One America News Network (OAN), the conservative and pro-Trump cable outlet, became the latest high-profile critic of the Nexstar-Tegna merger by calling for keeping TV ownership limitation caps.
The proposed $6.2 billion merger between Nexstar and Tegna would create the largest TV broadcast group in the nation controlling major stations reaching over 80% of the U.S. market — more than double the current federal limit.
Federal broadcast ownership caps currently prohibit any one television broadcasting company from reaching more than 39% of the national audience.
The caps were first implemented under President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s to prevent major networks like CBS, NBC, and ABC from dominating local TV stations and their news programming.
In an X post this past week, OAN President Charles Herring reiterated his network's long-standing opposition to raising federal broadcast ownership caps.
Herring framed any change in the cap as a fundamental threat to market competition.
"FREE MARKETS V. QUASI-MONOPOLY," he wrote. "OAN has consistently opposed lifting the 39% BROADCAST OWNERSHIP CAP."
Herring continued: "Here's why: broadcast consolidation means HIGHER cable bills. Quasi-monopolistic leverage by broadcasters leads to more BLACKOUTS. Independent & diverse voices will disappear. Only competition (not consolidation) serves Americans. Keep markets open & free. Competition serves the consumer and our democracy."
Herring's remarks signal deepening conservative skepticism of the merger, which would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to grant waivers permitting Nexstar to exceed the congressionally-mandated cap.
And even if the FCC were to give the waiver, many legal experts believe they don't have the authority unless Congress were to change existing law.
Herring, in his X post, suggested lawmakers were "highly unlikely" to approve such a major shift, particularly in today's polarized environment.
But critics on the right argue the Nexstar transaction would harm consumers and weaken independent media voices.
OAN warned that larger station groups can drive up retransmission fees, which cable and satellite providers pass along to subscribers, ultimately resulting in higher household bills.
The network also flagged the risk of "blackouts," disputes between station owners and pay-TV providers that temporarily prevent viewers from accessing local channels.
Such standoffs have grown more frequent in recent years, often leaving customers frustrated.
OAN anchor and former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz amplified those concerns in his own X post.
"OAN stands with our viewers — not consolidated power in the media industry," Gaetz wrote, apparently positioning himself against the merger.
Gaetz, who joined OAN earlier this year, has used his platform to criticize what he sees as media conglomerates undermining competition and pushing left-leaning content.
Nexstar owns liberal NewsNation, a cable news outlet whose primetime lineup features former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo and former MSNBC host Ashleigh Banfield. During the Biden years, the network was frequently critical of then former President Trump.
Newsmax has also raised alarms about the merger, with the network arguing that excessive consolidation hurts not only consumers but also rival outlets trying to compete with large corporate station groups.
The FCC has not yet indicated how it will handle the merger application, though the deal is expected to face intense scrutiny from both regulators and lawmakers.
With both progressive and conservative critics warning against excessive media consolidation, Nexstar faces an uphill climb convincing Washington that the deal serves the public interest.
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