Labor unions and media activist groups have filed a petition to the Federal Communications Commission, asking that FCC to deny the merger of Nexstar Media Inc. with TEGNA Inc.
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 came together to submit the petition, telling the FCC that the merger would violate the National Cap for owning broadcast channels. You can read the petition here.
“Though Nexstar and TEGNA seek a waiver of this limit, the commission is prohibited by law from waiving, altering, or eliminating this National Cap,” write the petitioners, adding that because the agency “is legally barred from granting applicants’ request to waive the National Multiple Ownership rule, the Commission should immediately deny those waiver requests and deny the application in full.”
Nexstar filed a request to acquire all of TEGNA’s broadcast television licenses in November 2025. That request included arguments for waiving the ownership rules that the unions and organizations are now asking the FCC to uphold. According to the December filing, Nexstar currently controls over 200 owner or operated stations in 116 markets. If allowed to acquire the stations from TEGNA, that number would rise to 256 stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia and covering 132 of the 210 Designated Market Areas of the U.S. The National Cap prevents a broadcast television station owner from reaching over 39% of U.S. households. After the acquisition, Nexstar would reach over 60%.
The FCC has been considering lifting the rule. Those who support waiving the rule believe that it would help broadcasters compete with streaming services. Critics argue that it would severely limit customer choice and affordability, while also shrinking local newsrooms.
“Our members have seen time and time again what happens when owners of broadcast entities merge,” NABET-CWA president Charlie Braico said. “In the service of Wall Street profits, newsrooms shrink, workers lose jobs, wages decline, and local news suffers. Communities rely on quality local news for information on emergencies, weather — and maybe most importantly, for politics. When we starve our newsrooms, we weaken our local communities and our democracy. Nexstar announced this merger before the FCC had even changed the ownership rules. If this merger is approved and the national cap is waived, we can expect many more announcements like this one. It will create an unprecedented shift in this country and dramatically change the broadcasting industry for the worse.”