Attorney General Bonta Secures Victory on Nexstar/Tegna Motion, Court Calls Nexstar’s Attempt to Take Over Tegna Despite Court Order “Shocking' and “Brazen”

OAKLAND - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued the following statement after a court granted the states' motionraising concerns about actions by Tegna Inc. (Tegna) and Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (Nexstar) that violate the court's hold-separate order. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California found that Nexstar is violating the preliminary injunction by putting current or former Nexstar executives on Tegna's Board of Directors and ordered the companies to provide regular reporting to the states. The court also ordered that a special master be appointed to oversee compliance with the preliminary injunction.

"In a shocking move, Nexstar attempted to control Tegna despite a court order preventing the companies from merging. My office and our sister states went back to court, and today, the court demanded that the companies comply," said Attorney General Bonta. "The stakes here are high: This illegal mega-merger is expected to put more broadcast programming in the hands of fewer people, cut local jobs, drive up cable bills, and significantly impact how Americans get their news. We thank the court for its attention to this matter and look forward to arguing our case and blocking this merger."

In March 2026, Attorney General Bonta led a coalition of eight attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to block the merger. Since then, the coalition has grown to 13 bipartisan attorneys general. If allowed to proceed, this multibillion-dollar deal would combine the nation's largest and third-largest television-station conglomerates, creating a titan covering 80% of U.S. television households. In California, the combined entity would own half of the Big Four (FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS) network-affiliated stations in two areas: the local FOX and ABC stations in the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto area and the local FOX and CBS stations in the San Diego area. Alarmingly, in the weeks leading up to the merger's closing, reports detailed Nexstar's firing of long-standing journalists in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. Trial in this case is scheduled for July 6, 2027