Legal battle to halt Nexstar-Tegna TV station merger expands with five new states - BERITAJA

California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta has enlisted caller friends successful his ineligible conflict to unravel Nexstar Media Group’s takeover of rival tv position group Tegna Inc.

Late Thursday, Bonta announced that 5 further states person joined his conjugation that is suing to artifact the $6.2-billion merger. With the further plaintiffs, the group of apical authorities rule enforcement officers has grown to 13 — and the run now is simply a bipartisan effort.

“Antitrust enforcement is not governmental — it’s about protecting moving families and helping guarantee the benefits of a vibrant system are for everyone, not conscionable well-connected corporations,” Bonta said successful a statement. “We invited our sister states into the fray and look guardant to fighting alongside them.”

The caller states are Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Vermont. They person joined existing the plaintiffs that correspond the group of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Oregon and Virginia.

Nexstar owns KTLA-TV Channel 5 successful Los Angeles.

U.S. District Court Judge Troy Nunley 2 weeks agone granted a petition by the attorneys wide to rumor a preliminary injunction halting the merger arsenic the ineligible lawsuit proceeds. The projected merger — which Nexstar rushed to complete contempt opposition from the states — would create the nation’s largest broadcast position group pinch 265 tv stations, up from 164 that Nexstar presently controls.

In dozens of markets, including San Diego and Sacramento, Nexstar would ain aggregate awesome TV web affiliates. That plagiarism has raised concerns about unit consolidations and wide newsroom layoffs.

“State attorneys wide nationwide understand conscionable really important robust antitrust enforcement is to American life — and what a rotten woody this is for consumers, for workers, for affordability, and for our section news,” Bonta said.

El Segundo-based DirecTV separately revenge a suit to artifact the deal, saying the Nexstar-Tegna consolidation would harm their business by forcing DirecTV to salary importantly higher fees for the authorities to transportation their stations arsenic portion of its programming lineup.

A Nexstar typical was not instantly disposable for comment.

Nexstar contends the woody would strengthen TV position economics, allowing stations to bolster their news gathering and grow the number of newscasts. But DirecTV countered that successful markets wherever Nexstar owns 2 stations, it relies connected conscionable 1 newsroom to programme some channels.

Nexstar’s projected acquisition of Tegna would springiness the Irving, Texas-based Nexstar stations successful 44 states covering 80% of the U.S. population.

The national judge ruled location was capable merit successful the antitrust arguments brought by Bonta and the others to region Nexstar’s takeover of Tegna until a proceedings could beryllium held to determine whether the merger is illegal.

“Nexstar must licence Tegna to proceed operating arsenic a abstracted and distinct, independently managed business portion from Nexstar,” Nunley wrote successful his 52-page bid connected April 17. “And Nexstar must put measures successful spot to support Tegna arsenic an ongoing, economically viable, and progressive competitor.”