Pressure of Truth
Exposing the spin on all sides of the news.
Outlet profile

9News

U.S. center-left (local, accountability-focused)

Owned byKUSA-TV, branded 9News, was owned by Tegna Inc. until Tegna was acquired by Nexstar Media Group in a deal announced August 2025 and completed March 19, 2026; 9News is now part of Nexstar's station group
FundingCommercial local TV advertising and retransmission-consent fees, typical of a network-affiliate model; not subscriber- or donor-funded
On the administrationmixed

Background

KUSA-TV signed on in Denver in 1952 and built its 9News brand into one of the top-rated local news operations in Colorado, historically owned by Gannett and later its broadcast spinoff, Tegna Inc., since 2015. The station is best known nationally for "Next with Kyle Clark," a 6 p.m. newscast segment noted for blunt, direct-address commentary and hard-nosed fact-checking of local and national politicians, a style unusual for local TV news and one that has drawn praise from press-accountability outlets like Columbia Journalism Review as well as sharp criticism from conservative figures such as former Rep. Lauren Boebert. In August 2025, Nexstar Media Group announced a $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna, a deal the Trump administration's FCC approved in March 2026, giving Nexstar the country's largest local broadcast footprint and putting 9News under common ownership with Denver's Fox affiliate, KDVR. Trump publicly backed the merger, and industry observers have since questioned whether Nexstar's traditionally more conservative-leaning corporate posture (it has required affiliates to air company-produced segments criticized as slanted) will affect 9News's editorial independence going forward. As of late 2026 the station's day-to-day local reporting remains generally fact-based, but its highest-profile commentary continues to skew toward scrutinizing Republican officials at least as much as Democrats, while its new corporate parent has a more industry-friendly relationship with the administration than Tegna did.

Sources

  1. FCC approves merger of FOX31 parent Nexstar and 9NEWS owner Tegna
  2. 9News parent company Tegna sold to Nexstar, which owns Denver and Colorado Springs Fox affiliates
  3. FCC approves acquisition of 9NEWS owner TEGNA by FOX31 parent Nexstar
  4. Tegna-Nexstar megamerger drama has national implications, but seismic impact on Denver news
  5. 'That's how you run a debate!' 9News's Kyle Clark on holding politicians accountable
  6. 9News' Kyle Clark Is a "Conspiracy Theorist" and "Really Disgusting," Says Boebert
  7. KUSA (TV)

Profile compiled 2026-09-26; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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