By Kelly Cloonan

A coalition of eight states filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to stop the combination of Nexstar Media and Tegna after the formerly rival broadcasters closed on their $6.2 billion merger.

The states, which include California, New York and Illinois, filed the emergency motion on Friday after the broadcasting companies' deal closed Thursday following regulatory approval. The motion seeks a temporary order to prevent Nexstar from moving ahead with integrating or commingling the assets and operations it acquired from Tegna.

Before the deal closed, the states had attempted to block the merger, filing a lawsuit late Wednesday on antitrust grounds. The states argued the deal would result in too much concentration in some local TV markets.

Nexstar is the largest operator of local TV stations in the country, while Tegna ranks among the top five. The companies' combination would consolidate hundreds of local TV stations.

In the Friday filing, the states argued a temporary restraining order is necessary to avoid what they said would be irreparable harm to the public interest, and to their ability to effectively enforce antitrust laws.

"If the requested relief is not granted, the harm to the public and to competition in the market for broadcast television licensing would commence immediately," the states said.

The states also said Nexstar and Tegna's decision to close the deal despite multiple pending lawsuits raises concerns that the companies may be looking to rush the transaction to bypass effective judicial review.

Nexstar and Tegna didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

Write to Kelly Cloonan at kelly.cloonan@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 20, 2026 17:16 ET (21:16 GMT)

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