West Texas Native and Proven Executive with over 40 years of Local Broadcasting and Sales Management Experience Promoted to Lead KMID-TV and YourBasin.com
ODESSA-MIDLAND and IRVING, Texas – Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXST) announced today that Michael “Mike” Lee has been named Vice President and General Manager of KMID-TV and associated digital services, including YourBasin.com, serving Odessa-Midland, TX (DMA #143). In his new role, he will also oversee Nexstar’s relationship with Marshall Broadcasting’s FOX affiliate KPEJ-TV under a joint operating agreement. Mr. Lee will assume his new responsibilities immediately and report to Julie Pruett, Senior Vice President and Regional Manager of Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
Mike Lee replaces Kyle King who has been promoted to Vice President and General Manager of Nexstar-owned KARK-TV (NBC), KARZ-TV (MyNetwork) and ArkansasMatters.com, serving Little Rock-Pine Bluff, AR (DMA #57). Mr. King is also responsible for overseeing Nexstar’s relationship with Mission Broadcasting’s KLRT-TV (FOX) and KASN-TV (CW).
An industry veteran with over four decades of broadcast and sales management experience, Mr. Lee has spent his entire career serving local communities in the great state of Texas and the Southwest. Before joining Nexstar, Mr. Lee served as VP and General Manager of KXXV-TV (ABC), KXXV-DT2 (Telemundo) and Weather Now in Waco-Temple-Bryan, TX (DMA #87) for eleven years where he developed and led highly effective teams and implemented sales, marketing and digital media initiatives that drove increased revenue and market share. During his tenure in Waco, he led the complete realignment of station operations resulting in enhanced productivity, superior personnel performance, record broadcast cash flow growth and improved overall profitability.
Prior to that, from 1981 to 2005 he was with KFDA-TV (CBS) in Amarillo, TX (DMA #131) where he quickly rose through various sales positions of increased responsibility before being promoted to VP and General Manager of the station in 1987. During his 18-year leadership, he transformed KFDA-TV from a consistent underperformer to a dominant number one rated operation by implementing innovative local news and sports content initiatives, including the successful launch of the market’s Telemundo affiliate that resulted in increased Spanish-language programming. Mr. Lee began his broadcasting career in news and commercial production at KFDA-TV. Before returning to KFDA-TV in 1981, he served as General Manager of KFDW-TV in Clovis, NM for four years.
Mr. Lee has received numerous accolades throughout his career including the Amarillo Advertising Federation Silver Metal Award (2006) and Texas Association of Broadcast Educators “Broadcaster of the Year” Award (2003). He was also inducted to the Texas Panhandle Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2005.
Commenting on the appointment, Julie Pruett noted, “Mike has an impressive industry background and is a highly-respected leader who has achieved great success in generating ratings and revenue share gains at the stations he has managed. Localism is a top priority at Nexstar and Mike’s exceptional community involvement has been acknowledged by both English and Spanish-speaking viewers, advertisers, businesses and community organizations throughout Texas. Throughout his career, he has consistently exceeded economic and operational goals by implementing innovative programming strategies and unique digital concepts while elevating the level of service provided to viewers and clients. Importantly, he has diverse local media market experience and a strong understanding of critical business functions including station and sales management, local news and sports content, digital and social media integration, new business development and strategic planning across multiple media platforms. We are confident in Mike’s ability to successfully lead our Western Texas operations and look forward to his contributions as we continue to enhance the effectiveness and value of our broadcast, digital and mobile services for local viewers and advertisers in Odessa-Midland and the surrounding local communities.
Commenting on his new role, Mike Lee said, “For over four decades, I’ve had the privilege of serving several outstanding communities in Texas and I am grateful to extend my record of service in the Lone Star state by taking on this new opportunity at Nexstar. In my new role, I will leverage the business relationships, management, sales and programming experience built over my career to generate results and further strengthen the position of our Odessa-Midland television and digital operations. Nexstar’s strong commitment to superior local content production and service combined with its scalable diversified marketing solutions will yield distinct competitive advantages for our clients. I look forward to working alongside the exceptional local media teams at KMID-TV and YourBasin.com as we continue to build upon our commitment to deliver exceptional local news and programming and service to viewers and advertisers throughout Western Texas.”
Mr. Lee is a graduate of Eastern New Mexico University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications. He has served as Chairman of the Board and as an Executive Board Member of the Texas Association of Broadcasters. He is involved in several community organizations including Waco Business League, Amarillo Executive Club and First Lutheran Church, Waco.
Mr. Lee and his wife plan to relocate to the Odessa-Midland community.
About Nexstar Media Group, Inc.
Nexstar Media Group is a leading diversified media company that leverages localism to bring new services and value to consumers and advertisers through its traditional media, digital and mobile media platforms. Nexstar owns, operates, programs or provides sales and other services to 171 television stations and related digital multicast signals reaching 100 markets or approximately 39% of all U.S. television households. Nexstar’s portfolio includes primary affiliates of NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, MyNetworkTV and The CW. Nexstar’s community portal websites offer additional hyper-local content and verticals for consumers and advertisers, allowing audiences to choose where, when and how they access content while creating new revenue opportunities. For more information please visit www.nexstar.tv.
Forward-Looking Statements
This communication includes forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. Forward-looking statements include information preceded by, followed by, or that includes the words “guidance,” “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “could,” or similar expressions. For these statements, Nexstar claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements contained in this communication, concerning, among other things, future financial performance, including changes in net revenue, cash flow and operating expenses, involve risks and uncertainties, and are subject to change based on various important factors, including the impact of changes in national and regional economies, the ability to service and refinance our outstanding debt, successful integration of acquired television stations and digital businesses (including achievement of synergies and cost reductions), pricing fluctuations in local and national advertising, future regulatory actions and conditions in the television stations’ operating areas, competition from others in the broadcast television markets, volatility in programming costs, the effects of governmental regulation of broadcasting, industry consolidation, technological developments and major world news events. Nexstar undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this communication might not occur. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. For more details on factors that could affect these expectations, please see Nexstar’s other filings with the SEC.
Contact:
Julie Pruett
SVP/Regional Manager
Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
972/373-8800
or
Joseph Jaffoni, Jennifer Neuman
JCIR
212/835-8500 or nxst@jcir.com
America's largest broadcaster with 200 Owned or Partner Stations