reporters Thursday on the latest developments in the Iran war, their first since Israel carried out strikes killing Iran's top security chief Ali Larijani and Esmail Khatib, its intelligence minister.
The Grammy-nominated rapper Afroman won a defamation lawsuit filed by seven Ohio sheriff's deputies who sued him over music videos in which he used home security footage to mock their raid of his home. In:
A lawyer who worked closely with Jeffrey Epstein for decades before becoming an executor of his estate will be questioned Thursday by the House Oversight Committee. In:
A group of House Democrats walked out of a closed-door briefing with Attorney General Pam Bondi on the Jeffrey Epstein probe late Wednesday, as tensions over the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein case continue to simmer. In:
The FBI is investigating former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent in connection with alleged leaks of classified information, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the matter tell CBS News.
Illinois' Democratic primary elections on Tuesday received a lot of attention, and not always for the candidates on the ballot. The primary for the open seat left by retiring Sen. Dick Durbin, had served as a test for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's political clout ahead of a potential 2028 presidential run.