Several labor unions and public interest organizations have formally requested that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reject Nexstar’s proposed acquisition of Tegna. The groups argue that the merger would exceed federal station ownership limits and would not serve the public interest.

In their petition, the organizations stated, “Though Nexstar and Tegna seek a waiver of this limit, the commission is prohibited by law from waiving, altering, or eliminating this National Cap.” They emphasized that the FCC is legally unable to grant the requested waiver and called for the immediate denial of both the waiver and the overall application.

The petition was submitted by Free Press, the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians–Communications Workers of America (NABET-CWA), The NewsGuild–Communications Workers of America (TNG-CWA), the United Church of Christ Media Justice Ministry, and Public Knowledge. Their joint filing on December 31 adds to a growing list of opponents, which now includes EchoStar, Newsmax, Circle City Broadcasting, DirecTV, and the American TV Alliance (ATVA).

Nexstar submitted its application for FCC approval to acquire Tegna’s broadcast licenses in November. If approved, the multibillion-dollar deal would combine the country’s largest and fourth-largest television station groups, resulting in a portfolio of 265 full-power stations across 44 states and Washington, D.C.

Nexstar has argued that the merger is essential to maintain the viability and reliability of local television stations as trusted sources of news and information. However, EchoStar’s filing contends that the FCC lacks the authority to waive the 39% national ownership cap, and that the creation of such a large station group—controlling 265 stations in 132 of the nation’s 210 Designated Market Areas—would not serve the public interest. EchoStar also warned that the merger could lead to higher costs for multichannel video programming distributors and, ultimately, consumers.

Circle City Broadcasting, which owns WISH-TV and WNDY-TV in Indianapolis and is seeking to acquire WRTV in the same market, expressed concern that the merger would negatively impact local broadcasters, viewers, advertisers, and multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs). The company stated that the deal would give Nexstar near-monopoly control over local television advertising, retransmission consent, program acquisition, and news production in Indianapolis. Circle City warned that this could force them to scale back or even discontinue their own local news operations.

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