Before cable news channels gave us all the news all day long, it was the local news that was the lifeblood of American journalism. National stories were essential, and the meat and bread of publications like Newsweek, but when people wanted to know more about what mattered most to them, they turned to local news in the paper, on the radio, and on television.
It’s different now, especially on the print side of things. Declining revenue, increasing operating costs and a lack of interest by the heirs of the men and women who owned them accelerated the process by which the many family-owned local newspapers that once dotted the landscape were absorbed into the few companies that now dominate where and how we get our news.
These huge chains had the resources to keep local papers operating, but at a cost. Coverage of local news, at least as we knew it, has all but disappeared from print. Alarmingly, the same thing may now be happening to television. Local stations are being absorbed into ever-larger “station groups” that bring a kind of “sameness” to coverage of local events. This development mirrors the “homogenization” that destroyed the reputations of many once-great newspapers.
In some markets, stations supposedly competing with one another have been documented duplicating the same news scripts word-for-word. That, for anyone who isn’t paying attention, isn’t supposed to happen—and there are rules in place to prevent it from occurring. Nonetheless, it does, because the rules undermine rather than preserve local ownership of print, much to the detriment of the American public.
The national syndicates are made up of hundreds of local stations that reach tens of millions of viewers with “one size made to fit all” news that is similar to what is now found in the nation’s largest newspaper chains. This will more than likely contribute to the further “dumbing down” of America. Along with the lack of variety that will be their hallmark, we can’t be sure of the fairness and balance in their coverage.
That matters, which is why one proposed merger needs to be stopped. The proposed Nexstar Media Group acquisition of TEGNA, Inc. would create a company that controls 265 TV stations that reach more than 80 percent of American households. That’s more than double the maximum amount set by Congress two decades ago when the nation’s communications laws were last overhauled.
It was clear then that national control of the nation’s local media was a bad idea, so Congress took steps to prevent it. Overlooking that, Nexstar wants Brendan Carr, who President Donald Trump tapped to chair the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to rubber-stamp the merger “Approved” before giving any thought to its impact on local news.
Allowing that to happen without discussing the unprecedented power the new company would have to shape local political narratives in every part of the country while bringing “sameness” to content isn’t in the public’s interest. This is something every federal regulatory body is supposed to consider before approving any merger that comes before it.
President Donald Trump has thrown a bucket of icy water on Nexstar’s hopes for quick approval, at least for the moment. That creates an opportunity to reflect on the importance of local stations and local news in the life of the nation, and whether we will continue to value them. The media landscape is changing, and we should take it.
Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy, who opposes the merger, correctly asserts that the national audience reach cap it would violate isn’t an outdated bureaucratic artifact, as some claim. It’s a Reagan-era innovation intended to prevent anyone from dominating America’s local TV news markets.
The Reagan FCC understood that Americans trust local news, especially as it shapes political narratives. They know instinctively it is less influenced by media stars from places like New York City and Los Angeles, where attitudes differ from the rest of the country. Approving the Nexstar/Tegna merger would upend the safeguards that protect local news, but that’s not the only cause for concern. It is probably also bad business, at least for consumers.
The retransmission fees, which broadcasters charge cable and satellite companies (who, in turn, have passed them along to customers in their bills), have risen by more than 2,000 percent over the last 15 years. The merger, if approved, would make it worse. When station groups combine to gain greater negotiating leverage, consumers end up paying more.
Legal scholars suggest the FCC may lack the authority to waive the reach cap, especially considering the Supreme Court’s recent decisions in Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce and Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. But even if it doesn’t, the fact that a merged Nexstar–TEGNA entity could and would probably force consumers to pay more for diminished reporting of lesser personal value eventually should be enough of a reason not to. Instead, the Trump DOH and FCC must reaffirm the Reagan-era principle that no one—not Nexstar, not any other company, and not any billionaire with an agenda—will destroy the place and value of local news at the base of the American media pyramid.
Peter Roff is a Newsweek contributing editor, experienced journalist and commentator who has contributed to various media outlets. He has produced highly-regarded analyses of U.S. politics and public policy for a quarter of a century. He appears regularly on U.S. and international media platforms, can be followed on social media @TheRoffDraft and can be reached via RoffColumns@Gmail.com.
The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.
