Judge halts Nexstar/Tegna merger after FCC let firms exceed TV ownership limit

A federal judge has just blocked the Nexstar-Tegna merger, ruling the FCC ignored its own ownership cap on broadcast stations—a decision that could reshape local TV news. The ruling explicitly notes the FCC allowed Nexstar to exceed the 39% national household reach limit by 18%, a violation the court deemed unlawful. The concrete data point is the 39% statutory cap, which was exceeded by $2.6 billion in combined station value.