For years, the FCC stood idly by while trusted sources of local news and information went out of business.
Newspapers closed by the dozen in communities all across the country. Replaced by national programming that does not always meet local needs or the public interest.
The ts at local broadcast TV stations filled the void—providing trusted, gumshoe reporting.
Today, the FCC acts to empower some of those broadcast TV stations. It does so by approving the combination of Nexstar and TEGNA TV stations.
While Nexstar will own less than 15% of television stations after this deal, the transaction allows them to *increase* local news and compete in a more balanced way against the much larger players that now dominate today’s media market.
The FCC’s conclusions are bolstered by certain concrete conditions that Nexstar has committed to as part of this deal—including divesting a number of stations, increasing localism, and affordability steps.
Thank you to the FCC’s talented public servants for your work on this matter.