Federal judge blocks politically fraught TV station merger | CNN Business

Nexstar’s politically charged acquisition of a rival TV station owner, Tegna, has been halted by a federal judge in California. Friday’s court action throws Nexstar’s takeover plans into doubt and signifies a major victory for the Democratic state attorneys general who sued to block the deal last month. A leading satellite TV distributor, DirecTV, also filed suit, arguing that the Nexstar-Tegna merger would violate antitrust laws. US District Judge Troy Nunley consolidated the cases and sided with the plaintiffs in a Friday evening ruling. He wrote that the merger is “presumed likely to violate antitrust laws.” Nexstar responded by calling the Tegna deal a “pro-competitive transaction” that “will make local stations stronger and support continued investment in local journalism and fact-based news.” “We will appeal today’s decision and look forward to presenting our case on its merits before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals,” the company said. But for the time being, Nexstar can’t do anything to integrate Tegna’s stations or influence its management. Nunley had already issued a temporary restraining order that paused Nexstar’s takeover plan. On Friday