Chris Pruitt New VP-GM Of Nexstar’s Springfield, Mo., Duopoly

Nexstar Media Group has named Chris Pruitt vice president and general manager of its broadcast and digital operations in Springfield, Mo. (DMA 73), responsible for the long-range planning and day-to-day operations of KRBK (Fox), KOZL (MNT), Ozarksfirst.com, and their related digital and social media channels.

In his new role, he will also oversee Nexstar’s operational agreements with Mission Broadcasting to provide services for the market’s KOLR (CBS). Pruitt assumes his new responsibilities immediately and reports to Mike Vaughn, senior vice president and regional manager for Nexstar’s broadcasting division.

Pruitt brings nearly 30 years of executive broadcast television management, sales, and marketing experience to his new role at Nexstar, where he has served in a variety of executive leadership roles and most recently oversaw the company’s CW affiliate KIAH Houston. During his tenure, KIAH expanded local programming, launching a weekday morning news show, a new weekday lifestyle show Houston Happens and two weekend sports shows highlighting local high school, college, and professional sports.

Prior to Houston, Pruitt was responsible for Nexstar’s multiple stations in Waco, Temple and Bryan, Tex., where he and his team also launched new local newscasts and lifestyle programming and generated significant digital growth. Pruitt was also instrumental in developing numerous community partnerships, and his stations served as the primary sponsor of Waco’s annual Alzheimer’s Walk, breaking fundraising records for the event.

Prior to his tenure in Waco, Pruitt held a series of broadcasting management and sales positions, serving as VP-GM of KMVT and KSVT Twin Falls, Idaho, from 2010 to 2015.

Pruitt has been involved in the media industry throughout his career and has served on the Fox Network Sales Advisory Committee.

He earned his bachelors’ degree in finance from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas.