Nexstar Appoints Clifford McKinney VP, Head Of Sales At The Hill

He will be responsible for managing the advertising sales team building strategies for the site as well as overseeing the growth of the business footprint across advocacy and corporate environmental, social and governance initiatives.

QUARTERLY EARNINGS ANALYSIS

Sports, FAST Channels Are Bright Spots For Broadcasters In A Down Quarter

Until 2024’s political windfall machine can kick in, TV groups have been leaning into revenue opportunities from sports rights and streaming prospects like FAST channels, where the breakeven mark is getting closer.

Legal Letters Flying In Motown Over CW Affiliation

EARNINGS CALL

Sports, Sales And CW Among Highlights Cited By Nexstar Execs

The broadcaster plans to take the majority of its national sales in house next year. CEO Perry Sook: “We believe that there’s no one better to sell our linear and digital ads to advertisers than us.”

QUARTERLY REPORT

Nexstar’s 3Q Net Revenue Drops 10.8%

The total of $1.13 billion was driven by The CW acquisition that closed on Sept. 30, 2022, as well as growth in distribution and digital revenues.

Nexstar And Cox Reach Multi-Year Distribution Deal

The contract covers Nexstar’s television stations, NewsNation cable network and diginets Antenna TV and Rewind TV.

Nexstar Launching Series Of Media Symposiums

Nexstar Media Group today announced the launch of “The NEXT Series,” a collection of exclusive symposiums designed to bring together thought leaders and influential voices to examine critical issues related […]

TV2025

On Measurement, Local Linear Still Lags Behind Digital

The buy and sell sides need to come together to determine how best to measure converged audiences, executives from Nexstar, Sinclair and Fox Television Stations said during a TVNewsCheck panel last week.

WADL Detroit Drops Its CW Affiliation

CW programming such as FBoy Island, The Spencer Sisters and Children Ruin Everything will no longer be seen on WADL Detroit after owner Adell Broadcasting dropped the Nexstar-owned network. “They didn’t pay, that’s really what it comes down to,” WADL owner Kevin Adell said Monday. “It’s always about the Benjamins, don’t ever forget it. Everything is always about the Benjamins.”

Nexstar And ReachTV Extend Distribution Of NewsNation And The CW

Cable News Network and CW Sports Programming will air on ReachTV’s network reaching over 50 million monthly viewers in hotels and airports nationwide.

Nexstar Promotes Steven Blanchard To VP-GM Of WRIC Richmond

The broadcast sales executive with almost 30 years of experience moves from sales director at the group’s Tampa-St. Petersburg stations to oversee its ABC affiliate in Virginia.

Nexstar Releases New Investor Presentation Highlighting Its Perspectives On Evolving Media/Television Landscape

Nexstar Media Group today released a new investor presentation highlighting the company’s perspectives on recent events and their positive impact on the broadcast television industry and Nexstar’s business with slides including: The […]

Insiders Are Skeptical About Disney CEO Bob Iger’s Chances To Sell ABC

Reports that Disney CEO Bob Iger is in talks to sell the ABC network are greatly exaggerated, according to sources — and some have a hard time seeing how a deal gets done at all. Insiders emphasize that no banker has been hired and no sales book is circulating. As for reported potential buyer Nexstar, the TV station conglomerate isn’t in a good position to pay what Disney would likely be asking for ABC, according to sources close to the situation.

TV2025: Collaboration And The Future Of Content Creation And Monetization

Leaders from E.W. Scripps, Sinclair, Fox Television Stations, ABC Owned Television Stations, Nexstar and Avid will discuss how cross-group collaborations and content sharing have ushered in a new era of efficiencies and content ROI at TVNewsCheck’s TV2025: Monetizing the Future Conference at the NAB Show New York on Oct. 25. Register here.

The DirecTV-Nexstar Deal: Does It Include The Mission/White Knight Stations?

ABC News Staffers ‘Freaking’ Out Over Reports Disney Is In Sales Talks

The Disney-owned newsroom was jolted on Thursday after a report suggested that the outlet could soon be expelled from the Magic Kingdom. Bloomberg’s Christopher Palmeri and Thomas Buckley reported that Disney has “held exploratory talks” about selling ABC to Nexstar Media Group. The duo also reported that media mogul Byron Allen has also spoken with Disney about a possible deal.

Disney Holds Initial Talks On Sale Of ABC To Nexstar

Walt Disney Co. has held exploratory talks about selling its ABC network and TV stations to local broadcaster Nexstar Media Group Inc., according to people familiar with the discussions. The talks are preliminary and haven’t involved a specific valuation, according to one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions aren’t public. Nexstar would only be interested at the right price. A spokesperson for Nexstar declined to comment.

Cathy Gunther New GM Of KTXL Sacramento

The media executive with over 20 years of broadcast TV experience will oversee Nexstar’s Fox affiliate in the California capital.

Disney’s ABC O&Os Could Be Bought By Nexstar With ‘Little Friction’

Tom Carter, a longtime former Nexstar exec who is now a senior adviser to the CEO and board of directors, says the company could acquire Disney’s local ABC-TV stations with “little friction” if they become available.

Nexstar Media, Fox Renew And Extend Multi-Year Affiliation Agreement

Nexstar and Fox today announced that they have reached a comprehensive multi-year agreement renewing the Fox affiliations of 29 Nexstar-owned stations across the United States, including those in six of […]

Nexstar-Owned KAUT To Become CW Affiliate

Nexstar Media Group, Inc. today announced that KAUT-TV, one of the company’s owned and operated television stations serving Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, will become an affiliate of The CW Network on September 1, 2023. KAUT-TV will begin carrying The CW’s primetime entertainment and live sports programming at that time.

DirecTV Presses FCC Again To Investigate Nexstar’s Management Role With White Knight And Mission

The start of the NFL regular season is just 16 days away, but DirecTV and Nexstar appear no closer to resolving a blackout involving more than 200 network affiliates and a huge chunk of the pay TV operator’s estimated remaining 12.4 million pay TV homes. On Monday, DirecTV lawyer Michael Nilsson sent a letter to the FCC, further pressing the satellite TV company’s complaint that Nexstar’s management services agreement with Mission Broadcasting and White Knight Broadcasting is inappropriate and against the rules.

TVN TECH

Hubbing Persists Despite Cloud Pressure

Most engineers feel the cloud isn’t quite ready to handle the dynamic nature and complex timing requirements of local stations, which frequently go live, and concerns linger over centralizing their content in cloud storage in case of connectivity failures or other emergencies. Pictured: Encompass provides multichannel playout services from its operations centers in Atlanta, London and Singapore.

Nexstar Extends Contract Of Chief Communications Officer Gary Weitman

The industry veteran oversees all of Nexstar’s internal and external communication, media relations, employee communication and the company’s intranet and internet site, Nexstar.tv.

Nexstar Names Jon Camera SVP Of National Sales

The veteran advertising exec will oversee the company’s newly created national ad sales team as part of its unified sales strategy.

EARNINGS CALL

Nexstar CEO Compares CW’s Potential To That Of Fox

Perry Sook: “If you think about it over time, The CW is increasingly looking like Fox, with the same number of hours of weekday programming and its growing live sports portfolio. And with Mike Biard now onboard” as president-COO,” we have the team to get us where we want to go.”

QUARTERLY REPORT

Nexstar’s 2Q Net Revenue Finishes Flat

The total of $1.24 billion (down 0.4%) was driven by The CW acquisition that closed on Sept. 30, 2022, as well as growth in distribution and digital revenues.

The CW Extends Contract Of President Dennis Miller

The exec, who joined the Nexstar-owned network in 2022, is now engaged through 2027.

Nexstar Seeks Next-Generation Audience Measurement Partner

Recently appointed VP of Measurement Innovation Hanna Gryncwajg will lead the effort.

WIVB-WNLO Buffalo Names Josh Roy News Director

Nexstar moves him up to oversee journalism at the CBS-CW duopoly in upstate New York.

Nexstar Appoints Former Verizon Exec Tony Wells To Board

Nexstar Media Group on Wednesday added Tony Wells, 59, to its board of directors. He fills the open position that was created when Dennis Miller stepped down last October to […]

Nexstar Names Michael Biard President-COO

The former Fox Corp. television distribution and operations leader will assume his new role on Aug.21, succeeding Thomas Carter who will continue as senior adviser through the end of the year.

Nexstar And Hawaiian Telcom Reach Retrans Deal

The multi-year distribution agreement covers Nexstar’s KHON and KHII Honolulu, NewsNation and digital subchannel Rewind TV

Larry Cottrill Appointed VP-GM Of WCMH Columbus

The former GM of Nexstar’s WRIC Richmond, Va., is tapped to run the Ohio NBC affiliate, succeeding the retiring Ken Freedman.

Mitzi Coleman Named GM Of WTRF Wheeling

The broadcast sales leader with 20 years of experience joins from KTVL Medford, Ore., to oversee the West Virginia CBS affiliate, succeeding the retiring Roger Lyons.

DirecTV Accuses Nexstar Of Further Expanding Mega-Blackout By Having Sinclair-Owned Stations Take Down CW Content From DirecTV Stream

The pay TV company said Nexstar, which owns CW, had content from the network removed from Sinclair-owned affiliate streaming feeds in 21 DMAs.

 

Hawaiian Telcom Says Nexstar Ordered It To Withdraw FCC Retrans Complaint

Cable operator Hawaiian Telcom has lobbed fresh accusations against broadcaster Nexstar Media Group over its ongoing carriage dispute involving several TV channels. On Monday, attorneys representing Hawaiian Telcom said it had reached an “agreement in principle” with Nexstar to return KHON (Fox and CW), KHII (MNT) and NewsNation to its cable TV platform, but the deal ultimately fell apart after Nexstar sprang a number of demands on the telecom at the last minute.

DirecTV Wins Summary Judgement In 2015 D.C. Retrans Fight

Tell you one thing — DirecTV and Nexstar have beef. And plenty of it. But some of that discord got closer to resolution over the weekend, when the New York Supreme Court issued a summary judgment in favor of DirecTV, ruling that Nexstar Media Group breached a 2015 broadcast retransmission contract by not telling the satellite pay TV company that its Washington, D.C. station, then known as WHAG, was about to lose its NBC affiliation and become The CW station WDVM. The court ruled that Nexstar lured DirecTV into the 2015 deal “based on a misleading or materially incomplete representation that WHAG would continue its affiliation.”

Nexstar Extends Contracts Of Sean Compton, Dana Zimmer

The veteran executives oversee key Nexstar growth drivers.

Nexstar Media Promotes Jerry Walsh To Senior VP, Local Content Development