Three local St. Louis TV stations under same umbrella after FCC-approved $6.2B merger 77%
By Kavahn Mansouri59%
3/20/2026, 4:19:37 PM
Topics: Government Politics And Issues
BS Summary: This article contains 6 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Emotion, Negativity Bias, and Slippery Slope, with Framing Effect as the most egregious example at 19.8% saturation with 51 hits. Analysis detected 182 faulty-reasoning hits from 257 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 68.8% and a BS Rank of 77% (5,035 of 21,887 articles). This article is worse (more manipulative) than 77.00% of the article peer group.
The Federal Communications Commission approved a $6.2 billion deal on Thursday allowing Nexstar Media Group to purchase rival TV station owner Tegna despite heavy criticism from several Democratic state attorneys general.
Under the merger, the two companies together will own a total of 265 television stations in 44 states.
The purchase puts St.
Louis station KSDK, currently owned by Tegna, under the same umbrella as KPLR and KTVI, both of which were owned by Nexstar.
Eight Democratic state attorneys general, including Kwame Raoul of Illinois, sued to block the merger approved by the Republican-controlled FCC.
They argued Tegna’s purchase of Nexstar Media Group would likely result in job cuts in local newsrooms while also hurting competition in the television news industry.
“If allowed to proceed, the merger between Nexstar and Tegna would create a broadcast behemoth with control over an unprecedented share of broadcast television content, including local news and sports,” Raoul said in a statement.
“The effect would mean higher prices for Illinois consumers, less competition in local news and job cuts to newsrooms and on-air staff.
Now more than ever, consumers should have access to the diverse ideas represented in independent newsrooms.”
Virginia, California, North Carolina, New York, Connecticut, Oregon and Colorado joined Illinois in the suit.
Nexstar already owns more than 200 stations nationwide, making it the largest TV station company in the country.
Nexstar agreed to divest six stations as part of the merger deal, according to an FCC statement.
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