Says it violates federal antirust law A federal judge blocked the $6.2 billion merger between Nexstar Media Group and Tegna Friday evening, setting the stage for a long and perhaps costly court battle. As first reported by The Desk, U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley in Sacramento issued the 52-page injunction, stating the mega-merger violates antitrust laws, and declared it illegal, […]
A headline you thought you would never see. But here we are. If I were to tell you three years ago that Byron Allen would replace Stephen Colbert in late-night, you’d be questioning my sanity. But he we are, and that’s exactly what’s happening. In a signal that linear TV is on its deathbed, CBS announced Monday it was replacing […]
Approved despite lawsuits by states, DirecTV In a historic move, the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice approved the $6.2 billion merger between Irving, Tex.-based Nexstar and McLean, Va.-based Tegna, despite a lawsuit filed by eight state attorneys general and DirecTV. The deal officially closed Thursday night. The FCC granted waivers to Nexstar despite the national ownership cap […]
Comes after WGN layoffs [Editor’s Note: This post was updated on March 7 at 10:30 a.m.] As reported by the Sun-Times Thursday night, Fox-owned WFLD-TV/Fox 32 parted ways with anchor Scott Schneider after a decade, and executive news producer Marissa Rubino. Schneider has co-anchored the 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. newscasts with Dawn Hasbrouck since late 2023, succeeding the now-retired […]
WPIX New York and KTLA Los Angeles also hit with staff cuts, drawing the attention of SAG-AFTRA Fresh off of laying off nine employees at WGN-TV Monday, Nexstar made even more cuts on Wednesday, announcing layoffs at its KTLA Los Angeles and WPIX New York (which it operates through Mission Broadcasting) KTLA laid off five on-air personnel, including longtime meteorologist […]
Sean Lewis and Ray Cortopassi among those cut on the same day four Black lawmakers announced their opposition to Tegna deal Editor’s Note: This story was updated on February 24 at 11:10 a.m. Nexstar-owned WGN-TV announced Monday night it has laid off nine on-air anchors and reporters from its Bradley Place headquarters. The biggest name laid off was WGN evening […]
Also: Court TV sold; Trump endorses Nexstar-Tegna deal Super Bowl LX wasn’t much to look at on the field, but it still drew a large crowd. Ratings released by Nielsen Tuesday showed the game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks averaged a 39.4 household rating and 79 share and drew 124.9 million viewers across all platforms for NBC, […]
Show to last only 15 minutes [Editor’s Note: This article has been updated on January 27.] Nexstar’s WGN-TV announced Wednesday it is launching a new, weeknight political show called The Point, anchored by political editor Tahman Bradley. But in an unorthodox move, the program will air weeknights from 6:45 p.m to 7:00 p.m. starting January 26 for only fifteen minutes, […]
Stunning deal builds streaming’s clout and is a huge blow to linear TV In a stunning deal with The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – and one that could be the death knell to linear TV, Google’s YouTube – yes, the video portal where you can watch anything from cat videos to old commercials, has landed the Oscars […]
I Beats Paramount and Comcast in bidding Deal includes HBO and HBO Max; does not include WBD’s cable networks, which will be spun off Passing regulatory tests could be difficult In a move that gained steam in the 24 hours before it was announced, Netflix is buying Warner Bros. Discovery for $82.7 billion, closing a period during which two other […]
Comes after Trump expresses disdain The bid to increase scale in local television has turned into an arms race. Sinclair is the latest to make a bid to acquire a rival, this time Cincinnati-based E.W. Scripps, a company that was founded in 1878 as a newspaper chain. If successful, Sinclair would own and/or operate around 250 stations in the […]
Comes as immigration blitz continues through Chicago area The Chicago Tribune is reporting that a videographer and producer from Nexstar-owned WGN-TV was violently detained by ICE agents during a raid on the North Side Friday morning. Debbie Brockman, who has been working for the station’s creative department since 2011, was detained by agents for “obstruction” after they arrested a person […]
The Drive tops overall ratings while Kiss 103.5 FM is first in 25-54s With the continuing ICE enforcement and National Guard drama in Chicago, listeners tuned in to the city’s news, talk, and information stations in increasing numbers during the month of September in PPMs released earlier this week. Operation Midway Blitz was fanned across the nation’s third-largest radio and […]
But not without a defense of taking the show off the air Sinclair and Nexstar decided to return Jimmy Kimmel Live! to the airwaves Friday, after over a week off the air due to the host’s comments about the person who assassinated Charlie Kirk. Both parties were “engaged in discussions” with the network after ABC reinstated Kimmel on Tuesday night. […]
Sinclair and Nexstar stand their ground; they won’t air show [Editor’s Note: This post was updated at 8:45 p.m. on September 22 and at 1:30 p.m. on September 23.] Disney-owned ABC announced Monday it is returning Jimmy Kimmel Live to its regular late-night time slot on Tuesday night, after the network forced him to sit out a week due to […]
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