Oregon AG Sues to Block $6.2B Nexstar-Tegna Merger

AG: Oregon Media Releases

Filed March 19th, 2026

Detected March 20th, 2026

Summary

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, joined by eight other state attorneys general, has filed a lawsuit to block the proposed $6.2 billion merger between Nexstar Media Group and Tegna Inc. The lawsuit alleges the merger would substantially lessen competition, harm consumers through increased prices, and negatively impact local news delivery and jobs.

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What changed

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, along with a coalition of eight other state attorneys general, has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California seeking to block the $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna Inc. by Nexstar Media Group, Inc. The complaint alleges that the merger violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act by substantially lessening competition and tending to create a monopoly in the broadcasting market. The action also notes that the deal would violate an FCC rule, despite a presidential tweet suggesting approval.

This enforcement action aims to prevent the creation of the largest broadcast station group in the U.S., which is expected to lead to increased consolidation, higher prices for consumers, job cuts, and a reduction in local news diversity. Regulated entities in the media sector, particularly Nexstar and Tegna, face the immediate prospect of the merger being permanently enjoined. The lawsuit highlights concerns about centralized decision-making, news duplication, and the impact on local communities and advertisers. The attorneys general are seeking a permanent injunction to halt the transaction.

What to do next

Monitor litigation progress regarding the Nexstar-Tegna merger injunction.
Assess potential impacts on local news markets and advertising if the merger proceeds or is blocked.
Review internal competitive landscape and market concentration in broadcast media.

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Attorney General Rayfield Files Lawsuit, Seeking to Block $6.2 Billion Nexstar/Tegna Broadcasting Merger

March 19, 2026 • Posted in Homepage, Lawsuits and Letters, Media Release

Merger would create a media giant covering 80% of U.S. television households

Attorney General Dan Rayfield today, alongside a coalition of 8 attorneys general, filed a lawsuit to block the acquisition of Tegna Inc. (Tegna) by Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (Nexstar). Tegna and Nexstar are two major broadcast station companies that own and operate television stations throughout the country. If allowed to proceed, the deal would create the largest broadcast station group in the United States, putting more broadcast programming in the hands of fewer people, removing control from the communities they report to, cutting local jobs, and significantly impacting the delivery of news and other media content to Americans nationwide. Due to the considerable increase in consolidation, the deal is also expected to raise prices and harm consumers.

“Right now, when you flip between KGW and KOIN, you’re getting two different newsrooms with two different perspectives on what’s happening in your community,” said Attorney General Rayfield. “This deal would change that. Suddenly those two competing newsrooms would answer to the same corporate boss, making the same budget and staffing decisions, and editorial choices about what stories get told — or don’t.”

Nexstar already owns Portland’s KOIN and KRCW. Tegna owns KGW. Those two stations currently compete head-to-head for Portland viewers and advertisers. Under the merged company, that competition would disappear — replaced by a single corporate structure making centralized decisions about local coverage. A recent study identified Nexstar as the single worst offender of “news duplication” among local broadcasters — meaning its stations frequently air content that is word-for-word identical across multiple markets. Oregonians, the lawsuit argues, would receive more of the same: not local news, but whatever centrally produced content Nexstar decides to distribute.

The lawsuit, filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, alleges the merger clearly violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act, which holds that mergers that substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly are illegal. In addition to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) also has authority and responsibility to halt such a merger, as the $6.2 billion Nexstar/Tegna deal would violate an FCC rule which would prohibit this merger. However, on February 7, 2026, President Trump tweeted “Get that deal done!,” saying that the two companies should be allowed to merge in order to “Knock out the Fake News” from the “Fake News National TV Networks.” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr immediately responded on social media: “Let’s get it done.”

In filing today’s lawsuit, Attorney General Rayfield joins the attorneys general of California, New York, Colorado, Illinois, Connecticut, North Carolina, and Virgina.

The Trump Administration has shown states and consumers that it is more concerned with protecting corporate interests than doing its job to defend the public and uphold consumer protection and antitrust laws that help make life affordable for American families. Attorney General Rayfield has responded by intervening when the Trump Administration allegedly green lit the Hewlett-Packard Enterprises/Juniper Networks merger not for the public interest, but to line the pockets of its friends, and by continuing to fight for a better deal for consumers after U.S. DOJ settled days into the much-awaited Live Nation/Ticketmaster trial — an action promptly rejected by a bipartisan group of attorneys general.

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