Local TV news needs more leverage over networks to survive: Carr

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(NewsNation) — The local television journalist is still one of the most trusted reporters in a community, and the chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) believes their jobs are in danger unless their companies are allowed to get bigger.

FCC chair Brendan Carr spoke with The Hill’s Julia Manchester at Wednesday’s Hill Nation Summit, where he said an Aug. 6 vote to allow the FCC to, on a case-by-case basis, lift a limit on the number of stations a broadcaster owns is vital to the survival of the medium.

“It’s really been holding back local broadcasters from reaching the scale necessary to invest in local news and journalism reporting,” Carr said.

The present rule forbids any company from owning more than 39 percent of stations nationwide. Nexstar recently acquired Tegna stations, which exceeded that cap.

The FCC approved the merger, but it is under litigation. Nexstar is the parent company of NewsNation and The Hill, which co-hosted the Hill Nation Summit.

“Modernizing these outdated regulations will help ensure broadcasters can continue investing in local journalism and providing the free, trusted news and information that communities across America rely on every day,” Nexstar spokesperson Gary Weitman said in a statement on Wednesday.

In an op-ed announcing the vote, Carr wrote that the 39 percent cap is unfair to station owners because cable networks and internet platforms are not subjected to any market ownership restrictions.

Broadcast television stations still offer their signal over the air, which is regulated by the FCC. The commission is obligated to ensure the broadcasters are operating in the “public interest,” and since President Trump resumed office, Carr has threatened Disney over jokes made by late night host Jimmy Kimmel and challenged the classification of “The View” as a news program, which has given them pause about having political candidates on as it might subject them to equal time rules.

Disney is fighting the FCC chief’s efforts in court.

Total employment in television news dropped 3.3 percent in 2024 from its all-time high in 2021. Carr says removing this cap could be a shot in the arm.

“I think if you care about local news, local information, we have to do something other than this trajectory of newsroom shuttering, local news jobs closing,” he added.

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Brendan Carr

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Donald Trump

FCC

hill nation summit

Jimmy Kimmel

Nexstar-TEGNA merger

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