Eight states, including Oregon, have requested a temporary restraining order to halt Nexstar’s purchase of media company Tegna.
On Thursday, the FCC approved the $6.2 billion merger. The decision came just hours after both the FCC and the Department of Justice said they would not oppose the deal.
Under the agreement, Nexstar and Tegna will jointly control 256 television stations across 44 states and Washington, D.C., including KOIN and KGW in Portland.
A coalition of eight attorneys general, including Oregon’s Dan Rayfield, filed a federal antitrust lawsuit just one day before officials announced the merger’s finalization. DirecTV submitted a similar challenge as well.
Both lawsuits contend that the deal would drive up costs for consumers and weaken local journalism.
In a motion for a temporary restraining order filed Friday, California, New York, Colorado, Illinois, Connecticut, North Carolina, and Virginia argue that the companies pushed the deal forward quickly, despite legal requests to delay the process.
FOX 12 has contacted both Nexstar and Tegna but has not yet received a response.
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