We continue to offer a free 2-week trial of WrapPRO. If you’ve been wanting to check out our full coverage, now’s the time.Greetings!Nexstar was barely a blip on anyone's radar until the Jimmy Kimmel suspension. But after it played a key role in getting "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" yanked off the air last month, the nation's largest owner of TV stations has gotten a lot more attention. In particular, there's been heightened scrutiny over its pending $6.2 billion merger, a deal so big it needs the Federal Communications Commission to change the rules governing this industry to make it happen. In our lead story, Lucas Manfredi takes an in-depth look at Nexstar and the seldom-discussed world of affiliates, as well as how it quietly became such a giant in this sector. He also explores why there's been so much consolidation in this area. Nexstar CEO Perry Sook told TheWrap that scale is necessary for the company to be able to compete with larger media and tech companies that aren't beholden to the same kind of FCC regulations. It's also critical to its continued investment in local broadcast journalism. But critics argue too few companies hold too much sway over local broadcasters, and that the wave of consolidation — and its customary layoffs — haven't helped those communities. Not everyone is convinced the affiliate owners are the stewards of local journalism that they claim to be. It's a complicated situation, but one we'll continue to keep tabs on. Roger Cheng 
To give you some context for how big Nexstar would be if it merges with Tegna, here are some numbers to consider... 
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