Washington Must Approve Nexstar-Tegna Merger to Save Local TV News
Source: "STEVE FORBES: Washington must modernize rules or local news will decline | Fox News." May 4, 2026. www.foxnews.com
The Gist
Steve Forbes argues that Washington should let Nexstar buy Tegna because local TV stations are struggling against tech giants like Google and Netflix. He says old rules about media ownership don't make sense anymore, and bigger companies can better fund local news that communities need.
Conclusion
Washington should approve the Nexstar-Tegna media merger rather than blocking it with outdated regulations
Premises
- Local TV stations face unprecedented competition from Big Tech, streaming services, and social media platforms that are siphoning away advertising revenue
- The current 39% national television ownership cap is an outdated relic from a bygone era when only three networks and local stations existed
- Scale and consolidation provide local stations with necessary resources including money, technology, and talent to compete effectively
- Blocking mergers weakens local broadcasters precisely when they need strength to fund reporters and investigative journalism
- Local news serves as essential civic infrastructure providing weather alerts, emergency information, and accountability reporting that national outlets and Big Tech don't provide
- Opponents like DirecTV have commercial self-interest rather than genuine concern for local journalism
- The failure of previous blocked mergers (like JetBlue-Spirit) demonstrates the harm of applying outdated regulatory thinking
Assumptions
- Larger media companies will invest merger savings into local journalism rather than cutting costs
- Market consolidation will not reduce editorial diversity or independence
- Current regulatory framework is the primary obstacle to local TV success
- Scale automatically translates to better journalism and community service
- Competition from digital platforms is fundamentally different from traditional broadcast competition