The cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel Live! is more than a late-night scheduling change — it reflects the dangers of media consolidation and its impact on our democracy. Reports point to Nexstar Media Group, the largest owner of local TV stations in the country, as a driving force behind the decision.
Nexstar already controls many ABC affiliates and owns WWLP “22 News,” the NBC affiliate serving western Massachusetts. Now, it is seeking to acquire Tegna, which owns more than 60 stations nationwide. If approved, this merger would give Nexstar unprecedented reach across multiple networks, further concentrating power over what Americans see and hear.
This kind of dominance doesn’t just affect entertainment. When a single corporation controls such a large share of local news, it can shape political coverage by deciding which stories are highlighted, which are downplayed, and which voices are silenced. That narrows debate, stifles dissent, and weakens the role of a free press in a healthy democracy.
The loss of Jimmy Kimmel Live! is part of a larger pattern. Programming decisions are increasingly about corporate efficiency, not viewer interest. As consolidation accelerates, audiences are left with fewer choices, less accountability, and a homogenized media landscape. The result is less cultural diversity and fewer independent perspectives at a time when we need them most.
Media consolidation may serve shareholders, but it harms citizens. Allowing Nexstar to expand further by swallowing Tegna would only magnify these problems. Viewers deserve more choice, not less; more perspectives, not fewer; and a media system that strengthens, rather than weakens, our democracy.
Michael Seward
Sunderland