August 19, 2025 • 14 mins
A major acquisition involving two TV companies could have a major impact on news and viewing patterns in the Tampa Bay area. Nexstar, owner of News Channel 8, is buying Tegna, owner of 10 Tampa Bay, for more than six billion dollars. This would put the local NBC and CBS affiliates under the same ownership. Tampa is one of a handful of markets where both Nexstar and Tegna own stations. We speak about the implications of the deal with USF political communications associate professor Josh Scacco, PhD. (Newsradio WFLA and iHeartRadio Tampa Bay have a news and weather partnership with News Channel 8.)
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gordon Bird here beyond the news, there's a big deal
in the TV industry, and it's something that could very
much affect what's on your TV here in the Tampa
Bay area. Next Star, which is the parent company of
News Channel eight WFLATV, is announcing a deal to buy Tegna.
Tegna is the parent company of Channel ten, the CBS
(00:22):
affiliate in the Tampa Bay Area, and the deal is
worth over six billion dollars and it affects a bunch
of stations around the country. We're going to try to
get some perspective on what that means for us. By
the way, as a disclaimer, WFLA radio and TV have
not been co owned in about forty years. However, we
do have a news and weather partnership with the News
Channel eight, which is owned by Nextstar. But to tell
(00:44):
us what this means as far as local news and
how Tampa Bay viewers might be affected, we have doctor
Josh Schacko, PhD. He's the Associate Professor of Political Communications
and director of the Center for Sustainable Democracy at the
University of South Florida in Tampa. Josh Gecko, Welcome.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Hey, Thanks Gordon, thanks for having me on today. Appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
First, let's talk a little bit about the local impact
for us. Obviously, there are stations owned by both companies
around the country, but here we have a unique situation
because both of them owned stations in Tampa.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
One of the interesting things here, Gordon, is this is
part of a larger trend that we're seeing across the
media industry in general, and news media in particular, of consolidation.
And we've seen consolidation across different sectors of news, from
(01:41):
newspapers to radio to television stations, and so this is
another This is another kind of moment in a move
towards greater consolidation of outlets across the country. A lot
of it has to do on on the commercial side
(02:02):
with responses to the digital news environment, the digital media
environment that is increasingly taking chunks of audience share from
much more traditional media operations like television and radio. And
some of this is also recognizing the changing dynamics at
(02:25):
the Federal Communication Commission as well of whether or not
h deregulatory pressure can be applied in some of these
instances to the existing rules and regulations in place when
it comes to ownership and ownership share of airwaves like this.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
And that's going to have a big impact on how
this deal comes together, particularly here because up until now,
you know, there have been rules that at one time
you couldn't own two different TV stations in the same city,
and then that was modified. But basically, as I understand
it up to this point, although that may be about
to change, you can't own one of the big four networks.
(03:08):
You can't own another of the big four networks in
a market of this size if you're if you have
the NBC affiliate, you can't own the CBS affiliate. So
how is that How could that play out with the
next our techno merger, assuming that it goes through.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Really important question Gordon, and I think first stepping back
for listeners out there, I think it's important to understand
that these rules and regulations when it comes to sort
of market share, I think the percentage is right around
thirty nine percent that no one owner can own more
than thirty nine percent essentially of the share of the airwaves, market, audience,
(03:47):
those types of things, and that's put in place. That
regulation is put in place to avoid sort of the
consolidation of content in a democracy, for instance, where the
variety of information. The variety of content is necessary for
people to make decisions, for people to engage in sort
(04:10):
of the processes of a democratic society and things. There's
a worry, of course, of the consolidation of too much
content under one umbrella could lead to things like, for instance,
systemic use of like propaganda, challenges to information quality issues,
and those types of things. So that's partly the reason
why some of these rules and regulations have.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Been in place to begin with.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
What we would potentially see under consolidations like the one
that we're talking about here is we would see potential
reduction in not just the reporters and journalists that are
covering stories, but also the types of stories that are
going to be covered. Also a narrowing of the news
of space and agenda around maybe fewer topics locally those
(04:59):
types of things. So what is of concern in these
sort of consolidation settings is the variety of types of
content and information that people get could potentially be limited.
You can see this, for instance, when other types of
media have also have also converged together and or consolidated
together and other smaller municipalities and locations across the United States.
(05:24):
The types of news as well as news itself oftentimes
might go away, or it might be sidelined for other types,
for other types of content. So those are some of
the dynamics that we have to watch and see whether
or not they play out.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
And the term news desert might come into play, although
maybe not so much, not so much in this area.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
But yeah, that's exactly what I'm thinking about and referring
to in many of these places. We're not necessarily talking
about that in the Tampa Bay area because obviously it's
a larger metropolitan area with a variety of information and
content sources. But these sorts of consolidations, when they happen
in smaller areas, rural areas in particular, they can oftentimes
lead to what are known as news deserts.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
And again providing the FCC context here, there has been
a trend. There seems to be a trend with the
new chairman and the new makeup the FCC under the
current administration, there seems to be a trend toward looking
at regulations and giving them a second look and getting
rid of as many as can be gotten rid of.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
I think that's I think that's a fair assessment that
the FCC and the federal administration have adopted a deregulatory
framework across the federal government, and it seems like this
deal is meant to tempt, end or test the FCC
in that way to see whether or not a one
(06:52):
owner of many many stations can increase its market share.
And again, and what we're talking about here is the
commercial aims of the media structure in the United States,
the media system in the United States very much going
up against the public interest and small de democracy aims
(07:18):
of the regulations that have been put in place for
the Federal Communications Commission.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
And I guess hear a little more about the practical impact.
Let's say, if you're a viewer, and everybody in our audiences,
I think a viewer at one time or another, if
you're watching Channel eight or Channel ten news, and this
deal goes through and those stations are allowed to merge
under one roof, do you see two newscasts becoming one newscast?
(07:47):
Do you see one microphone instead of two at a
news event? How does this affect what we see coming
out of that screen.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Right now today?
Speaker 2 (07:59):
It's too early to kind of say what how that
would actually manifest, but I think one of the ways
we can think about this is Channel eight and Channel
ten compete with each other for audience attention, audience share,
they do for eyes and ears, and it doesn't make
much sense for the owner of the potential owner one
(08:24):
owner of two different television news stations to have them
competing against each other. It would make sense from a
business standpoint to consolidate in some type of way, as
you noted, from two microphones to one microphone, from two
cameras to one camera.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
What that will look like and what that will.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Manifest as we don't necessarily know yet, but I think
if the past is prologue and understanding what these consolidations
have looked like in other places, what you see is
reductions in workforce of news personnel that could include on
air personalities, on air reporters and anchors. But also what
(09:09):
happens Gordon, and we don't necessarily talk about this is
the reporters. Our local news reporters and journalists develop important
relationships and contacts with the community, and when these types
of consolidations happen, those contacts in those community connections can
become disrupted.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
And so.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
We can as a result, potentially learn less about the community.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Around us.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
In these particular types of situations, the driver efficiency, the
drive for essentially commercial profit, could actually crowd out some
of the important informational and democratic benefits of local news
for people when it comes to the variety of content
(09:52):
and the variety of reporters and voices at the table
discussing what's happening in our community.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
Now as far a is areas other than news, I mean,
it's probably too early to say, for example, well, our
NBC or CBS going to show up on different channels,
or are things going to get moved around? I could
I could see that possibly, you know, being a part
of the fallout from this.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
That could be some of it.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
And again, the the what we're talking about here is
the dynamics in a lot of ways overlaying this of
the quote unquote big three, the CBS, NBC, ABC, and
the merger in these two of really kind of like
two network operations here, makes it, particularly in larger metropolitan areas,
(10:43):
makes this interesting to watch in terms of how this
plays out and what that's going to look like. Here
in terms of what happens when people in the Tampa
Bay area turn on Channel eight and turn on Channel ten.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
I don't think.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
I don't I don't think we know the answers yet,
because most likely those newsrooms as of today don't know
the answers to that, the owners don't necessarily know the
answers to that, because this still needs to work through
a regulatory structure that has been set up to.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Essentially challenge and in a lot.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Of ways bar these types of consolidation measures. So what
happens and how that transpires has yet to be seen.
As I noted at the top really of this conversation,
though this continues a trend of increased centralization and consolidation
of the content sources that people are getting through much
(11:38):
more traditional sorts of what we term legacy media television, radio, newspapers.
It continues that as the digital environment continues to sort
of expand the types of offerings and that audiences can
partake in.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
As I understand, and kind of to wrap things up here,
if you want to help us out and break up
the or rather break down the timeline of how this
goes through the process of FCC approval and US government approval,
And I understand that there is also another offer on
the table, and I don't know how does that play
(12:16):
into all of this.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
So some of these processes can take time.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
These are there are processes, regulatory processes of review, of comment,
of discussion that take place at the federal level with
what's going on here.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
So this can take time.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
And one of the key though components here is, as
I noted, this is this potential deal is really testing
some existing frameworks that are in place, some regulatory frameworks
that are in place.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
Just as.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Other companies and industries is oh right now are also
testing through their strategic mergers and things as well, other
particular regulatory frameworks because these companies see the federal administration
in Washington as potentially friendlier to larger consolidated operations amongst
(13:18):
these companies and things. So this is the public announcement
is a critical step in this process that is going
to continue at the federal level with the review and
comment and the public comment on what is transpiring here
or what these companies hope will transpire.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
A lot of balls in the air, said the Juggler,
and a lot to watch over the next few weeks
and months. Doctor Josh Schecko He is Associated Professor of
Political Communication and Director of the Center for Sustainable Democracy
at USF the University of South Florida talking with us
about the ramifications of the next Star Tegna deal. Thank
you very much for joining us on beyond the news.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Thanks Gordon, appreciate it.
Gordon Bird here beyond the news, there's a big deal
in the TV industry, and it's something that could very
much affect what's on your TV here in the Tampa
Bay area. Next Star, which is the parent company of
News Channel eight WFLATV, is announcing a deal to buy Tegna.
Tegna is the parent company of Channel ten, the CBS
(00:22):
affiliate in the Tampa Bay Area, and the deal is
worth over six billion dollars and it affects a bunch
of stations around the country. We're going to try to
get some perspective on what that means for us. By
the way, as a disclaimer, WFLA radio and TV have
not been co owned in about forty years. However, we
do have a news and weather partnership with the News
Channel eight, which is owned by Nextstar. But to tell
(00:44):
us what this means as far as local news and
how Tampa Bay viewers might be affected, we have doctor
Josh Schacko, PhD. He's the Associate Professor of Political Communications
and director of the Center for Sustainable Democracy at the
University of South Florida in Tampa. Josh Gecko, Welcome.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Hey, Thanks Gordon, thanks for having me on today. Appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
First, let's talk a little bit about the local impact
for us. Obviously, there are stations owned by both companies
around the country, but here we have a unique situation
because both of them owned stations in Tampa.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
One of the interesting things here, Gordon, is this is
part of a larger trend that we're seeing across the
media industry in general, and news media in particular, of consolidation.
And we've seen consolidation across different sectors of news, from
(01:41):
newspapers to radio to television stations, and so this is
another This is another kind of moment in a move
towards greater consolidation of outlets across the country. A lot
of it has to do on on the commercial side
(02:02):
with responses to the digital news environment, the digital media
environment that is increasingly taking chunks of audience share from
much more traditional media operations like television and radio. And
some of this is also recognizing the changing dynamics at
(02:25):
the Federal Communication Commission as well of whether or not
h deregulatory pressure can be applied in some of these
instances to the existing rules and regulations in place when
it comes to ownership and ownership share of airwaves like this.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
And that's going to have a big impact on how
this deal comes together, particularly here because up until now,
you know, there have been rules that at one time
you couldn't own two different TV stations in the same city,
and then that was modified. But basically, as I understand
it up to this point, although that may be about
to change, you can't own one of the big four networks.
(03:08):
You can't own another of the big four networks in
a market of this size if you're if you have
the NBC affiliate, you can't own the CBS affiliate. So
how is that How could that play out with the
next our techno merger, assuming that it goes through.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Really important question Gordon, and I think first stepping back
for listeners out there, I think it's important to understand
that these rules and regulations when it comes to sort
of market share, I think the percentage is right around
thirty nine percent that no one owner can own more
than thirty nine percent essentially of the share of the airwaves, market, audience,
(03:47):
those types of things, and that's put in place. That
regulation is put in place to avoid sort of the
consolidation of content in a democracy, for instance, where the
variety of information. The variety of content is necessary for
people to make decisions, for people to engage in sort
(04:10):
of the processes of a democratic society and things. There's
a worry, of course, of the consolidation of too much
content under one umbrella could lead to things like, for instance,
systemic use of like propaganda, challenges to information quality issues,
and those types of things. So that's partly the reason
why some of these rules and regulations have.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Been in place to begin with.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
What we would potentially see under consolidations like the one
that we're talking about here is we would see potential
reduction in not just the reporters and journalists that are
covering stories, but also the types of stories that are
going to be covered. Also a narrowing of the news
of space and agenda around maybe fewer topics locally those
(04:59):
types of things. So what is of concern in these
sort of consolidation settings is the variety of types of
content and information that people get could potentially be limited.
You can see this, for instance, when other types of
media have also have also converged together and or consolidated
together and other smaller municipalities and locations across the United States.
(05:24):
The types of news as well as news itself oftentimes
might go away, or it might be sidelined for other types,
for other types of content. So those are some of
the dynamics that we have to watch and see whether
or not they play out.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
And the term news desert might come into play, although
maybe not so much, not so much in this area.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
But yeah, that's exactly what I'm thinking about and referring
to in many of these places. We're not necessarily talking
about that in the Tampa Bay area because obviously it's
a larger metropolitan area with a variety of information and
content sources. But these sorts of consolidations, when they happen
in smaller areas, rural areas in particular, they can oftentimes
lead to what are known as news deserts.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
And again providing the FCC context here, there has been
a trend. There seems to be a trend with the
new chairman and the new makeup the FCC under the
current administration, there seems to be a trend toward looking
at regulations and giving them a second look and getting
rid of as many as can be gotten rid of.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
I think that's I think that's a fair assessment that
the FCC and the federal administration have adopted a deregulatory
framework across the federal government, and it seems like this
deal is meant to tempt, end or test the FCC
in that way to see whether or not a one
(06:52):
owner of many many stations can increase its market share.
And again, and what we're talking about here is the
commercial aims of the media structure in the United States,
the media system in the United States very much going
up against the public interest and small de democracy aims
(07:18):
of the regulations that have been put in place for
the Federal Communications Commission.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
And I guess hear a little more about the practical impact.
Let's say, if you're a viewer, and everybody in our audiences,
I think a viewer at one time or another, if
you're watching Channel eight or Channel ten news, and this
deal goes through and those stations are allowed to merge
under one roof, do you see two newscasts becoming one newscast?
(07:47):
Do you see one microphone instead of two at a
news event? How does this affect what we see coming
out of that screen.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Right now today?
Speaker 2 (07:59):
It's too early to kind of say what how that
would actually manifest, but I think one of the ways
we can think about this is Channel eight and Channel
ten compete with each other for audience attention, audience share,
they do for eyes and ears, and it doesn't make
much sense for the owner of the potential owner one
(08:24):
owner of two different television news stations to have them
competing against each other. It would make sense from a
business standpoint to consolidate in some type of way, as
you noted, from two microphones to one microphone, from two
cameras to one camera.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
What that will look like and what that will.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Manifest as we don't necessarily know yet, but I think
if the past is prologue and understanding what these consolidations
have looked like in other places, what you see is
reductions in workforce of news personnel that could include on
air personalities, on air reporters and anchors. But also what
(09:09):
happens Gordon, and we don't necessarily talk about this is
the reporters. Our local news reporters and journalists develop important
relationships and contacts with the community, and when these types
of consolidations happen, those contacts in those community connections can
become disrupted.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
And so.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
We can as a result, potentially learn less about the community.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Around us.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
In these particular types of situations, the driver efficiency, the
drive for essentially commercial profit, could actually crowd out some
of the important informational and democratic benefits of local news
for people when it comes to the variety of content
(09:52):
and the variety of reporters and voices at the table
discussing what's happening in our community.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
Now as far a is areas other than news, I mean,
it's probably too early to say, for example, well, our
NBC or CBS going to show up on different channels,
or are things going to get moved around? I could
I could see that possibly, you know, being a part
of the fallout from this.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
That could be some of it.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
And again, the the what we're talking about here is
the dynamics in a lot of ways overlaying this of
the quote unquote big three, the CBS, NBC, ABC, and
the merger in these two of really kind of like
two network operations here, makes it, particularly in larger metropolitan areas,
(10:43):
makes this interesting to watch in terms of how this
plays out and what that's going to look like. Here
in terms of what happens when people in the Tampa
Bay area turn on Channel eight and turn on Channel ten.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
I don't think.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
I don't I don't think we know the answers yet,
because most likely those newsrooms as of today don't know
the answers to that, the owners don't necessarily know the
answers to that, because this still needs to work through
a regulatory structure that has been set up to.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Essentially challenge and in a lot.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Of ways bar these types of consolidation measures. So what
happens and how that transpires has yet to be seen.
As I noted at the top really of this conversation,
though this continues a trend of increased centralization and consolidation
of the content sources that people are getting through much
(11:38):
more traditional sorts of what we term legacy media television, radio, newspapers.
It continues that as the digital environment continues to sort
of expand the types of offerings and that audiences can
partake in.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
As I understand, and kind of to wrap things up here,
if you want to help us out and break up
the or rather break down the timeline of how this
goes through the process of FCC approval and US government approval,
And I understand that there is also another offer on
the table, and I don't know how does that play
(12:16):
into all of this.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
So some of these processes can take time.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
These are there are processes, regulatory processes of review, of comment,
of discussion that take place at the federal level with
what's going on here.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
So this can take time.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
And one of the key though components here is, as
I noted, this is this potential deal is really testing
some existing frameworks that are in place, some regulatory frameworks
that are in place.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
Just as.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Other companies and industries is oh right now are also
testing through their strategic mergers and things as well, other
particular regulatory frameworks because these companies see the federal administration
in Washington as potentially friendlier to larger consolidated operations amongst
(13:18):
these companies and things. So this is the public announcement
is a critical step in this process that is going
to continue at the federal level with the review and
comment and the public comment on what is transpiring here
or what these companies hope will transpire.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
A lot of balls in the air, said the Juggler,
and a lot to watch over the next few weeks
and months. Doctor Josh Schecko He is Associated Professor of
Political Communication and Director of the Center for Sustainable Democracy
at USF the University of South Florida talking with us
about the ramifications of the next Star Tegna deal. Thank
you very much for joining us on beyond the news.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Thanks Gordon, appreciate it.
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