<div id="readability-page-1">* Nexstar-Tegna merger would create largest US regional TV station operator * Trump previously criticized lifting TV ownership cap * FCC yet to decide on ownership cap; Senate hearing to discuss media rules WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday publicly backed a proposed merger between local television station operator Nexstar Media ( NXST ) and its smaller rival Tegna ( TGNA ). &#34;We need ‌more competition against THE ENEMY, the Fake News National TV Networks,&#34; Trump wrote in a social media post. &#34;GET THAT DEAL DONE!&#34; Nexstar last ​year proposed a $3.54 billion acquisition of Tegna ( TGNA ) that would make the combined entity the largest U.S. ‍regional TV station operator, with more leverage with advertisers and pay-TV distributors. Local ⁠media is grappling with ⁠falling revenue and subscriber loss because of the popularity of streaming services. TRUMP HAD CRITICIZED PROPOSAL TO LIFT TV OWNERSHIP CAP Trump's Saturday ‌post on Truth Social seems to strike a different ​tone from November, when he criticized a proposal to lift the cap on local television station ownership, a move that is necessary for Tegna's ( TGNA ) acquisition by Nexstar. Nexstar ⁠owns or partners with more than 200 stations ‍and operates brands ​such as The CW and NewsNation, while Tegna ( TGNA ) runs 64 stations and networks, including True Crime Network and Quest. A combination of the two would cover 80% of TV ‍households across key markets, the companies have said. In November, Trump posted on social media that he would &#34;not be happy&#34; if lifting the cap allowed Comcast ( CMCSA )-owned NBC or Walt Disney ( DIS )-owned ABC to expand. But Trump on Saturday suggested certain mergers, such as Nexstar-Tegna, could lessen the influence of the largest TV networks. &#34;Letting Good Deals get done like Nexstar - Tegna ( TGNA ) will help knock out the Fake News because there ​will be ‍more competition, and at a higher and more sophisticated level,&#34; Trump wrote. Trump has frequently criticized news coverage by mainstream outlets. The Federal Communications Commission has not made a decision on lifting ​the ownership cap, which limits a company from owning broadcast television stations that reach more than 39% of U.S. television audience households. The local TV limits will face scrutiny when the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation holds a hearing on the FCC's media ownership rules on Tuesday. Committee Chair Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, recently said the hearing was &#34;an important opportunity to discuss whether existing rules are legally sound, antiquated, or need to be ​updated to promote competition and protect against corporate censorship against conservatives.&#34; Tegna ( TGNA ) said in November it expected the transaction to close by the second half of this year. Nexstar, Tegna ( TGNA ), the FCC and Cruz's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment ‍on Saturday. (Reporting by Lucia Mutikani and Jason Lange; Editing by Toby Chopra, Rod Nickel and Sergio Non)</div>

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美國總統唐納德·特朗普公開支持 Nexstar Media 與 Tegna 之間的擬議合併，這將使其成為美國最大的地區電視台運營商。特朗普認為，這一合併將增強對主要網絡的競爭，他稱這些網絡為 “假新聞”。該合併的估值為 35.4 億美元，正在等待聯邦通信委員會（FCC）的批准，該委員會尚未決定是否解除限制電視台所有權的上限。參議院聽證會已安排討論媒體所有權規則

特朗普支持 Nexstar Media 與 Tegna 的合併，表示大型電視網絡需要更多的競爭