Weil Gotshal & Manges and Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson have won the mandates acting on US broadcaster Media General's $1.6bn (£970m) purchase of LIN Media. 

The cash and stock deal will see the creation of a combined company that will own 74 stations in 46 markets, reaching 23% of US households, making it the country's second largest TV broadcaster.

Weil's Dallas, New York, Silicon Valley and Washington offices are acting for longstanding client LIN Media, fielding a team led by corporate partner Glenn West in Dallas and James Griffin in Silicon Valley.

They are supported by tax partner Kenneth Heitner, benefits partner Paul Wessel, technology partner Karen Ballack, capital markets partner Matthew Bloch, banking partner Courtney Marcus, litigation partner Greg Danilow and public company partner PJ Himelfarb.

Fried Frank's teams in New York and Washington are advising for Media General. New York corporate partners Philip Richter and Abigail Bomba are flanked by antitrust and competition partner Barry Nigro, executive compensation & benefits partner Donald Carleen and tax partner Michael Alter.

Covington & Burling is representing LIN Media on antitrust matters with a Washington-based team led by media partner Mace Rosenstein and antitrust partner Deborah Garza.

The deal makes Media General one of the country's largest local TV broadcasting companies, second to Tribune Company, which acquired Local TV Holdings in a $2.7bn deal last year. Covington and Debevoise & Plimpton acted for Tribune, while Dow Lohnes advised Local TV.