{
  "id": 2440169,
  "title": "How we lost broadcast television",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/how-we-lost-broadcast-television",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-21T13:00:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The A.V. Club",
    "slug": "the-a-v-club",
    "url": "https://www.avclub.com/how-we-lost-broadcast-tv"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The article \"How we lost broadcast television\" discusses the decline of traditional broadcast television in the United States and the rise of alternative media sources. Initially, broadcast TV was the primary source of national news, with networks like NBC, CBS, and ABC producing top-tier content. However, the industry faced challenges as cable TV and streaming platforms emerged, offering niche entertainment and news options.\n\nBroadcast networks, reliant on government-granted licenses and subject to strict regulations, began to shift their focus towards streaming media to diversify their revenue streams. This shift led to consolidation within the industry, as major companies like Fox, Disney, NBC Universal, and Paramount acquired a significant number of broadcast stations. Today, two companies—Nexstar and Sinclair—own a disproportionate number of broadcast stations, with Nexstar controlling over 250 stations and Sinclair owning 177.\n\nThe concentration of media ownership has raised concerns about the potential for political bias and the stifling of local news diversity. Sinclair and Nexstar have been accused of exerting political pressure on local stations, leading to the removal of certain content and programming. One notable incident involved Sinclair and Nexstar pulling the show \"Jimmy Kimmel Live!\" from their ABC affiliates following a comment by Kimmel about conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.\n\nThe threat of a merger between Nexstar and Tegna, which would give them combined control over more than 80 percent of broadcast TV stations in the United States, has sparked debate over antitrust laws. Eight state attorneys general and DirectTV have filed a lawsuit to block the merger, but it remains on hold pending further legal proceedings. While the merger might be halted, Nexstar remains the largest owner of broadcast TV stations in the country, and its influence on local news remains significant.\n\nThe article argues that the decline of broadcast television and the rise of alternative media sources have created a situation where older voters, who rely on television for their news, are increasingly exposed to conservative-leaning content. This concentration of media ownership has led to accusations of regulatory loopholes enabling large corporations to dominate the market. The author suggests that instead of deregulating, the focus should be on regulating large tech companies to prevent further consolidation and maintain the diversity of media sources.",
  "summary": "Disney suing the FCC to protect its own freedom of speech is a great move in the right direction, but it also feels like too little too late.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}