Judge hits pause button on Nexstar-Tegna merger

If the deal goes through and Nexstar moves forward with its $6.2 billion acquisition of one of its closest competitors, Tegna, the broadcasting giant would own more than 259 stations in the country, reaching 80 percent of U.S. households. Though seeing as it’s less than 15% of all the stations in the U.S., the FCC approved the merger that it once threatened to tank if stations carried Jimmy Kimmel Live! FCC chair Brendan Carr also waived killjoy rules preventing companies from owning more than two TV stations in the same market or stations in more than 39 percent of all markets in the U.S. Keep in mind, if the former rule had been waived in the late ’80s, the third act of UHF would largely fall apart. The injunction goes into effect on August 21, when the restraining order expires. While in place, the injunction prevents Nexstar from operating Tegna and merging any of its stations.