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

KSDK

U.S. center / mainstream local TV news (corporate-owned)

Owned byNexstar Media Group, through its TEGNA subsidiary. Nexstar completed its roughly $6.2 billion purchase of TEGNA on March 19, 2026, after FCC and DOJ approval. Before that, KSDK was owned by TEGNA, which was spun off from Gannett in 2015.
FundingMainly local and national TV advertising (including political ads), plus retransmission-consent fees paid by cable and satellite providers and NBC network affiliation arrangements.
On the administrationmostly neutral

Background

KSDK (channel 5) began in 1947 as KSD-TV, tied to Pulitzer's St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and has been the market's NBC affiliate for most of its history. Over the decades it passed through several corporate owners, including Multimedia and then Gannett, and became part of TEGNA when Gannett split its broadcasting and publishing arms in 2015. These details come from memory and were not re-checked in this search. In March 2026, Nexstar completed its $6.2 billion acquisition of TEGNA, making it the largest local TV group in the U.S. The deal put KSDK under the same owner as Fox affiliate KTVI and CW station KPLR in St. Louis. Local coverage of the deal raised the possibility of layoffs or newsroom consolidation across the three stations. Nexstar has drawn criticism and scrutiny over consolidation, regulatory approvals and national programming decisions. Within KSDK's own newsroom, the coverage has centered on local news, weather, crime, politics and consumer reporting, and it has not been known for a strong ideological stance. Its slant is best described as the cautious, ratings-driven approach typical of large corporate-owned local stations. Its current posture toward the administration is mostly neutral, though the new ownership may shape future coverage.

Sources

  1. Nexstar closes $6.2 billion acquisition of KSDK parent company TEGNA (KSDK)
  2. Three St. Louis TV stations now owned by Nexstar Media Group (St. Louis Public Radio)
  3. Tegna purchase could lead to layoffs or consolidation in St. Louis newsrooms (St. Louis Magazine)
  4. KSDK (Wikipedia)
  5. Tegna Inc. (Wikipedia)

Profile compiled 2026-10-14; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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