Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy took to his network’s airwaves Tuesday night to warn that the FCC, under Brendan Carr, is moving to give the big TV networks massive reach – and pushing through a mega-merger of the anti-Trump Nexstar group.
Current federal law limits any station group or network, such as ABC, CBS, and NBC, from reaching more than 39% of U.S. households.
The limit is part of the “TV ownership cap” President Ronald Reagan first established to block big networks from owning every local station in the country – and controlling their local news.
“Reagan understood if you have left-wing networks like ABC, NBC and CBS – or groups like Nexstar today controlling every local station and their local news – Republicans would have little chance to win in state and federal elections,” Ruddy said.
Ruddy told Newsmax’s Rob Finnerty that if Carr’s plans had been put into place ten years ago, he doubted Donald Trump would have ever won the presidency or that the GOP would control Congress today.
On Monday, Vanderbilt Law School professor Brian T. Fitzpatrick, a respected conservative legal scholar and former law clerk to the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, filed an ex parte brief before the FCC stating any plan by the Commission to change ownership rules without approval of Congress would be a clear violation of federal law.
He also made clear that Commission efforts to allow networks to bypass the statutory cap using “sidecar” deals or redefinitions are likewise violations of the law.
Also this week, Nexstar officially filed with the FCC for approval of its $6.2 billion merger with Tegna.
If approved, the deal would create the largest TV station group in the nation, owning 245 stations across 44 states and reaching more than 80% of U.S. households – well beyond the 39% limit.
Ruddy told Finnerty that Nexstar’s plan is a direct violation of federal law and would also be a “disaster” for conservatives.
Asked if Trump supports FCC efforts to overturn the cap, Ruddy said in decades of his knowing the president, he has “never heard” him call for lifting the cap or giving big media companies more power or reach.
“It’s not a Trumpian agenda item,” he said.
The Nexstar deal is particularly dangerous, he argued, because it would give the company immense power in 25 markets, allowing it to own two to four stations in each and giving it near-total control over local news.
Ruddy noted that Americans still say they get almost all of their local news from TV broadcasters.
Local control matters, he added, because “if people in New York were deciding what the local news in Pittsburgh was or in Detroit or in Cleveland … it’s a very dangerous thing what the FCC is promulgating, and I think could be a disaster for conservatives around the country.”
Already there is growing opposition to lifting the cap among conservatives with groups like CPAC and OAN, the Trump-friendly cable channel, joining with Newsmax on the issue.
Ruddy expressed surprise that Carr and the FCC under Trump would be working to break federal rules to help Nexstar, a group that strongly opposed Trump.
According to FEC filings, 78% of Nexstar employees donated to Kamala Harris, with the remaining amount going to Trump, in the last election.
“It’s a very liberal company … and this is a violation of federal law to get them to increase to 80% reach across the nation.”
Finnerty also noted that Nexstar owns NewsNation, a liberal cable news network that has Chris Cuomo, the former CNN anchor, as its lead prime time host, along with many other anti-Trumpers.
Carr has stated that he believes lifting the cap would allow the TV industry to compete with the growing power of Big Tech.
“The answer to Big Tech consolidation is not to give left-wing TV broadcasters massive consolidation and power too,” Ruddy said. “You don’t fix Big Tech consolidation by creating another industry with massive leftwing consolidation.”
Finnerty asked what people concerned about the FCC plan could do.
Ruddy responded, “People should call their congressman, call their senators, let Speaker Johnson know, Senate Leader Thune know” that they oppose lifting the 39% cap and the Nexstar merger.
“Congress alone should handle it and not allow these big networks to get more power.”
Let your Congressman and Senator know you oppose massive TV broadcast reach and consolidation, that you oppose lifting the TV ownership caps and oppose the Nexstar merger!
Call U.S. Capitol switchboard at .
Also call offices of Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Leader John Thune to let them know you oppose Brendan Carr’s FCC plan to end the TV ownership cap!
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