Newsmax Fights Nexstar's Ambition
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The proposed $6.2 billion merger between Nexstar Media and Tegna is doing more than just shaking up local TV; it’s igniting a fierce, behind-the-scenes turf war among conservative news outlets, with Newsmax leading a surprising charge to block the deal.
At the heart of the conflict is a long-standing battle for the loyal, right-leaning audience. Fox News remains the undisputed heavyweight champion, monopolizing the conservative sphere. Meanwhile, networks like Newsmax, NewsNation (owned by Nexstar), and OAN are desperately battling for the scraps—the viewers who aren't glued to Fox.
Newsmax CEO and Trump ally, Chris Ruddy, has taken the highly unusual step of lobbying Capitol Hill and the FCC to kill the merger. His primary concern, according to critics, isn't just regulatory policy; it's the potential for Nexstar's news arm, NewsNation, to gain so much power from the merger that it becomes an even more formidable rival to Newsmax.
The deal would create a local-TV colossus with 265 stations, and its key hurdle is an FCC rule, ratified by Congress, that bars any single entity from reaching more than 39% of U.S. households.
The Newsmax Fear: Ruddy and his allies claim repealing the cap would empower "left-leaning broadcast networks." But the unspoken fear among Ruddy's detractors is more direct: The merger would turbocharge Nexstar’s overall reach, potentially granting NewsNation a massive boost in influence, resources, and credibility, thus threatening Newsmax’s ability to compete for the second-place slot in conservative news.
Ruddy's resistance has created strange bedfellows and fueled accusations of self-interest. Lobbying for more regulatory oversight is not a typical Republican stance, and Ruddy’s efforts have raised eyebrows, particularly since Newsmax is currently suing Fox News for allegedly running an illegal monopoly and suppressing its conservative rivals.
Newsmax's push to block the cap repeal is so strong that Ruddy’s critics point to his past, highly unusual support for Gigi Sohn, a Democrat who backed the 39% cap, to serve as an FCC commissioner in 2021.
A former FCC official argued that Ruddy’s motivation is clear: "Newsmax, a strong conservative right-wing network, supported what many on the right believed to be a far-left nominee because she would restrict broadcaster growth... It’s always been a narrow competitive interest."
