ABC's decision to indefinitely suspend Jimmy Kimmel, raises questions about media conglomerate Nexstar's role and influence.
Nexstar Media Group Acquires Tegna and Preempts Jimmy Kimmel's Show
Nexstar Media Group, the dominant broadcasting company in the United States, has made headlines with its recent acquisition and a controversial decision to preempt a late-night talk show.
Nexstar Media Group, with a stock ticker of NXST, is a leading player in the US broadcasting industry. With around 200 TV stations across 116 US markets, the company reaches 39% of TV households and leads the local advertising market. The company's latest move is a $6.2 billion deal to acquire broadcast media company Tegna.
Nexstar Media Group's extensive media portfolio includes more than 200 owned or partner stations, multicast networks such as Antenna TV, Rewind TV, and WGN Radio in Chicago, 75% ownership of The CW, the fifth-largest broadcast network in the US, and digital political news outlet The Hill. The company serves 220 million people in 116 U.S. markets.
However, the company found itself in the midst of a controversy when it decided to preempt Jimmy Kimmel's show following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, during a campus event at Utah Valley University. Disney, the company behind Kimmel's show, announced that it would be preempted indefinitely following the comments. Interestingly, another broadcasting group, Sinclair, opted to preempt Kimmel's show prior to Disney's announcement.
In the aftermath, Nexstar Media Group's news outlet, NewsNation, reportedly did not air Kimmel's monologue. During his monologue, Kimmel criticised President Donald Trump's response to Kirk's death and accused the FBI Director Kash Patel of mishandling the Kirk assassination investigation.
The decision by Nexstar Media Group to preempt Jimmy Kimmel's show has sparked debate, with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr praising the move and encouraging licensed stations to say that such content doesn't serve their local communities. However, free speech advocates, including the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), have criticised the FCC's potential involvement, arguing that the FCC has no authority to control what a late-night TV host can say and that the First Amendment protects Americans' right to speculate on current events.
The controversy over Jimmy Kimmel's comments has also reignited the debate over Section 230 protections for social media companies. The Walt Disney Company, with a stock ticker of DIS, has not commented on the matter.
Despite the controversy, Nexstar Media Group remains the largest local television broadcasting group in the US, with a significant influence on the local advertising market and a vast media portfolio. The outcome of the FCC's approval for the acquisition of Tegna and the ongoing debate over free speech and media regulation will be closely watched.
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