nexstar newsnation

---

oops see tert

owns thehill

see perry sook

gop primary mod by megyn kelly

h, NewsNation has been accused of having a rightward tilt due to its guests and for hiring former Fox News Channel chief and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Bill Shine as a consultant.

===

-=-=

an 8 26

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli promised President Donald Trump that California was “a fraudster’s paradise,” and pledged would announce charges within weeks of his appointment. That was two months ago.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Friday that Essayli talked a big game but has failed to deliver.

After the California primary election, Trump and Republicans sounded the alarm that there had to be fraud going on because it was taking too long to count the ballots in Los Angeles County.

"They are trying to steal the governor of California primary, and the mayor of Los Angeles, primary, away from two great Republican candidates. Here we go with the very late and massive numbers of mail in ballots," Trump ranted in all-caps on Truth Social.

Essayli posted his own promise to Trump on X, saying, "Without commenting on any specific investigation, my office has multiple election fraud investigations underway in coordination with @FBILosAngeles . We will follow the evidence wherever it leads and prosecute any violations of federal election law to the fullest extent."

Only a few days later, he was speaking to Glenn Beck, promising to charge individual actors “in the next … one to two months.”

“I hate to put timelines on things,” Essayli said. “We need some of these results to be certified so we can prove some of the allegations. But we will be charging some people.”

He also called on the public to send tips proving voter fraud was "widespread" in California.

“We are looking for any widespread conspiracy, if you will. Right now, I would say our investigations lean more into individual actors,” he explained. “Theoretically, I’d have to charge thousands of people to prove that it changed the outcome of the election. … But we are looking. We are looking.”

When he spoke to Chris Cuomo on News Nation, Essayli said, “there is evidence of voter fraud … and when we’re ready to bring those cases, you’ll see the evidence. You’ll see the case.”

But, that was at the beginning of the summer. On June 14, Essayli promised KCRA news, “So some of them are more developed and they’re ready to charge.”

After nothing for months, it appears the prosecutor is beginning to change the narrative, the report explained. The Chronicle cited Essayli, saying that to get access to the voter rolls, the Justice Department must sue the state of California and it might take a while.

A constitutional law professor explained how situations like this go beyond a debate about whether widespread voter fraud exists.

“At this point, unfortunately, I don’t know why anybody would believe the Department of Justice,” said Justin Levitt, who teaches at the Loyola Law School. “And that is not a thing that I relish saying as somebody who used to work there … It’s also not something that I would have said in the administration of any individual other than President Trump.”

When The Chronicle called the office to ask what the hold-up was, they were told they'd have an update in two weeks.

“It turns out that voter fraud does occasionally happen, but it is incredibly rare, like single-digits-of-balance rare,” Levitt said. “The elections in California, the elections in Southern California, the elections in other parts of California are very clean. And election officials work incredibly hard to make sure that they’re very clean. It does great disservice to the election officials when people run their mouths.”

He explained that Essayli is "a piece" of the larger whole of the Justice Department and currently the DOJ doesn't enjoy much credibility in court.

“I’m not sure this U.S. attorney has established himself as a trusted local partner with the sort of vague allegations of widespread wrongdoing that he hasn’t been able to back up. To be clear, he hasn’t been able to back it up because I don’t personally believe that these things he was saying are true," Levitt said.

Trump and Republican allies spent over a week spreading claims that fraud was afoot in California and calling for action. Levitt explained that these kinds of conspiracy theories from officials spread further mistrust and sow doubt.

-=-=

---

Pentagon pushing ‘Donroe Doctrine’ in Latin America

Phil Stewart

Updated: Jul 8, 2026

FILE: United States Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby attends a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

IFrame Content

(Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s administration sought on Wednesday to rally Latin American nations behind a revamped Monroe Doctrine, the 19th-century policy asserting U.S. primacy across the Americas that critics associate with decades of U.S. intervention.

Invoking the so-called “Donroe Doctrine” — a play on Trump’s name — in the Peruvian city of Cusco, Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby explained a dramatic policy shift in which the U.S. military started striking drug boats in the fall and deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in January.

The Pentagon is also planning to carry out joint counter-narcotics strikes with like-minded countries, a policy already under way in Ecuador.

Initial narrative leads to distrust in DHS: Ex-ICE Director | NewsNation Live

“No longer do we separate America’s defense strategy from the concerns of regular Americans – from the flood of lethal drugs into their communities and the accompanying horrendous violence, or from the impact of unchecked illegal migration into our nation,” Colby said, according to prepared remarks.

New doctrine about empowering others, US says

Colby acknowledged concerns over Trump’s invocation of the Monroe Doctrine, but said these were based on a “distorted” view.

“The best tradition of the Monroe Doctrine is about protecting our own security and interests by empowering and enabling Latin American nations,” Colby said, addressing the Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas, which also includes Canada.

Trump says Iran ceasefire is dead

Critics say the U.S. rhetoric represents modern-day imperialism. But Colby said the U.S. cannot be compared to imperial states like Britain or Portugal — smaller nations that exploited colonies to accumulate wealth and power.

“The fact is that America doesn’t need your assets or your dependency,” Colby said.

“America is an enormous country, by far the world’s most powerful state, with the world’s largest and most dynamic market, its most productive economy, its dominant currency, splendid stores of raw materials.”

He later added: “We seek your success in securing our neighborhood.”

His speech comes as elections usher in right-wing, pro-Trump governments across the region.

That includes conservative Keiko Fujimori in Peru and Abelardo de la Espriella in Colombia.

Missing 737 found near Pakistan

These join Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia and Panama in moving rightward ‌in a stark reversal of the “pink tide” that brought several leftist governments to power in the early 2020s.

Across the region, once-fringe hard-right candidates have gained traction by promising crackdowns.

Trump has shown favorites among leaders

In Colombia, the United ⁠States had imposed sanctions on leftist president Gustavo Petro, accusing him of failing to curb the drug trade.

His successor, De la Espriella, has vowed to join Trump’s Shield of the Americas, crack down on drug traffickers, ease business regulations, lower taxes and revive oil and gas projects halted under Petro.

Trump has urged like-minded governments to fight China‘s growing influence in Latin America. They include Panama with its strategic canal, which Trump has threatened to take back by force if necessary.

Colby urged Latin American nations to “protect your critical assets” from external actors, presumably referring to China.

White House launches ‘freedom fuel’ gas stations

Echoing U.S. demands of European and Asian allies, Colby also urged Latin American nations to invest more in defense, adding that some allocate less than 1% of GDP.

“There is no reason why any country, particularly those facing significant narco-terrorist threats, should spend so little on defense,” Colby said.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

---

presses a bit ron jon

Connell McShane - Wikipedia

wiki 6 26

Connell McShane (born August 4, 1977^[1]) is an American broadcaster, reporter and play-by-play commentator. He is the anchor of NewsNation Live with Connell McShane, a weekday afternoon news program seen on NewsNation. McShane previously anchored or hosted a number of programs, including Imus in the Morning, Fox Business Morning, and After the Bell.

Early life

Connell McShane was born and raised on Long Island, New York. His father grew up in Kilcar, County Donegal, Ireland. He attended Fordham University where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in communication and media studies in 1999.^[2][3]...

In 2010, McShane began co-hosting the 11am program Markets Now on Fox Business Network alongside Dagen McDowell.^[11] He was also a radio play-by-play broadcaster for ESPN's coverage of the 2013 Pinstripe Bowl.^[12]

McShane co-anchored After the Bell with Melissa Francis from 2018 to 2021.^[13] During the show, McShane reported live from swing states during the 2020 US presidential election.^[14][15] He announced his departure from Fox Business Network on May 8, 2023. ^[16]

2023–present: NewsNation

On September 12, 2023, Nexstar Media Group announced that McShane would join NewsNation as the weekday afternoon anchor for NewsNation Now.^[4] He made his debut on September 25, 2023.^[1]

---

AN 6 26 VID

NewsNation host corners MAGA senator over Trump’s election lies - Alternet.org

One of President Donald Trump's staunchest MAGA allies lashed out after being cornered on his election lies in a NewsNation interview, insisting that there is "tons of evidence" of election fraud despite the mountain of evidence to the contrary.

Trump has been rehashing his debunked claims about widespread election fraud this week, spurred on by conservative gloom over GOP candidate and ex-reality TV star Spencer Pratt losing out on a spot in the Los Angeles mayoral race's general election. Trump has also claimed that his controversial acting DNI nominee, Bill Pulte, will be doing his bidding and seeking arrests linked to his false claims about the 2020 election.

One of Trump's most outspoken allies over the years has been Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, who has proven himself to be an avowed promoter of conspiracy theories. He has also been closely involved with Trump's efforts to undermine the 2020 election results, with aides from his office allegedly being involved in a scheme to provide fake Wisconsin electors to Vice President Mike Pence as part of a plot to keep Trump in power.

On Monday, he appeared for an interview with NewsNation host Connell McShane and was pressed about he continual lack of evidence for Trump's claims of widespread voter fraud that was sufficient to tilt national election results. Johnson lashed out at the line of questioning, saying he was "getting very tired" of the argument," and insisting that there was abundant evidence.

"There's tons of evidence. There's tons of irregularities," Johnson said. "We need to take them seriously because what is absolutely true as Americans on both sides do not have confidence in our elections. That's unsustainable."

Johnson continued in a rambling fashion, claiming that allegations that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia in 2016 were "ginned up" by Hillary Clinton, calling her "the first election denier."

When McShane pressed the senator about why Trump and his allies have not presented concrete evidence of fraud during the many court hearings that have resulted from his claims, Johnson insisted that they have, but that they are ignored and not investigated further once elections are certified.

Trump himself also recently had a blow-up on national televisionwhen confronted about his election fraud claims, storming out of an interview with NBC News' Kristin Welker when she pressed him about the lack of evidence. Trump said that she was either "crooked" or "stupid" for asking him about it, and insisted that U.S. elections are still rigged.

---

--> FASCISM

an 9 25

In an article for Salonpublished Sunday, the outlet’s executive editor, Andrew O’Hehir, argues that Americans have been given a harsh reminder: Democracy isn’t guaranteed, and beyond merely consenting to be governed, citizens must take an active role to defend it.

He warned that many of the formal institutions, especially the U.S. Constitution, are showing signs of decay, undermined “from within” by what he sees as encroaching authoritarianism.

O'Hehir writes that the confrontation over late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s show is presented not as just a media squabble, but a test case.

"Jimmy Kimmel’s cancellation is a test case, designed to measure the breadth and power of the accelerating authoritarian coup now underway in America," he said.

Late-night comedy and other cultural institutions become battlegrounds, in part because they sit at the intersection of public opinion, dissent, and broad reach, he noted.

IFrame Content

O’Hehir added that large media companies, many now under oligarchic ownership or dominated by finance capital and big tech, are becoming more reliant on those in power.

"The MAGA assault on late-night comedy — which is doubly vulnerable, as both a fading cultural institution and the veritable definition of First Amendment-protected speech — represents a kind of pincer movement, bringing together multiple overlapping fascist tendencies," he wrote.

"On one hand, we see the consolidation of mainstream media companies, now increasingly under the oligarchic control of Big Tech and finance capital, and increasingly dependent on the corrupt Trump regime to approve their corrupt cartel-building mergers and acquisitions. On the other, we see the regime’s undisguised campaign to restrict and punish dissent, and to redefine 'free speech' as a conditional benefit conferred only on its most loyal grovelers and forelock-tuggers, and subject to revocation at any time.

He cited Sinclair and Nexstar as examples of companies that pushed against Kimmel, seemingly aligning with Trump-friendly narratives.

The editor argued that many of the pillars of democracy — courts, civil service, justice departments, regulatory agencies — are weakened, co-opted, or acting as enforcers of the regime rather than checks upon it.

"The Supreme Court has given Trump free rein, the FBI and Justice Department have become his enforcers, the civil service has been co-opted and subverted, the public health agencies have been conquered by moonbats and Republican state legislatures are doing their best to rig the midterm elections. As [Bill] Curry puts it, leaders at white-shoe law firms, elite universities and major foundations have repeatedly surrendered without a shot, revealing themselves as 'traitors, cowards, rank opportunists or simply inept.'"

---

NEWSWEEK 9 25

ABC has pulled Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show off the air after comments the comedian made about the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk, and following pressure from the network's affiliates as well as the nation's TV regulator.

"Jimmy Kimmel Live will be preempted indefinitely," a spokesperson for the Disney-owned broadcaster said in a statement shared with various news outlets on Wednesday.

The move has drawn praise from allies and supporters of President Donald Trump, but sparked condemnation from Democratic lawmakers and free expression advocates.

The context of Kimmel's cancellation has led to allegations that business interests—particularly those concerning a delicate merger approval process involving the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and ABC affiliate Nexstar—may have played a role.

Taken together, some have interpreted this as a form of indirect censorship of the political Left by the Trump administration. Similar concerns were raised following the recent cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

"First Colbert, now Kimmel. Last-minute settlements, secret side deals, multi-billion dollar mergers pending Donald Trump's approval," said Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren. "Trump silencing free speech stifles our democracy."

Newsweek has contacted ABC, Nexstar and the FCC via email for comment.

Why It Matters

In the wake of Kirk's killing, the Trump administration has taken a series of actions critics believe undermine longstanding commitments to free speech in the U.S.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned foreign nationals celebrating his death online to "prepare to be deported," Vice President JD Vance has encouraged people to report those who do so to their employers, and Attorney General Pam Bondi has come under fire for urging a crackdown on "hate speech"—a move many believe clashes with First Amendment protections.

Russian State TV Floats Theory Trump Planned Charlie Kirk's Killing

### Brendan Carr's 'Censorship' Remarks Resurface After Jimmy Kimmel Suspension

### Donald Trump Praises George Orwell Amid Free Speech Crackdown Concerns

### Donald Trump Reacts to Jimmy Kimmel Live! ABC Suspension

The administration of President Joe Biden faced similar criticism and accusations of censorship over the pressure it placed on social media companies to remove accounts and posts relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 presidential election that were considered misinformation. In June 2024, the Supreme Court rejected cases claiming that these amounted to an unconstitutional violation of free speech.

Why Was Jimmy Kimmel Taken Off the Air?

During his Monday night monologue, Kimmel made remarks about Kirk's death and its aftermath, suggesting that Trump supporters were attempting to capitalize on the murder and distance themselves from the alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson.

"We hit some new lows over the weekend, with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it," Kimmel said.

Kimmel also mocked President Trump's seemingly uninvolved response to a reporter's question on Kirk's death.

In an interview with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson on Wednesday, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump ally and appointee, called Kimmel's comments "some of the sickest conduct possible," and said that there could be "a path forward for suspension over this."

"This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney," he added. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Carr also urged other media companies and local broadcasters to "push back" and stop airing the show.

:{:{FCC Chairman Brendan Carr testifies before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government at the Rayburn House Office Building on May 21, 2025 in Washington, DC.}:

Following Carr's interview, Nexstar Media Group, the owner of several ABC affiliate stations, announced that it would stop airing the show "for the foreseeable future" over Kimmel's remarks.

"Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets," the statement read.

This sequence of events has raised questions about the extent to which this decision was guided by financial motivations rather than genuine outrage over Kimmel's comments.

Nexstar, one of the biggest station owners in the U.S, is currently attempting to complete a merger with fellow TV giant Tegna. The nature of the merger—valued at $6.2 billion—requires the approval of the FCC, and for it to loosen longstanding ownership regulations. These include federal laws barring a single entity from owning TV stations that together reach over 39 percent of American households, and guidelines on the total number of stations that can be owned in a single market.

Sinclair, ABC's largest affiliate group, similarly objected to Kimmel's remarks, and said it would be pulling the late-night show from its stations "indefinitely." Sinclair praised FCC Chairman Carr's comments, and asked Kimmel to issue an apology to Kirk's family, and to make a "meaningful personal donation" to both them and Turning Point USA, the conservative outreach group founded by Kirk.

"Regardless of ABC's plans for the future of the program, Sinclair intends not to return Jimmy Kimmel Live! to our air until we are confident that appropriate steps have been taken to uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform," Sinclair said.

According to CNN, Sinclair—like Nexstar—has matters awaiting approval from the Trump administration.

Newsweekhas contacted Sinclair via email for comment.

After ABC followed suit, Johnson boasted that it was his podcast with Carr that led to Kimmel's show being taken off the air.

"It's called soft power. The Left uses it all the time," he wrote on X. "Thanks to President Trump, the Right has learned how to wield power as well."

FCC Chairman Carr, meanwhile, responded to CNN's request for a reaction with a GIF taken from The Office,in which the characters Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute are pumping their hands in the air in celebration.

What People Are Saying

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, in an interview with Sean Hannity on Wednesday evening, said that broadcast licenses carry "a unique obligation to operate in the public interest."

Commenting on the decisions by Nexstar and Sinclair to pull the show, Carr added: "I'm very glad to see that American broadcasters are standing up to serve the interests of our community."

President Donald Trump reacted to the news on Truth Social, writing:"Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that's possible. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!! President DJT."

Andrew Alford, President of Nexstar's broadcasting division, said: "Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue."

Anna Gomez, the only Democratic commissioner at the FCC, posted to X: "An inexcusable act of political violence by one disturbed individual must never be exploited as justification for broader censorship and control. This Administration is increasingly using the weight of government power to suppress lawful expression."

The Writers Guild of America (WGA), a Hollywood labor union, said in a statement:"Shame on those in government who forget this founding truth. As for our employers, our words have made you rich. Silencing us impoverishes the whole world. The WGA stands with Jimmy Kimmel and his writers."

California Governor Gavin Newsom posted to X: "Corrupt, despicable, & spineless behavior. A coordinated effort to control the media is happening before our eyes & it needs to be called out."

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren posted to X:"First Colbert, now Kimmel. Last-minute settlements, secret side deals, multi-billion dollar mergers pending Donald Trump's approval. Trump silencing free speech stifles our democracy. It sure looks like giant media companies are enabling his authoritarianism."

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) reacted: "The government pressured ABC—and ABC caved. The timing of ABC's decision, on the heels of the FCC chairman's pledge to the network to "do this the easy way or the hard way," tells the whole story. Another media outlet withered under government pressure, ensuring that the administration will continue to extort and exact retribution on broadcasters and publishers who criticize it."

What Happens Next?

Sinclair said that its ABC stations will air a tribute to this Friday, during Jimmy Kimmel Live's usual time slot.

---

no lnx

charlie kirk

Nexstar Led the Charge Against Jimmy Kimmel. It Had a Business Motive.

By Matt Stieb, Intelligencer staff writer

There are many household names in the corporate-media landscape, conglomerates like News Corp and Comcast that control the world’s flow of information and entertainment. But Americans are learning a new one this week in Nexstar, which led the charge to kick Jimmy Kimmel off television.

On Wednesday night, after Jimmy Kimmel Live! was pulled from ABC indefinitely for the host’s comments about the assassinated conservative broadcaster Charlie Kirk, reports emerged that Nexstar had decided to cut the show from the 32 ABC stations it owns. With the pressure on from Nexstar — and potential retribution coming from President Trump’s FCC — ABC then decided to cut Kimmel’s late-night show entirely.

The comment in question came on Monday night, when Kimmel said that the “MAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.” Only “in between the finger-pointing, there was grieving,” he added. In a statement, Nexstar’s president of broadcasting wrote that Kimmel’s comments were “offensive and insensitive” and do not reflect the “values of the local communities in which we are located.”

As criticism mounts over the decision to bend to Trump’s campaign to silence voices critical of Kirk and his administration at large, people are looking at the political motivations of the largest owner of individual news stations in the country. Past campaign contributions show a general rightward lean for the company, whose affiliated donors gave just under $125,000 to the Republican National Committee in 2024. But the primary motivation for any support of Trump’s push to silence critics may emerge from Nexstar’s business model itself.

Acquisition has been the entire game for Nexstar since the company bought its first TV station in the late 1990s. Since then, it has expanded to over 200 local stations across the country. It owns NewsNation, the other-other cable-news channel that has recently been outperforming CNN and MSNBC in Saturday prime-time ratings. It owns The CW, which broadcasts NASCAR, college football, and shows like Totally Funny Animals. It owns the news-media aggregator The Hill, which may require some “full disclosure”

segments as its writers cover the fallout over its parent company’s actions.

Nexstar makes a lot of money through owning all this stuff, reporting $1.23 billion in net revenue in the second quarter. But it wants to own more. In August, it announced the $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna, a rival company that owns 64 additional TV stations, as well as the True Crime Network. In interviews dating back to Trump’s election, CEO Perry Sook has stated his intention to “move with a sense of urgency” to take advantage of a friendly climate for mergers under the FCC led by commissioner Brendan Carr. Hours before Kimmel’s suspension was made public, Carr said that Kimmel’s comments were “truly sick” and that there was a “strong case” for the FCC to act against ABC’s parent company, Disney.

When he announced the Tegna deal in August, Sook praised the Trump administration for offering “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.” If the deal went through, Nexstar would have the firepower to compete, becoming the largest provider of local TV in the country.

For his part, Trump, who reportedly tried to get Kimmel fired as early as 2018, has praised ABC’s indefinite suspension, and now he wants to take on the “two losers” Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, as he wrote in a Truth Social post on Wednesday. And even if the Tegna deal was somehow kicked down by Trump’s merger-friendly FCC, politics is still great business for Nexstar. Last year, it sold almost $500 million in political ads.

What Is Nexstar, the Company That Silenced Jimmy Kimmel?

---

[### Nexstar CEO praises Trump administration as local TV ...

The Independent

https://www.the-independent.com › ... › US politics](https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/nexstar-tegna-merger-tv-deal-ceo-trump-b2810500.html)

Aug 19, 2025 — Nexstar CEO Perry Sook heaped praise on Donald Trump and his administration while announcing a mega deal with local TV rival Tegna. (

---

9 25

Nexstar_Media_Group

NO REAL TAlk

nexstar Media Group, Inc. is an American publicly traded media company with headquarters in Irving, Texas; Midtown Manhattan; and Chicago. The company is the largest television station owner in the United States, owning 197 television stations across the U.S., most of which are affiliated with the four major U.S. television networks and MyNetworkTV in markets as large as New York City and as small as San Angelo, Texas. It also operates all of the stations owned by certain affiliates such as Mission Broadcasting and Vaughan Media, under local marketing agreements to satisfy existing regulations set in place by the Federal Communications Commission.^[2][3][4][5]

In addition, Nexstar owns one radio station, WGN in Chicago, operates mid-major TV network The CW and oversees The CW Plus syndication service through a 75% majority stake, in which all CW and CW+ affiliates the company previously owned became directly owned-and-operated stations (O&O).^[6][7] The company also owns two terrestrial television networks airing classic shows, Antenna TV and Rewind TV, one FAST channel airing sports programming, SportsGrid, and controls pay television network NewsNation.

History

1996–2010: Formation

[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nexstar_Broadcasting_Group_logo_%281996-2006%29.svg)

Nexstar Broadcasting Group logo (June 17, 1996–2006)

Nexstar Broadcasting Group logo (2006–January 17, 2017)

:{:{Nexstar Media Group was formed as Nexstar Broadcasting Group on June 17, 1996, initially backed by ABRY Partners.^[8] The first television station bought by Nexstar was WYOU in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Nexstar bought WYOU from Diversified Communications.^[9] The sale was completed on September 28 of that year.^[10] Nexstar promptly fired two anchors and laid off several long-term staff members.^[9][11] Nexstar founder Perry Sook said that WYOU would be Nexstar's flagship station, keeping an office off the newsroom for years.[citation ^needed]}:

In 1998, Nexstar purchased WBRE-TV in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Because this was in the same market as WYOU, WYOU was 'sold' to Mission Broadcasting. This began the first-ever 'shared-services' agreement between stations. WYOU's sales staff was kept in Scranton, while the production and news operations were moved to WBRE's offices in Wilkes-Barre. WYOU staff who were not laid off were fired by Nexstar, hired by Mission, and eventually rehired by Nexstar. Mission Broadcasting then paid Nexstar to operate and control the production and news-gathering operations while Mission kept the sales and management team.[citation ^needed]}:

In 1997, Nexstar acquired WJET-TV in Erie, Pennsylvania, from Jet Broadcasting, for which it paid $18.5 million.^[12]

On January 12, 1998, Nexstar acquired three stations owned by the U.S. Broadcast Group, including KFDX-TV, KBTV-TV, and KSNF, for $64.3 million.^[13] In 1999, Nexstar bought out WROC-TV in Rochester, New York, from Smith Broadcasting.^[14]

In 2003, Nexstar acquired Quorum Broadcasting, owner of ten television stations.^[15][16][17] Also that year, it went public on the NASDAQ, and purchased KARK-TV and WDHN-TV from Morris Multimedia.^[18] In 2006, Nexstar bought out WTAJ-TV and the licensee rights of WLYH-TV from SJL Broadcasting for $56 million.^[19]

On March 20, 2009, Nexstar operated television stations that were owned by Four Points Media Group through an outsourcing agreement. However, on September 8, 2011, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced its intent to purchase the Four Points stations outright and took over the MSA for the stations that October upon Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approval of the deal. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gave final approval of the group deal on December 21, and the Sinclair purchase of the Four Points stations was completed on January 1, 2012.^[20]

2011–2013: Retransmission consent dispute with Fox

In 2011, Nexstar and Fox entered into a dispute over terms of reverse compensation; this occurred as Fox began to aggressively seek shares of earnings from retransmission consent agreements with cable and satellite operators as part of affiliation agreement renewals between station groups with affiliates whose affiliation contracts had already expired (and carrying the network's programming without a contractual agreement) or were near expiration. Reportedly, the amount from retransmission consent fees from cable and satellite operators that Fox wanted its affiliates to pay the network would be 25 cents per subscriber during the first year of the affiliation agreement, increasing to 50 cents by the fourth year.^[21] President of affiliate sales and marketing for Fox, Mike Hopkins, had said earlier in the year that the network would consider moving its affiliation to another market station as a last resort if existing affiliates did not agree to the terms for reverse compensation retrans sharing.^[22]

:{:{Fox dropped its affiliation from Nexstar-owned/managed stations in four markets, with three of the replacement stations adding Fox in addition to existing affiliations with the MyNetworkTV programming service (owned by Fox parent company News Corporation). In Indiana, two markets saw Fox go from a primary affiliation of one station to joining an existing MyNetworkTV-affiliated digital subchannel of a competing Big Three station, with MyNetworkTV going to a secondary affiliation: in Evansville, Fox moved from WTVW (which then became an independent station and later joined the CW) to a MyNetworkTV-affiliated subchannel of CBS affiliate WEVV-TV on July 1, while in Fort Wayne, the Fox affiliation moved from WFFT-TV to a MyNetworkTV-affiliated subchannel of NBC affiliate WISE-TV on August 1.^[23]}:

The network also moved its affiliation in Springfield, Missouri from KSFX-TV (operated in a duopoly with area CBS affiliate KOLR) to upstart MyNetworkTV affiliate KRBK on September 1, 2011, with both stations becoming independents.^[23] Nexstar chose to drop Fox from WFXW in Terre Haute, Indiana and re-affiliate with ABC on September 1, 2011 (becoming the only Nexstar station thus far to affiliate with another network following the removal of the Fox affiliation) as part of a long-term renewal agreement between Nexstar and ABC for the group's nine existing ABC stations, reversing a 1995 switch that saw Terre Haute losing over-the-air carriage of ABC programs (since then, ABC has been seen in the market via Indianapolis affiliate WRTV on area cable and satellite providers);^[24][25] the Fox affiliation then moved to a digital subchannel of CBS affiliate WTHI-TV which also added MyNetworkTV as a secondary affiliation. Nexstar's remaining Fox affiliates have since signed a renewal agreement through December 2013;^[26]

In addition, following the settlement of Nexstar's antitrust lawsuit against WISE-TV's then-owner Granite Broadcasting, WFFT-TV reclaimed the Fox affiliation on March 1, 2013.^[27][28] Nexstar would purchase KRBK in late 2018, restoring its ownership of the Fox affiliation in the Springfield, Missouri market.}:

2012–2019: Expansion by acquisitions

In July 2012, Nexstar agreed to purchase eleven stations and Inergize Digital Media from Newport Television, with two stations going to affiliate Mission Broadcasting.^[29] On August 12, 2012, Nexstar sold KBTV-TV to Deerfield Media, which entered into a JSA and SSA with Sinclair Broadcast Group to become a duopoly with KFDM-TV.^[30]

On April 24, 2013, Nexstar announced that it would acquire the entire group of Communications Corporation of America, KMSS-TV, KPEJ-TV, and most of the ComCorp-managed stations that are owned by White Knight Broadcasting would be sold to Mission Broadcasting while WEVV-TV and White Knight Broadcasting's KSHV-TV would be sold to a female-controlled company called Rocky Creek Communications, with Nexstar assuming operational control of those stations.^[31]

On September 16, 2013, Nexstar announced that it would acquire WOI-DT, KCAU-TV, and WHBF-TV from Citadel Communications for $88 million. Nexstar immediately took over the stations' operations through a time brokerage agreement.^[32] The deal followed Phil Lombardo's decision to "slow down", as well as a desire by Lynch Entertainment to divest its investments in WOI and WHBF; Citadel would continue to own KLKN, WLNE-TV, and its Sarasota properties.^[33] On March 5, 2014, the Federal Communications Commission approved the sale of these stations to Nexstar outright and the deal was completed on March 13. KCAU continued to use Citadel's standardized news sets, graphics and logos.[citation ^needed]

On November 6, 2013, Nexstar announced that it would purchase the Grant Broadcasting stations for $87.5 million. Due to Federal Communications Commission ownership regulations, one of the stations, KLJB, was spun off to Marshall Broadcasting Group, but is operated by Nexstar through a shared services agreement.^[34] The sale was completed on December 1, 2014.^[35] In 2015, Nexstar sold off the licensee assets of WLYH-TV, the CW affiliate to Howard Stirk Holdings.^[36]

On March 13, 2014, Nexstar announced that it would purchase Internet Broadcasting, for $20 million. The company had also recently acquired competitor Inergize Digital through its purchase of assets from Newport Television, followed by Enterprise Technology Group, a spun-off joint venture between LIN Media and Fox Television Stations. The providers were merged to form Lakana, led by former ETG CEO Phillip Hyun.^{[37][38][39][40}] On October 23, 2014, Nexstar bought out KASW in Phoenix from SagamoreHill Broadcasting and Meredith Corporation, and it was completed on January 30, 2015.^[41][42]

On February 2, 2015, Nexstar finalized its acquisition of Yashi, a location-focused, video-advertising and programmatic-technology company, for $33 million.^[43] On November 17, 2015, Nexstar announced its intent to purchase West Virginia Media Holdings' stations (WOWK-TV in Charleston, WBOY-TV in Clarksburg, WVNS-TV in Ghent, and WTRF-TV in Wheeling) for $130 million. The company took over the stations' non-license assets under a time brokerage agreement in December 2015 pending the formal completion of the deal, expected in late 2016. The two companies viewed the acquisition as being a complement to Nexstar's WHAG-TV, whose coverage area includes the Eastern Panhandle region. Nexstar CEO Perry A. Sook is an alumnus of WOWK.^[44] The sale was completed on January 31, 2017.^[45]

On August 1, 2018, Nexstar bought out KRBK in Springfield from Koplar Communications for $16.45 million, and also bought out WHDF in Huntsville from Lockwood Broadcast Group for $2.25 million.^{[46][47][48][49][50][51}] On November 1, 2018, Nexstar bought out MyNetworkTV affiliate KFVE in Honolulu from American Spirit Media as part of transactions requiring from the Raycom Media/Gray Television merger.^[52] In spring 2019, Nexstar launched Border Report, a website focusing on news stories from the Mexico–United States border.^[53]

On November 5, 2019, it was announced that Nexstar would acquire Fox Television Stations-owned WJZY and MyNetworkTV outlet WMYT-TV in Charlotte, North Carolina for $45 million. In turn, it also announced that it would sell its duopoly of Seattle-based KCPQ and KZJO (along with Milwaukee-based WITI) to FTS in a separate deal worth $350 million. Nexstar made the transactions to pay down debt and consolidate operations in the Southeast. The sale closed on March 2, 2020.^[54] As part of a settlement between the parties in litigation over the failed deal, Sinclair had to sell WDKY-TV in Lexington, Kentucky, and the non-license assets of KGBT-TV in Harlingen, Texas, to Nexstar Media Group for $60 million on January 27, 2020.^[55] The company's founder, Perry Sook, had once been a principal of Superior Communications, who owned the WDKY property, making the sale to Nexstar a homecoming of sorts. WDKY's transaction was completed on September 17, 2020.^[56]

2015–2017: Acquisition of Media General

On September 28, 2015, Nexstar announced that it had presented an unsolicited offer to buy Media General for $4.1 billion (including debt). Per share, shareholders of Media General would receive $10.50 in cash and 0.0898 shares of Nexstar, a total equivalent of $14.50 per share. Nexstar's offer was seen by analysts as a maneuver to torpedo the merger of Media General with Meredith Corporation (announced on September 8). If Media General agreed to the counteroffer within a 20-day period, Nexstar would expand its portfolio to 114 television stations, pending spinoffs in markets where both own stations and federal approval.^{[57][58][59][60][61}] On November 16, Media General rejected the offer but agreed to negotiate after concluding its merge with Meredith.^[62]

On January 27, 2016, Media General announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Nexstar in a deal valued at $17.14 per share, valuing the company at $4.6 billion plus the assumption of $2.3 billion debt. The combined company became known as Nexstar Media Group, and owns 171 stations, serving an estimated 39-percent of U.S. households. The company paid Meredith Corporation (whom Media General had previously proposed a merger with) a termination fee of $60 million and gave Meredith right of first refusal to acquire any broadcast or digital properties that may be divested during the purchase. The deal also included contingent value rights for Media General shareholders if it sold spectrum from its stations during the FCC's spectrum incentive auction (a clause that Meredith did not exercise).^[63][64]

On May 27, 2016, Nexstar announced the sales of five stations. WCWJ in Jacksonville, Florida, along with WSLS-TV in Roanoke, Virginia, was sold to the Graham Media Group; and KADN-TV, as well as KLAF-LD in Lafayette, Louisiana, was sold to Bayou City Broadcasting, with KREG-TV in Glenwood Springs, Colorado going to Marquee Broadcasting as part of a series of divestitures required following Nexstar's acquisition of Media General due to Federal Communications Commission ownership caps (the sale of the Roanoke and Lafayette stations are required as Media General and Nexstar both own stations in those markets).^[65] On June 3, 2016, it was announced that Nexstar would spin off WBAY-TV in Green Bay, Wisconsin and KWQC-TV in Davenport, Iowa to Gray Television for $270 million.^[66][67]

On June 13, 2016, Nexstar announced that it would sell WFFT in Fort Wayne, Indiana; KQTV in St. Joseph, Missouri; KIMT in Rochester, Minnesota; WTHI-TV in Terre Haute; and WLFI in Lafayette, Indiana to Heartland Media, through its USA Television MidAmerica Holdings joint venture with MSouth Equity Partners, for $115 million. The divestitures were in order to allow Nexstar to comply with FCC ownership rules (specifically pertaining to national market coverage for station owners) in advance of the approval proceedings of the merger of both groups (Nexstar already owned NBC affiliate WTWO and operates ABC affiliate WAWV-TV in Terre Haute, and planned to acquire Media General-owned CBS affiliate WANE-TV in Fort Wayne).^[68]

On June 30, 2016, Nexstar announced that it would sell KASA-TV in Santa Fe, to Ramar Communications, owner of Telemundo affiliate KTEL-CD (channel 15), Movies! affiliate KUPT-LD (channel 16), and MeTV affiliate KRTN-LD (channel 33), for $2.5 million.^[69] KASA and KRQE were both ranked among the top four stations in the Albuquerque market during the November 2015 sweeps period, which meant that the company had to divest one of the two stations to comply with the FCC duopoly rules.^[70]

The transaction was approved by the FCC on January 11, 2017, and the sale was completed on January 17.^[71]

2017–2019: Merger with Tribune Media

On April 30, 2017, The Wall Street Journal reported that there were competing bids for Tribune Media from Nexstar and a partnership between 21st Century Fox and private equity firm Blackstone Group.^{[72][73][74][75}] However, on May 8, 2017, it was announced that Tribune reached a deal to be acquired by Sinclair Broadcast Group.^[76] On May 26, 2017, it was reported by DealReporter that Nexstar might be considering a bid to acquire Tegna Inc., although such a deal would likely require significant divestments due to ownership conflicts and exceeding the ownership cap.^[77]

On November 14, 2018, after Tribune cancelled its proposed sale to Sinclair, it was reported that Nexstar was a leading bidder to acquire Tribune.^[78] On December 3, 2018, Nexstar announced its intent to merge with Tribune Media for $6.4 billion ($4.1 billion for all of Tribune's shares in cash and $2.3 billion of Tribune's debt).^[79] The merger would give the company 216 stations in 118 markets, placing it just below the FCC's market cap of 39-percent of TV households and making it the largest owner of television stations in the United States. Nexstar planned to divest some stations and "non-core" assets as part of the merger.^[80][81][82]

On March 20, 2019, Nexstar announced that it would divest 19 stations to the E. W. Scripps Company and Tegna Inc. for a total sum of $1.32 billion, with Scripps receiving eight stations (WPIX, WSFL-TV, WTKR and WGNT, WTVR-TV, WXMI, KSTU, and KASW), and Tegna eleven (WATN-TV and WLMT, WTIC-TV and WCCT-TV, WOI-DT and KCWI, WNEP, WPMT, WQAD-TV, WZDX, and KFSM-TV). Of those stations, only WPIX was not associated with a duopoly, but rather its market size (an outright acquisition under current FCC rules would cause Nexstar to exceed the 39 percent cap). The transaction involving WPIX included a $75 million option condition allowing Nexstar to buy WPIX back between March 31, 2020, and the end of 2021. In the summer of 2020, the option was transferred to Mission Broadcasting (whose station acquisitions are largely funded by Nexstar) and exercised shortly thereafter. Nexstar stated that these divestitures would be used to help fund the sale and cover debt.^[83][84] On April 8, 2019, Nexstar announced that it would sell 2 additional stations (WISH-TV and WNDY) to Circle City Broadcasting for $42.5 million.^[85]

On April 3, 2019, Marshall Broadcasting Group sued Nexstar for breach of contract, alleging that the company was trying to "undermine" its operations so it could buy back the stations at a later date and lower cost in the present regulatory environment. The company also accused Nexstar of using the divestiture of stations to a minority-owned broadcaster as a token to gain FCC approval for the associated acquisitions.^[86][87] A carriage dispute with AT&T resulted in the removal of more than 120 Nexstar stations across 97 markets from AT&T's DirecTV, DirecTV Now and U-verse platforms, which began at 11:59 p.m. on July 3, 2019, and ended on August 29, 2019.^[88][89]

On August 1, 2019, the United States Department of Justice approved the deal between Nexstar Media Group and Tribune Media.^[90][91] The merger was approved by the FCC on September 16, and would be consummated three days later.^[92]

2020–present: Launch of NewsNation and acquisition of The CW

Assets

Main article: List of assets owned by Nexstar Media Group

References

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9 25 some talk

NewsNation is an American cable news network owned by Nexstar Media Group. Known for most of its history as Superstation WGN before becoming WGN America in 2008, it relaunched on March 1, 2021, as a cable news network named after its flagship news program. The channel's relaunch came as part of a planned expansion of its news programming.^[7] The channel continued to carry some entertainment programming held over from WGN America on weekends, but this was discontinued in July 2024. After being acquired by Nexstar, The Hill and broadcast network The CW have collaborated with NewsNation on content.

In September 2018, the channel, then WGN America, was received by approximately 80-million households that subscribed to a pay television service throughout the United States (or 62.7% of households with at least one television set).^[8]

The channel has publicly claimed to be centrist, but in 2021, several NewsNation staff left the network citing concerns they were being pushed by management to lean to right-wing politics in news coverage.^[9]

History

Main article: WGN America

As a superstation

WGN America was established on November 9, 1978, when United Video Inc. began redistributing the signal of WGN-TV (channel 9) in Chicago to cable and satellite subscribers throughout the United States. This expanded the prominent independent station into America's second satellite-distributed national "superstation", after Atlanta-based WTBS became TBS.^[10][11]

As the national feed of WGN-TV, the channel broadcast a variety of programming seen on the Chicago signal, including sports (mainly Chicago Cubs and White Sox baseball, as well as Chicago Bulls basketball games); locally originated news, children's, religious and public affairs programs; movies; and syndicated series. Through the 1980s, the WGN local and national feeds maintained nearly identical program schedules, aside from some sporting events that were restricted to the Chicago-area signal under league policy restrictions. After the January 1990 re-imposition of federal syndication exclusivity regulations, programming between the two feeds increasingly deviated as the WGN national feed incorporated alternative syndicated programming to replace shows on the WGN-TV schedule that were subjected to market-exclusivity claims by individual television stations, and some local programs that the national feed chose not to clear; particularly from the late 2000s onward, as the WGN Chicago signal began expanding its local news programming and added lifestyle programs to its schedule.

On December 13, 2014, WGN America was converted by Tribune into a conventional basic cable network, at which time cable providers within the Chicago market started to offer it alongside its existing local carriage on satellite providers DirecTV and Dish Network. Simulcasts of WGN-TV's Chicago-originated local newscasts, news specials and public affairs programs, special events and sports telecasts – with the exception of a one-hour simulcast of WGN-TV's morning news program that was carried early weekday mornings during the transitional period – immediately ceased being shown on a national basis the day prior, while WGN-TV maintained a separate schedule of local and syndicated programs exclusively catering to the Chicago market. The channel began to focus squarely on acquired programming, including shows held over from its superstation era, and by 2015, began to incorporate a limited schedule of original drama and reality series.^[12][13]

Conversion to cable news channel

WGN America logo, used from January 2014 until it was renamed as NewsNation in March 2021

On September 1, 2020, WGN America launched a three-hour-long prime time newscast, NewsNation, which began development in October 2019, when Nexstar management commissioned research from television subscribers that determined a share of survey participants were dissatisfied with opinion-based programming on cable news channels such as CNN (which had previously offered straight news programming within its evening lineup, before shifting further into personality-based programming in the mid-2010s), MSNBC (which gravitated toward liberal opinion/talk programs beginning in 2008), and Fox News (developed in 1996 with a conservative-leaning format).^[14][15] The program draws partly from the broadcast and digital resources of Nexstar's television stations (including those acquired by Tribune Media, in addition to WGN America, several months prior). NewsNation boasts the resources of "over 5,000 journalists in 200 newsrooms across America."^[16]

During December 2020 and January 2021, Nexstar reached carriage agreements that added WGN America to virtual multichannel television providers YouTube TV (reached on December 1),^[17] FuboTV (reached on December 11),^[18] Hulu (reached on December 18),^[19] Sling TV (reached on December 24, through a broader agreement with Sling parent Dish Network which ended a three-week impasse in which the satellite provider lost access to Nexstar's broadcast stations)^[20] and Vidgo (reached on January 14)^[21] to expand the channel beyond its existing wireline and satellite distribution footprint, and increase exposure for NewsNation. (AT&T TV had already carried the channel since October 2019).^[22]

Expansion of news programming

On January 25, 2021, Nexstar Media Group announced that it would relaunch WGN America under the NewsNation brand on March 1, cutting all ties with the WGN brand after 43 years.^[7] The name change coincided with a gradual expansion of its news programming: expanding to nine hours per day (from six), the revised news schedule is fronted by a splintered expansion of the flagship NewsNation broadcast (adding an hour-long early evening edition, alongside the existing and now reduced two-hour NewsNation Prime) and two host-centered news and interview programs anchored respectively by Joe Donlon and Ashleigh Banfield. NewsNation reduced its schedule of entertainment programs acquired by the channel under the WGN America moniker in daytime and some overnight slots; beginning with the launch of a morning news program in 2021, the acquired entertainment shows were replaced with additional news content once syndication contracts expired.^[23][24]

NewsNation was developed under the management of Sean Compton, who was promoted to executive vice president of WGN America upon completion of the Nexstar purchase, and former WGN-TV news director Jennifer Lyons, who was reassigned by Nexstar to serve as WGN America's vice president of news.^[25] However, since its launch, NewsNation has been accused of having a rightward tilt due to its guests and for hiring former Fox News Channel chief and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Bill Shine as a consultant. The news director and managing editor quit following the disclosure of Shine's role in February 2021.^[26] Lyons announced her resignation in March amid the controversy and continued low ratings.^[27] Amid dissension from NewsNation staffers, Nexstar's CEO affirmed the schedule to convert NewsNation into an "all-news, talk, and opinion" channel by 2023.^[9]

In May 2021, Nexstar hired Michael Corn, the senior executive producer of Good Morning America, as its news director to replace Lyons.^[28] Corn then named Fox News vice president Cherie Grzech as managing editor.^[29] Later that year, NewsNation premiered more opinion programming hosted by cable news veterans Leland Vittert and Dan Abrams, as well as a morning show hosted by former ABC News presenter Adrienne Bankert.^[30]

On October 3, 2022, former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, who was terminated for advising his brother, New York governor Andrew Cuomo, about how to deal with various scandals, joined the network with an evening program called Cuomo to replace NewsNation Prime week nights, thus fully converting evening programming to personality-driven opinion and analysis shows.^[31] News contributors include former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly, former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, former White House press secretary Sean Spicer and The Washington Post columnist George Will.^[32]

On April 1, 2023, overnight drama series and infomercials were replaced with repeats of its evening talk and analysis shows; then on April 24, NewsNation permanently switched to a 24-hour all-news schedule on weekdays consisting of a four-hour rolling afternoon news block, NewsNation Now (replacing crime dramas in that slot), and an hour-long political news show, The Hill (a broadcast extension of the co-owned publication, replacing an hour of the early evening newscast NewsNation Rush Hour). The network also unveiled a new studio at its New York City bureau (located in the Daily News Building in Midtown, Manhattan, where co-operated CW affiliate WPIX, which also christened a separate new studio on that date, operates). Syndicated scripted series acquired under the WGN America brand that remain on the schedule (such as Blue Bloods and *Last Man Standing*) and time-brokered programs continued to air on weekends outside of prime time.

On June 1, 2024, NewsNation expanded its all-news format to weekends, thereby completing its four-year transition into a 24/7 cable news network. NewsNation had gradually replaced non-news programming in weekend morning and daytime slots (consisting of religious and paid programming in the early morning, and marathon blocks of Blue Bloods—its last remaining entertainment program, which completed its syndication contract the week before the transition—in the late morning and afternoon) with weekend editions of Morning in America, rolling news programs NewsNation Live and NewsNation Now, and the weekly political talk show The Hill Sunday during the first half of 2024.^[33][34]

After seeing an increase in viewership during its coverage of the disappearance and killing of Gabby Petito in 2021, NewsNation launched a new series called Missing in America which focused on missing persons cases.^[35]

Beginning in September 2024, NewsNation began to carry overflow sports programming from co-owned broadcast network The CW, specifically airing the start of the second game of a college football doubleheader under the CW Football Saturday banner after the first game ran well over its scheduled timeslot or airing the start of the college football game after NASCAR Xfinity Series races run over their scheduled time slot.^[36] Such usage of news channels for overflow weekend sports content is not unprecedented, as Fox has similarly used co-owned Fox Business for this purpose.^[37]

On November 6, 2024, NewsNation and its partner Decision Desk HQ were the first to call the 2024 United States presidential election for Donald Trump.^[38]

Coverage of UFO issues

In 2023, NewsNation gained significant attention for its focus on UFO issues,^[39][40] to which it devotes more coverage than most other cable news networks.^[39] Entertainment executive Aden Ikram, writing in Fortune, stated NewsNation's coverage was "normalizing UAPs by going where no network has gone before" in "sharp contrast" to traditional media's skeptical coverage towards UFO claims.^[40] The Washington Post said NewsNation had found a "viewership niche" in UFO coverage. UFO journalist Ross Coulthart's interview with UFO whistleblower David Grusch in June 2023 earned high ratings for the network.^[39] NewsNation's interview with Grusch was repeatedly cited during a United States Congress UFO Hearing in July 2023.^[41] NewsNation president Michael Corn told Fortune: "We are a news organization that doesn't dismiss or shy away from any story. Grusch's claims are serious and fascinating—any way you slice it, that's news."^[40] NewsNation was forced to issue corrections after incorrectly claiming that The Intercept had obtained leaked information regarding Grusch's mental health.^[39]

Presidential primary debates and forums

During the presidential primaries of the 2024 election, the network hosted their first presidential candidates debates and forums. On December 6, 2023, NewsNation and The CW were the joint television broadcasters of the fourth Republican presidential debate.^[42][43] On January 12, 2024, the network hosted a forum featuring three challengers in the Democratic primaries (Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota, Marianne Williamson, and Cenk Uygur). Incumbent president Joe Biden was invited to participate, but declined. The forum was moderated by Dan Abrams.^[44]

Availability

NewsNation is available on most multichannel television providers (including cable, satellite, IPTV, and fiber-optic-based services) within the United States. However, the channel continues to have somewhat scattershot coverage (outside of satellite distribution) in portions of the Western United States and much of the New England region. Moreover, some multichannel providers in various markets where Tribune Broadcasting had owned a television station prior to the closure of the group's purchase by Nexstar do not carry NewsNation. In the Chicago metropolitan area, NewsNation is carried by the three major cable television providers serving the immediate area (Comcast Xfinity, RCN and WOW!) and streaming providers, in addition to the WGN-TV broadcast signal.

Streaming

NewsNation streams on YouTube TV,^[45] Sling TV,^[46] Hulu,^[47] DirecTV Stream, and FuboTV.^[48]

Radio

On September 1, 2020, at the same time NewsNation was launched, the NewsNation brand expanded to radio by broadcasting its 2-minute top-of-the-hour news headlines on WGN 720 AM. These audio newscasts are also available to listen nationally on the radio section of the network's website and app.^[49]

Anchors

^[50]

Contributors

^[51]

Sara Azari
Kurt Bardella
A. Scott Bolden
Chris Cillizza
Jennifer Coffindaffer
Denise Gitsham
Lindsey Granger
Christopher Hahn
Colby Hall
Steve Krakauer
David Montgomery
Mick Mulvaney
Richard Y. Newton
Geraldo Rivera
Sean Spicer
Robert Sherman (journalist)
Tracy Walder
Jesse Webber
George Will
Lauren Wright

References

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San Fransicko author Michael Shellenberger laid out a plan to attack the scientific consensus behind gender-affirming care. Some mainstream outlets took the bait.

04/03/24

4 24 mma

Newsweek, The Washington Post, and two of the largest TV station owners in the US fell prey to a PR campaign by anti-trans activists pushing to expand conservative states’ bans

Special PROGRAMSLGBTQ

WRITTEN BY MIA GINGERICH

PUBLISHED 04/03/24

Networks owned by the largest local TV station owners in the U.S., and mainstream outlets including The Washington Post and Newsweek, recently amplified a deeply flawed report by anti-trans activists. The outlets also failed to fact-check its misinformation or provide context for the extremists behind it.

The report was covered widely by anti-trans figures and outlets, and some Republican state legislators are already using the report to call for expanding restrictions on gender-affirming care.

On March 4, anti-woke blogger and former California gubernatorial candidate Michael Shellenberger announced the release of “The WPATH Files,” a collection of leaked forum posts from an internal message board for members of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. The group is the leading body providing clinical guidance for medical professionals on gender-affirming care, and a frequent target of anti-trans activists.

The report included a loose collection of out-of-context clinical observations paired with inaccurate and editorialized commentary. An independent review from medical news outlet STAT described claims made in the report as false and oversimplified.

Specifically, as discussed by journalist and researcher Erin Reed, the report cites research that comes either from biased sources or is well over a decade old, with newer research refuting the claims. The report makes verifiably false claims about gender-affirming care and the commonality of detransition. Leaked material is inaccurately characterized throughout the report, and at other times, the content was presented without context, allowing readers to misinterpret what was said in the chat logs.

The report was of behind-the-scenes collaboration between Shellenberger and Genspect, an anti-trans activist group that promotes conversion therapy and bans on transition care for adults. The report’s analysis was written by Mia Hughes, who has an extensive history as an anti-trans writer and acted as a spokesperson for an organization that supports conversion therapy for trans youth.

“The WPATH Files” are a part of a larger strategy by anti-trans extremists to push for broad gender-affirming care bans in blue states

Genspect has shadowed WPATH’s annual conference for the past few years, running its own conference in conjunction and promoting its anti-trans rhetoric to WPATH membership.

Last year, Genspect’s conference featured talks from far-right extremists including James Lindsay — who helped popularize on social media the practice of falsely accusing LGBTQ people of “grooming” — alongside mainstay anti-trans activists like Colin Wright and Chloe Cole.

The conference also featured figures more closely associated with other fringe movements targeting established science, such as anti-vaccine activist Heather Heying and Shellenberger, best known for his skepticism and misinformation around climate science.

Shellenberger, whose most recent book San Fransicko targets progressive policy on homelessness with a similar reliance on misleading and inaccurate information, laid out his plan in a speech at that conference (which Genspect has since on YouTube).

“The name of my talk is ‘How WPATH ends,’” Shellenberger began, “and the idea here is that the obstacle is the opportunity, so when we think about the things that are getting in the way of us providing the care that people need rather than the care that they’re getting, let's think of that obstacle as the thing that's going to help us to achieve our goal.”

Shellenberger framed trans identity as one of a series of “foundational woke ideologies” alongside efforts to combat climate change and oppose racism. He also asserted repeatedly that trans identity is a mental illness, that gender-affirming care is comparable to lobotomies (a common right-wing trope), and that gender dysphoria is something that is being created and not “a natural thing.”

Shellenberger stated that he wants to end access to all gender-affirming surgeries and that he wants to use the report to target those “who are running for president, who are governors of major liberal states, because the conservatives, the Republican states, are just sort of — it’s happening,” seemingly referring to the sort of gender-affirming care bans in place in many conservative states.

Video

CitationFrom the first day of Genspect's "A Bigger Picture" conference held in Denver, Colorado, streamed on YouTube on November 4, 2023.

At the conference, Shellenberger also introduced the tool with which he hoped to accomplish these goals: the WPATH Files. He described the “obstacle” to which he alluded at the start of his talk, namely that WPATH’s credibility as a professional association replete with a peer-reviewed journal and scientific literature gave it enough authority for major medical organizations like the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics to follow its guidelines on supporting gender-affirming care.

“When WPATH ends,” Shellenberger said, “the basis for these medical mistreatments must come to an end as well.”

Shellenberger said he wants to use his report to earn coverage in news outlets “that think that everybody in this room [at the Genspect conference] is a transphobe,” which he said he hopes will help bring about the end of WPATH and access to gender-affirming care broadly, including by convincing Democrats that gender-affirming care is unscientific — an assertion that goes against a wealth of actual research.

The nation’s largest TV station owner gave the activists behind the report an uncritical platform to push misinformation

Shellenberger’s strategy of targeting outlets outside the far-right appeared to gain some traction, first with NewsNation, which ran an “exclusive” on the report.

NewsNation is the cable network for Nexstar, the largest owner of TV stations in the U.S., covering 68% of households. Launched in 2021, NewsNation billed itself as a supposedly centrist alternative to other cable networks, with Nexstar describing it as “the destination for fact-based, unbiased news.”

Prior to publishing the report on X, Shellenberger gave an interview to NewsNation’s *Elizabeth Vargas Reports

Video

CitationFrom the March 4, 2024, edition of NewsNation's Elizabeth Vargas Reports

During his interview, Shellenberger shifted from calling for an end to all gender-affirming care for trans youth to asserting that “the people that are getting these treatments must understand what’s happening to them,” claiming that “the files show very clearly that that’s not what’s happening.”

Video

CitationFrom the March 4, 2024, edition of NewsNation's Elizabeth Vargas Reports

The show also interviewed Mia Hughes, describing her simply as the “author of the report” but failing to disclose her long track record as an anti-trans writer and activist. Hughes characterized gender-affirming care as causing sterility, a piece of misinformation often repeated by anti-trans campaigners.

The outlet also interviewed Julia Mason, a pediatrician who belongs to the fringe Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine. Mason’s group is working to pass anti-trans legislation and its flawed research has been used to justify Texas’ order declaring gender-affirming care child abuse, but the network’s correspondent identified her simply as a “pediatrician in Oregon who has been sounding the alarm on medical transition of minors for years.”

Along with failing to disclose its guests’ background, NewsNation provided no pushback to the claims made in the report or by its authors. The only voice of dissent was a short quote from WPATH President Marci Bowers read by the correspondent at the end of the segment.

This is not the first time Elizabeth Vargas Reports has jumped on shaky claims from biased sources to target trans rights. The show aired similarly uncritical coverage of contested claims about gender-affirming care that were made against a St. Louis hospital last year.

As the report gained traction in other outlets outside the right, coverage failed to provide context or pushback to the Shellenberger’s report

Sinclair, the nation’s fourth largest TV network conglomerate, published an article uncritically quoting the report (with one quote from WPATH) and interviewing Shellenberger through its own program, The National Desk. Sinclair also used its immense roster of local news outlets to distribute the article to websites for local news stations, including affiliates of ABC, CBS, and NBC.

The article ends by focusing on changes WPATH made to its standards of care two years ago, which were widely mischaracterized by right-wing media to attack the organization.

Newsweek also reported on the report, publishing an article titled “Transgender Hormone Drugs Linked to Cancer” — a headline so misleading it prompted condemnation from the National LGBT Cancer Network.

Additionally, Megan McArdle, a columnist for The Washington Post who previously used a biased anti-trans source to call for compromise between the rights of trans youth and the extremists targeting them, dedicated her March 8 column to Shellenberger’s report.

Following coverage of the report, WPATH’s website was the victim of a ransomware attack, and Shellenberger took the opportunity to announce “victory” and claim the organization had removed the latest standards of care from its website, suggesting his report was responsible. He removed his triumphant posts after his claims were shown to be false.

San Fransicko author Michael Shellenberger laid out a plan to attack the scientific consensus behind gender-affirming care. Some mainstream outlets took the bait.

04/03/24

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not just 80-90's still goes on:

https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/12/company-that-owns-your-local-news-might-also-influence-federal-politics/

Dec. 3, it was announced that Tribune Media would be acquired by Nexstar Media Group for over $4 billion. The resulting company will own over 200 television stations, giving it incredible access to American homes across the country through their local news programming.

Although less overtly political than their cousins on cable, local news stations have come under increased scrutiny after the viral controversy aroused in early 2018 by a “must-run” segment on stations owned by Sinclair Media. In the segment, news anchors read from a script decrying “biased and false news” on social media and other news outlets. The script was passed down from Sinclair’s corporate office in Maryland.

“Unfortunately, some members of the media use their platforms to push their own personal bias and agenda to control ‘exactly what people think’” said the script. “This is extremely dangerous to a democracy.”

Many Americans rely on stations owned by companies like Sinclair, Tribune Media and Nexstar Media Group to stay informed on local politics. But, aside from their reporting, these organizations dabble directly in politics and elections more than one might expect.

Nexstar Media Group’s PAC, for instance, has steadily ramped up its spending on political causes from 2014, with $27,100 spent that year, $95,700 spent in 2016 and $196,500 in 2018. The PAC favors Republicans, but only slightly. (They gave $5,000 to Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) in the 2018 cycle, but also gave $2,500 to Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.))

The PAC gave $10,000 to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and the same amount to committees associated with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-K.Y.) and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in 2018. They also gave $5,000 to Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).

As the PAC distributed its funds, stations owned by Nexstar were covering politics and political races across the country. One segment, run by Nexstar-owned WATE in Knoxville, Tennessee, focused on an anti-Phil Bredesen ad that was “censored” by Facebook. (Bredeson was Blackburn’s opponent in the 2018 Tennessee Senate race.) A Memphis station owned by Nexstar also ran a version of this story. Another WATE story featured anti-Blackburn protestors demonstrating during a moment of silence for the Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting victims at a campaign event.

KTSM, an El Paso, Texas station owned by Nexstar, re-ran an article from the Texas Tribune exploring the effect of “Hispanic identity” on the Senatorial race that pitted Beto O’Rourke against Cruz. El Paso is O’Rourke’s hometown.

A July segmentin Centex Proud, a Fox-affiliated, Nexstar owned, Waco-area station, covered a Cruz event saying “(Cruz) is excited to see the current economy and business boom – with the lowest unemployment rate for Hispanics and African-Americans in a decade. He says Texas is prospering because of this, and now says it’s time to complete the jobs underway.”

Yourcentralvalley.com, a Nexstar site affiliated with NBC covering Fresno, California, ran a storyabout Kevin McCarthy’s claims that California Democrats had fallen out of touch with voters. In addition to its station in Fresno, Nexstar owns a station in Bakersfield. Fresno and Bakersfield are a stone’s throw from the 23rd congressional district where McCarthy has his seat.

They also own a station in San Francisco where Nancy Pelosi is the congressperson for the 12th district and where Dianne Feinstein was mayor in the 80s. The San Francisco station, KRON4, has run stories on both Pelosi and Feinstein. Pelosi even gave the station an exclusive interview.

Perry Sook, Nexstar’s CEO, gave $5,000 to the company’s PAC in the 2014, 2016 and 2018 election cycles. Thomas Carter, the CFO, did the same. So did Timothy Busch, the president of the company’s broadcasting subsidy.

The Chief Technology Officer, Brett Jenkins, gave $5,000 to the PAC, but only in 2018. Gregory Raifman, president of Nexstar Digital, gave $2,500 that year. Executive Vice President Elizabeth Ryder gave $2,500 in 2014 and 2016, then beefed up her contribution to $5,000 in 2018.

The company also spent $390,000 lobbying during this period and employed a former chief counsel to Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and a former deputy staff director for Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) as lobbyists.

After its merger with Tribune, Nexstar will be the largest owner of local broadcast stations in the U.S. Nexstar and the Illinois-based media company already have political activism in common.

Political spending at Tribune peaked around 2000 when they gave $123,280, the majority of that to Republicans. Their political giving has since plummeted to $13,034 by 2018, all but $500 of which went to Democrats.

In 2008, Tribune gave $11,450 to then-Senator Barack Obama. (Compare that to Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign when they gave him just $1,475.) Using the Wayback Machine to return to October 2008, one can see Tribune’s official endorsement of Obama for president on the WGN-TV website. The same banner rotates between the endorsement of Obama, a banner advertising Decision 2008 coverage and links to other stories.

Tribune has another connection to Obama in Edward Lazarus, Tribune’s Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer. Lazarus is a former chief of staff to the chairman of the FCC. The FCC Chairman Lazarus served under, Julius Genachowski, was nominated to the position by Obama in March 2009.

By the 2016 cycle, Tribune was throwing $4,963 behind Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid. Another $2,000 went to Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and $1000 went to Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).

Between the 2002 and 2018 cycles, Tribune gave generously to Michigan Republican Rep. Fred Upton, climbing from $1,000 in 2002, to $4,000 in 2008, then spiked again to $5,500 in 2012. Upton represents Michigan’s sixth congressional district in the Southeast of the state. WGN-TV quoted Upton’s criticisms of the Affordable Care Actand its rollout in 2013.

Before Nexstar sealed the deal to acquire Tribune, Sinclair tried to make the same purchase. Their attempt was scuttled by regulators, but Sinclair already owns a huge swath of local television stations, 191 by their count.

After flirting with bankruptcy in 2009, Sinclair was saved in part thanks to Citizens United and the ensuing influx of political ad spending. Their giving has increased dramatically since 2010 when they contributed just $8,100 to political causes. In 2014, they contributed $263,587 and in 2016 they contributed $429,504 before dipping back down to $186,648 in 2018. In each of those cycles since 2010, they gave at least two-thirds of the money to Republicans.

Sinclair is based out of Maryland and owns twelve Baltimore-area television stations. They have given generously to Maryland politicians over the years, including Rep. Andy Harris, Sen. Barbara Mikulskiand Nancy Jacobs, a Republican state Senator who lost a race for Maryland’s second congressional district in 2012.

In 2014, Sinclair gave Mikulski $25,000. They gave another $17,600 to John Boehner and $7,900 to Paul Ryan.

In a 2015 articleon the announcement that then-Senator Mikulski would receive the presidential medal of freedom, the Fox45 site included a transcript of Mikulski’s full reaction from the floor of the Senate. Mikulski also gave the Fox station an interview on receiving the medal.

South Dakota Senator John Thune received the biggest haul from Sinclair in 2016 (over $30,000). Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen (Md.) meanwhile received $9,100.

Van Hollen gave Fox45 (the first ever Sinclair station) an exclusive interview on gun control and government spending during the same election cycle. In the days before the 2016 election, Van Hollen appeared on a Fox 45 news segment called “Your Voice” where he talked about the ease of early voting and pitched his plans to accelerate job growth in Maryland.

“Good luck on Tuesday!” the host said as he concluded the interview.

“Thanks,” Van Hollen said. “Everyone get out to vote!”

Van Hollen appeared on another Your Voice segment in April 2018. Later that summer, Fox45 covered Van Hollen’s visit to a Texas border patrol processing center.

Sinclair’s top three recipients for 2018 were Republican Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Deb Fischer(R-Neb.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), all of whom received $15,000 or more. They also gave $5,700 to Rep. Greg Gianforte, who became well known nationally after physically assaulting a reporter. Blackburn got $5,700 and Arizona Senate candidate Joe Arpaio got $2,000. Both Blackburn and Arpaiohave received lavish praise from President Trump.

Sinclair’s name recognition spiked after a Deadspin compilation synchronizing the “biased news” must-run segment went viral, but Sinclair has been distributing corporate speech through local news stations for years. Segments like “News Central” and the “Terrorism Alert Desk” have been aired as must-runs at Sinclair-owned stations. Boris Epshteyn, a former Trump staffer, has a. Sinclair was even accused of trying to influence the 2004 election by airing a documentary (Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal) that accused John Kerry of fabricating parts of his military service.

In the 2000s, Sinclair had a similar a must-run segment called The Point, hosted by a Sinclair lobbyist and ex-Navy intelligence officer. The host would criticize other media outlets for their coverage of then-President Bush, once going so far as to say that “terrorist leaders would dearly love to see President Bush replaced with Senator (John) Kerry.”

Sinclair-affiliated PACs and individuals supported Donald Trump for president in 2016 with $3,804. According to the Washington Post, Sinclair stations ran fifteen exclusive interviews with Trump and did none with Hillary Clinton.

Perhaps the most explicitly pro-Trump company in local television is Minnesota-based Hubbard Broadcasting. Hubbard’s CEO, Stanley Hubbard, is on the advisory board for a pro-Trump Super PAC.

“We ended up with one guy standing. His name is Trump. And I’m a team player,” said Hubbard, who was initially skeptical of the President, in an interview with NPR. “Our country is very important. We got to get rid of all these regulations, give the little guy a chance to get ahead and stop all this government interference in our lives.”

Hubbard Broadcasting gave $350,000 to Freedom Partners Action Fund, a Koch-network Super PAC, in the 2016 election cycle. Of that sum, $200,000 came from the company itself, $150,000 from individuals within the company. In 2014, the Hubbard Broadcasting gave the Super PAC $450,000, $300,000 from the company and $150,000 from individuals.

Hubbard Broadcasting’s political contributions peaked in 2016 when they gave over $1 million to Republicans. That year they gave $18,500 to Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and $16,300 to Ted Cruz.

In 2018, their top four recipients were all Minnesota politicians: Republican Senate candidate Karin Housley, Rep. Erik Paulsen, Emmer and Rep. Jason Lewis. Each of the candidates received tens of thousands from Hubbard.

ABC 5, a Hubbard-owned station, reported on 2009 Facebook comments made by Housley in which she likened Michelle Obama to a chimpanzee. The article includes a quote from a political scientist who says, though the statement is distasteful, they “don’t think it shows she’s a virulent racist…”

On the other hand, ABC 5 gave a “D-” to an ad run by Paulsen that attempted to tie his opponent to a sexual assault. The grade was part of a segment called “Truth Test” in which political ads are rated on their factual accuracy.

Hubbard Broadcasting owns the radio station that ran the Jason Lewis Show before Lewis became a congressman. Lewis infamously used the platform to vent his frustrations with modern gender politics.

“It used to be that women were held to a little bit of a higher standard,” Lewis said on the show according to CNN. “We required modesty from women. Now, are we beyond those days where a woman can behave as a slut, but you can’t call her a slut?”

Both Lewis and Paulsen lost their seats in 2018.

Since Americans have a significantly greater level of trust in their local news stations than they do in national news outlets or in web-only publications, this level of political activity from media companies is especially significant.

In most cases, it is difficult to say whether these companies’ political activities cross-pollinate with their journalism and business dealings, but future controversies akin to the Sinclair must-run scandal could continue to increase the visibility of the companies behind these local stations and erode Americans’ faith in yet another source of news.

Note: Due to errors with CRP data obtained from the FEC that triple-counted contributions, it was originally reported that Sen. Chris Van Hollen received $28,000 from Sinclair affiliates and its PAC. That number has been corrected to $9,100.

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