Tegna Names Fox TV Stations Ad Sales Boss Patrick Paolini CEO With Nexstar Merger Stuck in Legal Limbo

The previous CEO of local TV station group Tegna, Mike Steib, stepped down in March when Nexstar announced it had closed its deal for the smaller rival.

But with the Nexstar-Tegna merger currently tied up in an antitrust challenge from state attorneys general and DirecTV, Tegna is appointing a new CEO to run things for the time being: Patrick Paolini, who will take over as Tegna’s chief executive officer effective June 1. He will be responsible for Tegna’s daily operations, revenue-generating business strategies, local journalism and production, and growth initiatives.

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Tegna describes itself as “a wholly owned subsidiary of Nexstar Media Group that is currently operating independently of Nexstar due to the “hold separate order” issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California on April 17. Both the FCC and the Justice Department’s antitrust arm approved Nexstar’s $6.2 billion takeover of Tegna. The federal district court is now reviewing claims by the state AGs and DirecTV that the Nexstar-Tegna merger violates antitrust laws by combining the two of the U.S.’s biggest local TV station owners that would give it reach across 80% of American television households.

Tegna operates 64 local television stations in 51 U.S. markets, and Nexstar has 265 owned or operated TV stations in 132 markets.

Paolini most recently worked at Fox Television Stations, where he has served as EVP of advertising sales since 2023. He previously was SVP and general manager of WTTG FOX 5 and WDCA FOX 5 Plus, Fox’s owned-and-operated duopoly in Washington, D.C., beginning in 2013. Earlier in his career, he served as VP and GM for WTXF FOX 29 in Philadelphia and was VP and director of sales at WNYW FOX 5 and WWOR My9, the Fox’s stations in New York.

“Patrick is an ideal choice to lead Tegna,” the company’s board said in a statement. “He brings deep expertise in the broadcast television industry, major-market station management, and high-quality local news, along with a proven track record of driving revenue growth across linear and digital platforms. He is an innovative thinker and a proven leader with an established history of success. We look forward to Patrick’s leadership of this great company.”

Paolini commented: “I have tremendous respect for the Tegna brand, for the outstanding local news delivered across its 64 local television stations and hundreds of digital platforms, and for the company’s dedicated employees and local journalists. Tegna will remain committed to providing the exceptional service our viewers, advertisers, and communities expect, while continuing to innovate and expand across the platforms that define the modern media landscape. I am excited by the opportunities ahead.”