New TV merger that includes San Antonio’s KENS5 stokes fresh fears about media consolidation

A massive media merger unveiled Tuesday would put San Antonio TV station KENS5 in new hands and further consolidate Texas broadcast outlets, igniting concerns from media watchdogs about dwindling choices for local news and content.

Irving-based Nexstar Inc. plans acquire KENS owner Tegna Inc. in a $6.2 billion deal that will test current federal regulations on media ownership limits. If approved, Nexstar — already the nation’s largest local TV station ownership group — would control 265 stations across 44 states and D.C., covering around 80% of U.S. households. That’s more than double the scope allowed under the Federal Communication Commission’s 39% ownership cap.

In a statement, Nextstar officials said the deal would allow the company to reach new markets while bolstering the value of its offerings to advertisers. The company also couched the buyout as a way to help it compete against online giants including Meta and Google, which increasingly the dominate the ad business, and remain relevant as more TV consumers switch from broadcast to cable.

However, media consolidation critics maintain that such mergers limit access to local news and diverse voices for consumers while creating a less-competitive advertising market. Nexstar’s planned takeover of Tegna, for example, would give the company control of four of Austin’s six broadcast stations.

In response to the merger, Craig Aaron, CEO of public interest group Free Press, told CNN the continued consolidation of local news hurts local communities while driving profits for big media.

“Of course, the companies leading the charge for more consolidation see local news only as a vehicle for serving political ads and spreading right-wing propaganda,” Aaron said. “For them, this is going as planned.”

Watchdogs also have raised concerns that putting local stations in fewer hands gives media groups more power to control programming and marginalize voices. In 2018, Sinclair Broadcast Group — owner of San Antonio’s WOAI and KABB — touched off a storm of criticism after requiring anchors at all 193 of its stations to read an identical warning against “fake news” that appeared to echo President Donald Trump’s frequent Twitter screeds.

Danilo Yanich, a University of Delaware professor of public policy, told the Associated Press that recent research indicates Nextstar is “biggest duplicator” of news content today. He also warned that federal approval of the company’s deal could trigger a fresh round of media buyout deals.

Exacerbating fears that Nextstar could be planning to fill San Antonio broadcasts with cookie cutter news, Tegna has cut staff at stations nationwide in recent months, including at least four newsroom employees at KENS5.

Those concerns are likely to come up before the FCC as it considers whether to approve the deal. However, it’s questionable how seriously the commission, led by Trump appointee Brendan Carr, will take them. This summer, the FCC began taking public comment on whether to eliminate the current station ownership cap, signaling Carr’s likely interest in striking them down.

Indeed, in Nextstar’s statement on the proposed merger, CEO Perry Sook praised the Trump administration for its apparently willingness to disregard previous ownership limits amid the changing media landscape.

“The initiatives being pursued by the Trump administration offer local broadcasters the opportunity to expand reach, level the playing field and compete more effectively with the big tech and legacy big media companies that have unchecked reach and vast financial resources,” Sook said.

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This article appears in Aug 7-20, 2025.