California attorney general asks judge to block Nexstar-Tegna merger

California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta is asking a justice to unravel Nexstar Media Group’s $6.2-billion acquisition of rival TV presumption proprietor Tegna — the latest successful a flurry of merger twists.

Nexstar announced precocious Thursday that it had consummated the Tegna takeover — contempt a suit that Bonta and 7 different Democratic authorities attorneys wide had filed successful national tribunal the erstwhile day.

The authorities officials sued to artifact the national of the presumption groups, alleging the caller colossus would interruption antitrust rules and a national instrumentality limiting broadcast presumption ownership.

The suit was filed successful U.S. District Court successful Sacramento.

Hours aft that filing, the Federal Communications Commission’s Media Bureau successful Washington approved Nexstar’s woody — clearing the mode for the nation’s largest TV presumption radical proprietor to swallow the third-largest presumption group.

The acquisition gives Nexstar, which owns KTLA-TV Channel 5 successful Los Angeles, 265 tv stations.

On Friday, Bonta and the different attorneys wide asked a justice for a impermanent restraining bid to frost the takeover until a proceeding connected the matter.

“Nexstar/Tegna is not a done deal,” Bonta said Friday successful a statement. “I volition not fto these firm behemoths merge without a fight.”

It was not instantly wide erstwhile a justice mightiness regularisation connected the petition for a restraining order.

Bonta appeared astatine a lawmakers’ proceeding successful Burbank connected Friday to research the impacts of different immense merger: Paramount Skydance’s projected $111-billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. Bonta’s bureau has opened an probe into the Paramount-Warner merger, but Bonta said Friday that nary determination has been made connected whether helium oregon different attorneys wide volition question to artifact it.

For now, helium is focused connected derailing the Nexstar-Tegna deal.

“We filed a suit earlier that woody closed,” Bonta told The Times. “We deliberation our lawsuit is highly strong. There is nary mode this should beryllium approved.”

At contented is whether the FCC had the powerfulness to assistance a waiver that would let Nexstar to power TV stations that scope astir 80% of U.S. households. In 2003, Congress acceptable the presumption ownership headdress astatine 39% of the country.

The Department of Justice besides gave its blessing to adjacent the deal.

The 3 FCC commissioners did not ballot connected the substance — contempt pleas from the lone Democrat connected the sheet who advocated for an unfastened process.

Approval of the merger was accelerated aft President Trump endorsed the consolidation connected Feb. 7.

“We request much contention against THE ENEMY, the Fake News National TV Networks,” Trump wrote successful his societal media post.

“Letting Good Deals get done similar Nexstar – Tegna volition assistance sound retired the Fake News due to the fact that determination volition beryllium much competition, and astatine a higher and much blase level,” Trump wrote. “GET THAT DEAL DONE!”

In a connection Thursday, Nexstar laminitis and main enforcement Perry Sook thanked Trump and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, saying Nexstar was “grateful” they recognized the “dynamic forces shaping the media landscape” and allowed the transaction to determination forward.