ICYMI: Executive Session Shares A Variety Of Views From The Top

Television’s top leaders bore the acute pressure of another tough year in 2021, but they’ve emerged with new optimism for the industry’s long-term robustness.

TVNewsCheck caught up with many of these leaders in candid conversations that saw them weighing in on the industry’s most important dynamics: M&A, FCC regulation and the ownership cap, retransmission consent, the rise of work from home and the increasingly important role of streaming among them.

As you prepare your own return to work in 2022, check in with some of Executive Session’s highlights, and here are just a few:

Hilton Howell, chairman and CEO of Gray Television, spoke to the prospect of more original production from the broadcaster in Part One of a two-part conversation.

In Part Two, he said digital has become a $300 million business for Gray with a 60% profit margin.

Nexstar CEO Perry Sook revealed the depth of his commitment to the company’s struggling national news venture, NewsNation, and the industry’s need for a single, impressions-based currency. Read the Q&A here.

The Associated Press’ new President and CEO, Daisy Veerasingham, said that live video has shifted to the forefront of the organization’s priorities. Read the Q&A here.

Lisa Knutson, president of E.W. Scripps’ national networks, said the company is betting on the phenomenon of “self-bundling” among cord cutters. Read the Q&A here.

Outgoing NAB President Gordon Smith said the organization is shifting into offense with the new Democrat-led FCC, pairing with newspaper publishers for an antitrust exemption in dealing with Big Tech along with pressing for a relaxation of antiquated TV ownership rules. Read the Q&A here.

You can find all of the Executive Session interviews here.