Nexstar Media Group Spent $3.2 Million on Lobbying in 2025

The spend is roughly 10 times more than previous years as Nexstar seeks approval for its $6.2 billion merger with Tegna.

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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Nexstar Media Group, the TV affiliate station giant, spent $3.2 million on lobbying efforts in 2025 as it seeks regulatory approval for its pending $6.2 billion merger with rival Tegna. This figure is roughly 10 times more than what Nexstar spent on lobbying every year from 2018 to 2023, according to OpenSecrets.

Why it matters

The increased lobbying spend highlights the importance of the Nexstar-Tegna merger to the company, as approval is dependent on raising or eliminating the national television ownership cap that limits a single entity from reaching more than 39% of U.S. TV households. The combined company would reach 80% of U.S. television households.

The details

To help sway the FCC, Congress and the White House, Nexstar hired lobbyist Jeff Miller, who served as finance chair on President Trump's second inaugural committee. Nexstar paid Miller Strategies $510,000 over the course of 2025, though most of its lobbying was handled by the company's in-house team. Meanwhile, Tegna spent $550,000 exclusively on Miller Strategies in its first year of lobbying in 2025. Combined, the lobbying firm raked in over a million dollars from just the potential Nexstar-Tegna merger.

  • Nexstar hired lobbyist Jeff Miller at the start of 2025.
  • Tegna spent $550,000 on lobbying in 2025, its first year of lobbying.

The players

Nexstar Media Group

A TV affiliate station giant that is seeking regulatory approval for a $6.2 billion merger with rival Tegna.

Tegna

A rival TV station company that Nexstar is seeking to merge with in a $6.2 billion deal.

Jeff Miller

A lobbyist hired by Nexstar who served as finance chair on President Trump's second inaugural committee.

President Trump

The former U.S. president who called for the Nexstar-Tegna deal to be approved as a way to counter 'Fake News National TV Networks.'

Brendan Carr

The FCC chairman who has said he supports the Nexstar-Tegna transaction.

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What they’re saying

“GET THAT DEAL DONE!”

— President Trump (Twitter)

“We're going to be moving forward with it here. In terms of the exact document that we do that through, stay tuned and when we release it, you'll see it.”

— Brendan Carr, FCC Chairman (FCC Press Conference)

What’s next

The FCC is expected to issue a waiver to allow the Nexstar-Tegna merger to proceed, though critics argue the FCC does not have the authority to lift the ownership cap and that it must be approved by Congress.

The takeaway

The record-breaking lobbying spend by Nexstar and other major media companies highlights the high stakes involved in the ongoing consolidation of the broadcast TV industry, as companies seek to gain scale and influence to counter the rise of digital media platforms.