Free Press and Pew document Nexstar script duplication and local news hollowing-out across 200+ markets

Free Press published a November 2024 report documenting that Nexstar's stations aired identical anchor scripts across dozens of markets, replacing local reporting with centrally produced content distributed by corporate headquarters in Irving, Texas. The findings built on Pew Research Center's 2024 State of Local News report, which found Nexstar-owned stations averaged 40% fewer local reporters per market than independently owned stations of comparable size. Together the reports provided the evidentiary foundation for the DOJ's antitrust investigation and state attorneys general's opposition to the TEGNA acquisition.