Kansas AG Kris Kobach Joins Fight To Save Local News

An important perspective from a local progressive writer offers the conservative lawman some well-deserved and begrudging respect . . . Here's the word: 

"It’s rare, if not unprecedented, for Kobach, a right-wing, trump-allied firebrand, to join forces with the attorneys general of blue states like New York, California, and Illinois, but that’s what happened here.

"The plaintiffs argue that the merger would create a massive concentration of market power, giving Nexstar, the acquiring company, control of 228 broadcast stations reaching 80 percent of television households in 132 local markets and increasing concentration in more than a dozen local markets. The acquisition would also give Nexstar control of so-called Big Four stations—those affiliated with ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX—in 31 market areas where it already owns one or more such stations, including 27 new duopolies and three new triopolies.

"The complaint alleges that the merged entity would hold substantial power to consolidate the ownership of many popular local television stations that currently compete against one another, resulting in higher retransmission fees being charged to cable, satellite, and streaming providers. It also argues that the quality and content of local news and other local programming will suffer because the merger will reduce the incentive to compete and, as a result, lead to the elimination of newsroom jobs.

"Kobach joined the lawsuit because he reasonably presumes (two words I thought I’d never write when talking about Kobach) that the deal will raise Kansas viewers’ subscription prices since cable, satellite, and streaming providers will inevitably pass on their higher retransmission costs to them."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Kris Kobach is Right to Oppose the Nexstar-Tegna Deal

A guest editorial in The Kansas City Star makes ludicrous arguments in support of the merger