Nexstar Starts to Undo Its Merger With Tegna’s ABC, CBS, FOX, & NBC After Judge’s Order

Nexstar Media Group has restored the original Tegna logos across dozens of local television stations it had begun integrating following a federal judge’s ruling that blocks the proposed merger between the two broadcasting companies. The decision, handed down late last week in a U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., effectively ends more than a year of planning that had already triggered visible changes at station facilities and on air for now pending the court case.

The merger, valued at roughly $7.5 billion when first announced in early 2025, would have combined Nexstar’s portfolio of more than 200 stations with Tegna’s 65 outlets in major markets nationwide. Executives at both companies had described the deal as a way to strengthen local journalism amid rising production costs and declining linear television audiences. In the months leading up to the court intervention, several Tegna stations quietly removed their longstanding blue-and-white circular logos from building signage, news tickers, mobile apps, and website headers. Promotional materials began carrying Nexstar branding, and some digital platforms displayed unified station identifiers that blended elements of both companies’ visual identities.

Those alterations have now been reversed. Maintenance crews at Tegna-owned properties in cities including Atlanta, Dallas, and Phoenix spent the weekend reinstalling physical logos on exterior towers and studio entrances. Digital teams pushed updates to mobile applications and websites, restoring the original Tegna wordmark and color scheme. On-air graphics packages that had been replaced with interim Nexstar templates were rolled back during overnight technical windows, ensuring that morning newscasts this week appeared unchanged to viewers.

The judge’s order cited concerns that the combined entity would control too large a share of local advertising revenue in overlapping markets and could reduce competition for news programming. Court filings highlighted data showing that the two companies already competed directly in more than 30 designated market areas. Regulators had argued that further consolidation risked limiting viewpoint diversity and potentially raising ad rates for local businesses. The ruling requires both firms to maintain separate operations and branding until any appeals are exhausted or the deal is formally abandoned.

For viewers, the most noticeable change has been the return of familiar station identities. In living rooms across Tegna markets, the blue Tegna logo reappeared on evening newscasts, weather updates, and sports highlights. Digital-savvy audiences saw the same restoration on apps and social media feeds. The swift rollback suggests both companies had maintained contingency plans in case regulatory approval failed to materialize.

Nexstar continues to operate its own extensive station group without interruption. The company has grown rapidly over the past decade through acquisitions, becoming one of the largest local broadcasters in the country. For now, Nexstar still owns the Tegna ABC, CBS, FOX, & NBC stations but is working to keep them separate as this case goes through the courts.

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Updated the story for spelling.