Newsmax CEO Advocates for Biased News

Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy strongly criticized the FCC's potential move to approve the $6.2 billion Nexstar/Tegna merger and to lift the existing 39% cap on how many U.S. households a single TV station group can reach. Ruddy warned that these changes, which he noted were being pushed by FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, would create a dominant, anti-Trump media conglomerate and be a "disaster for conservatives."

Ruddy's primary concern is the concentration of liberal-leaning bias that would result, not media bias itself. The Nexstar merger would create the largest U.S. TV station group, reaching over 80% of households, more than double the federal cap. Ruddy argued that President Ronald Reagan established the ownership cap because he "understood if you have left-wing networks... controlling every local station and their local news — Republicans would have little chance to win." Ruddy cited that 78% of Nexstar employees donated to Kamala Harris, identifying it as a "very liberal company" that should not be allowed to increase its national reach via a rule change that he believes violates federal law. He noted that a respected conservative legal scholar, Brian T. Fitzpatrick, had filed a brief asserting that changing the ownership rules without Congress's approval would be illegal. Ruddy urged Congress to intervene, telling consumers to contact their representatives to oppose lifting the cap and block the merger, rejecting Carr’s argument that consolidation is necessary to compete with Big Tech.