Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

A National Player With a Local Focus

18/03/2019

Why This Matters: Nexstar founder Perry Sook has won the Golden Mike Award for his role building the company into an industry leader.

Nexstar media group founder, chairman, president and CEO Perry Sook started his company in 1996 with a single station in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and a belief that the television station business, out of favor in the late '90s, was ready for a resurgence. Over the past 23 years, Sook has dedicated himself to proving that theory right and later this year, after its $6.4 billion purchase of Tribune Media is closed, Nexstar will be the largest station group in the country, with more than 200 stations in more than 100 markets and covering 39% of U.S. television households.

Sook has been a guiding force in the industry through Nexstar and his participation on many industry boards he is chairman of the CBS Affiliates Board, the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) board of directors and The Ohio University Foundation Board.

On March 6, he was awarded the Broadcasters Foundation of America's Golden Mike Award for his contributions to the industry and to philanthropy. The Broadcasters Foundation helps men and women in broadcasting who have lost their livelihood through a catastrophic event, debilitating disease or other unforeseen tragedy. The Golden Mike is the group's highest honor, and foundation chairman Dan Mason said in a statement that the growth of Nexstar under Sook has benefited the entire TV industry. As a member of our board, he has championed our mission of helping broadcasters in acute need and spread the word about the assistance we can provide, Mason said. He is admired among his colleagues, and it is a privilege to honor him.

Sook spoke recently with B&C. An edited transcript follows.

B&C: You started Nexstar in 1996 with one station, during a time when television stations weren't considered to be a particularly attractive asset. What was your thinking behind this?

Perry Sook: I believe, and still do today, in the essential mission of local broadcast television, which is to create local content to inform viewers and to help local businesses sell their wares. We exist as a local service business and I've always believed in that mission. Technology may, over time, change how we do it, but our essential mission is serving our local communities by facilitating business-to-consumer communication, and by providing local contextual, interesting, engaging, content, which is primarily local news. That mission hasn't changed and that's what attracted me to the business. Starting the company when local television was out of favor and building it for the last 23 years opportunistically has allowed us to create a company, when we close on Tribune, that will have almost 15,000 employees and almost $4 billion in revenue and will be the largest owner of commercial television stations in the United States.

B&C: Was the goal always to be a large station group, or did it just work out that way?

PS: The goal was never to be the biggest. Our goal was to try to be one of the best and one of the most valuable, create opportunities for our employees and create value for our shareholders. We continued to acquire opportunities that made sense for us, and really just woke up one day and realized that when we close on Tribune, we'll be the largest television broadcast group in the country. That was never the goal. I would say finding good acquisition opportunities, integrating them, performing, all were the goal, and where we are today and where we will be soon is the byproduct of that strategy.

B&C: The Golden Mike is a pretty prestigious honor. Past recipients include Graham Media Group president and CEO Emily Barr, former Hearst TV president and CEO David Barrett, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and NAB president and CEO Gordon Smith. How does it feel to be a part of that group?

PS: I am very humbled for my name to even be mentioned with many, if not all, of those who have received this award before. The thing that is special for me is that I have received a number of awards for achievement in our industry; this award has particular ties to philanthropy and helping those less fortunate, and that is something very important to myself and my family. The combination of those elements is what makes this award very special to me.

B&C: What do you see as being the most exciting thing happening in broadcasting right now?

PS: We're spending a lot of time working on the transition to ATSC 3.0. We think that is going to be the next value driver and will open up opportunities for those of us that operate in the local side of our industry. We think there is an opportunity to provide enhanced services to advertisers and consumers, as well as data transmission, working with autonomous cars. We are in point-to-multipoint wireless communications and we think that there are going to be opportunities to do things that we aren't even thinking of today with ATSC 3.0.

The other area that we're spending a lot of time on at the senior roles in our company is the TIP [TV Interface Practices] initiative, which is an attempt to make broadcast television less expensive to do business with from a process perspective. In other words, if you have one employee that can make three clicks and buy ads on YouTube or Facebook, but you have an entire department to place media, reconcile invoices across 40 or 50 stations, we need to get it to the point where we can be more profitable for the agencies to do business with us. We think those two elements taken together could really drive value.

B&C: What's the scariest trend?

PS: The audiences are more fragmented today than they were five years ago, and five years ago they were more fragmented than they were 20 years ago. That is just a fact of life. With so much video out there, ou
LINK: https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/a-national-player-with-a-local-...
See more stories from bandc

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

28/05/2026

How Thomson's Climate Crisis Toolkit is helping journalists tell the climate story

Thomsons Climate Crisis Toolkit is already being put to work, helping journalist...

28/05/2026

Matt Gangl and Pete Macheska on FOX MLB's Huge Night and Unforgettable Postseason Run

FOX Sports' MLB coverage dominated the night at the 47th Annual Sports Emmy ...

28/05/2026

FOX's Mike Davies and Team on Win as Outstanding Technical Team for 2025 World Series

One of the most memorable postseasons in baseball history would have had no memo...

28/05/2026

NBC Sports' Rob Hyland Reflects on an Unforgettable Sunday Night Football Season

NBC's Sunday Night Football is among the most-decorated and most-watched pro...

28/05/2026

Prime Video's John Ward and Mike Francis on Groundbreaking NBA on Prime Video Studio

The 2026 Sports Emmys marked a watershed moment for Prime Video Sports. After bu...

28/05/2026

18th-Annual SVG College Sports Media Awards Crown Years Best Work in Atlanta

Hosted by ESPN Senior Writer Ryan McGee, the ceremony honored winners from athletic departments, conference offices, professional networks, production companies...

28/05/2026

Networks Unveil 2026 College Football Broadcast Schedules

Major rights-holders rolled out their 2026 college football slates today, offering a first look at marquee windows, kickoff partners, and conference distributio...

28/05/2026

NHL's Steve Mayer on the Behind-the-Scenes Access of 4 Nations Face-Off: Unveiled

The 4 Nations Face-Off, an international competition that launched in February 2...

28/05/2026

ESPN's Manny de la Fe on the Gratifying Conclusion to Inaugural Season in Spanish

Soccer is a truly global sport, and, to match the U.S. viewing audience's in...

28/05/2026

CBS Sports' Graphics Team on the Vision of The NFL Today's Virtual Time Machine

The NFL Today, CBS Sports' top-of-the-line NFL studio show, has a storied hi...

28/05/2026

Prime Video's Mike Muriano on the Immediate Success of Fan Optionality Feature

Prime Video is no stranger to innovation, and, within the realm of live streamin...

28/05/2026

FOX Sports' Jamie McCombs on Showcasing MLB Atmosphere With Immersive Audio

The crack of the bat, the pop of the glove, and the cheer of the crowd: those are three prime examples of the glorious sounds fans hear on televised baseball ga...

28/05/2026

CBS Sports' Harold Bryant on Capturing the Essence of March Madness in the Studio

Every year, March Madness captivates the entire sports world. Nonstop action, un...

28/05/2026

NBC Sports' Chad Hudson on Developing Graphics for the Return of NBA on NBC

NBA on NBC was an integral part to live sports production in the 1990s, and, when the league made these media rights available, NBC Sports saw an opportunity to...

28/05/2026

MLB's Ryan Zander on the Tech Innovation Behind the League's UmpCam AR System

UmpCam is a technological wrinkle that has given fans unprecedented views of wha...

28/05/2026

T-Mobile Brings America's Best Network to the USGA

T-Mobile and the United States Golf Association (USGA) announced a multi-year partnership, making T-Mobile the Official 5G Network Partner of the U.S. Women'...

28/05/2026

Time and Water Is a Moving Portrait of Family History and a Warming Iceland

By Gina McIntyre (L-R) Sara Dosa and Andri Sn r Magnason attend the Time and Water premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Library Center Theatre ...

28/05/2026

More Control, Faster Playlist Editing, and Other Updates for Everyday Listening on Spotify

A little refresh can go a long way. We've been making behind-the-scenes upda...

28/05/2026

Introducing the Newest Winners of Spotify's Creator Milestone Awards

Since early last year, our quarterly Creator Milestone Awards have celebrated podcasts from around the world that hit major streaming milestones on Spotify. Tod...

28/05/2026

Rapid Flow launch Omniclock

New software-based MIDI multi-clock announced Rapid Flow have just announced the launch of a new MIDI utility plug-in that aims to solve one of the most per...

28/05/2026

SSL announce the SSL 1

Company introduce most affordable interface yet SSL's range of audio interfaces has just gained its latest, and smallest member, the SSL 1. Designed to ...

28/05/2026

Deconstruct Minimal from Sonicware

New compact drum machine & sampler announced The latest instrument from Sonicware sees the company kick off an all-new Deconstruct series with a compact dru...

28/05/2026

Get fit for the FIFA World Cup 2026 with new SBS On Demand features for the ultimate viewing experience

Get fit for the FIFA World Cup 2026 with new SBS On Demand features for the ult...

28/05/2026

Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority modernizes nationwide ATC voice communications with Rohde & Schwarz CERTIUM Radios

Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority modernizes nationwide ATC voice communications...

28/05/2026

Amazon MGM Studios, AWS Launch GenAI Creators' Fund

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/05/2026

AudioShake Launches Copyright Compliance System

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/05/2026

Big Blue Marble Advances 5G Broadcast

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/05/2026

Will Must-Carry Make It to NextGen TV?

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/05/2026

Swiss Broadcaster Canal Alpha Streamlines Playout to Deli...

Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonics award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to ...

28/05/2026

Calrec Scales ImPulseV to Expand Choice in Virtualized Audio Workflows

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/05/2026

Berliner Ensemble Upgrades Backstage Infrastructure With...

Riedel Communications today announced that Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expanded its backstage communications and te...

28/05/2026

Digital Alert Systems Ed Czarnecki to Speak on Advanced E...

Company's VP Government and International to Address How Broadcasters Can Operationalize Advanced Emergency Information for NextGen TV Digital Alert Syst...

28/05/2026

Radio BGM Upgrades and Futureproofs with DHD SX2 Audio Mi...

Radio BGM (https://radiobgm.org.uk/), Llanellis multiple-award-winning community and hospital radio station, has invested in a DHD SX2 audio mixing console and ...

28/05/2026

Calrec Scales ImPulseV to Empower Broadcasters with Great...

Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters as they enter a new broadcast age, Calrec announces an expansion to its ImPulseV...

28/05/2026

NAB, MPA and NCTA Defend Current TV Ratings System

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/05/2026

Amazon MGM Studios, AWS Launch the GenAI Creators' Fund

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/05/2026

AudioShake Launches New Copyright Compliance System

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/05/2026

ITV Studios Deploys Cuez Live Production Platform

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/05/2026

ACT Entertainment Introduces Green Hippo Estuary Series a...

Green Hippo, an ACT Entertainment brand, will pull back the curtain on the Estuary Series, a next-generation media control platform engineered for the scale, sp...

28/05/2026

ZEISS Introduces Panoptes 65 Cinema Lenses at Cine Gear E...

First Hands-On Opportunity at Universal Studios Lot, June 5-6 Oberkochen, Germany, May 27, 2026 ZEISS is launching their new Panoptes 65 primes at Cine Gear ...

28/05/2026

Wooden Camera Releases New Accessories for Blackmagic URS...

Irvine, CA May 20, 2026 Wooden Camera today announced the release of new accessories for the Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive. The new lineup includes a redes...

28/05/2026

Six films, one unmissable collection. First Facts documentaries debut on 10 Streaming

Six films, one unmissable collection. First Facts documentaries debut on 10 Stre...

28/05/2026

Emma Watkins brings all-new Emma's Dance Club to ABC Kids

Emma Watkins brings all-new Emma's Dance Club to ABC Kids 28 May 2026 Emmas Dance Club. Image credit: Sarah Wilson. The ABC, Screen Australia and Screen N...

28/05/2026

Cool Concentric Text for Cavalry

Cool Concentric Text for Cavalry Simon Ubsdell May 27, 2026 0 Comments In this tutorial I'll show you how to make this popular text effect that is...

28/05/2026

Berliner Ensemble Upgrades Backstage Infrastructure With Riedel Stage Systems

Wuppertal May 28, 2026 Berliner Ensemble Upgrades Backstage Infrastructure With Riedel Stage SystemsRiedel Communications today announced that Berliner Ensemb...