Trump's FCC eyes new ways to squeeze the TV networks

Source: Politico

04/25/2026 07:00 AM EDT


Conservative television broadcasters are getting bigger under Donald Trump — and thanks to his top communications regulator, they may get enhanced power to mute the president’s critics.

The Federal Communications Commission’s approval of a $6.2 billion merger between the TV station owners Nexstar and Tegna is one step toward agency Chair Brendan Carr’s goal of boosting local broadcasters’ market heft, a shift that can help them counter the programming decisions of networks such as NBC and ABC.

For his next move, Carr is considering ways to make it easier for local stations to preempt network programs without triggering breach-of-contract penalties, he told POLITICO after the FCC’s March 26 meeting.

“There’s a very healthy feedback loop when the local broadcasters could not just communicate their concerns to the national programmers but if need be, actually preempt,” said Carr, who has repeatedly expressed a desire to return to an era when stations had greater leverage against the networks. “I think we were better off. We’ve lost that.”. FCC spokespeople didn’t respond to a request for comment this week about Carr’s plans or any concerns about the politics involved.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/25/donald-trump-carr-conservative-tv-00891426