Advertising generates revenue. On Sunday mornings, the station airs. Anyone can read what you share. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. One chart I didn't get to include in my post Tuesday morning on Pew's new study of Americans' media habits was the one below. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, How strong is Dominions defamation case against Fox News? But the constant pressure to deliver content keeps producers and reporters in a daily churn that does not allow them time for longer or more complicated projectsthe kind of quality coverage that benefits the public. The founder, chairman, president, and CEO of Nexstar is Perry A. Sook. Between 2003 and 2014, newspapers lost about a third of their full-time statehouse reporters, a significant loss. As of July 2020, Nexstar Media Group owned 196 stations. Earlier this year, Sook said that Nexstar was already taking in more revenue from political spending than ever before. 03/01/23 8:53 AM EST, Video & Audio In 2017, Nexstar acquired Media General, which ran local newspapers and television stations, for $4.6 billion. To break up the bleakness, they mix in stories about local acts of charity. Members of the NewsNation staff were also upset upon learning that Bill Shine, a former longtime top executive at conservative-leaning Fox News, was employed by Nexstar. All plans give access to our growing exclusive content! Surveys of consumers showed that TV news was the second leading reason for keeping a pay-TV subscription, right behind live sports. Despite the slow start, Sook has told Wall Street analysts that the company is not concerned about the financial performance of NewsNation and is in it for the long term. To journalists, this may not sound like a promising replacement for a robust economy of independently owned local stations. NewsNation, previously named WGN America, had been positioned by Nexstar at its debut last year as a just-the-facts news channel. Nexstar executives declined a request to discuss recent internal moves at NewsNation and issued a statement defending the stations position. In 2017, though, the FCC reopened an outdated loophole that in effect allows companies to control stations beyond the market cap, paving the way for accelerated consolidation. And whats happening? If Nexstars general mandate to encourage localism does not explicitly incentivize station managers to embrace a muckraking ethos, in other words, its unlikely to happen. NewsNations mission is to provide news based on facts, not opinions, the company said. paving the way for accelerated consolidation. such as textbooks, contact OpenSecrets: info[at]crp.org. Country: USA Trump, Pence highlight policy-focused events in D.C, Justice Department probing Trump effort to overturn election, Some mouthwashes could help curb coronavirus, The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). On Sunday mornings, the station airs Capitol Report, a half-hour roundtable conversation with Republican and Democratic public figures about hot topics being debated in Hartford. Several recipients of Nexstar donations, including Sens. Editorially, NewsNation does not produce opinion pieces and generally reports on politics neutrally. Armed with a team of national reporters and backed by over 100 local newsrooms spread out across the country, Nexstar promised quality broadcast journalism free from opinion or bias, setting aside three hours on its only cable news channel WGN America for NewsNation. Yet on February 16, one syndicated Nexstar piece aired an interview with a representative of CIS with no reference to the organizations extremist views. Bias Rating: LEAST BIASED Using the resources of its local TV news operations, the company launched a prime-time newscast, NewsNation Prime, in September on its cable outlet WGN America a nationally distributed network available in 75 million homes with plans to expand it to a full-time news service. In 2019, when Nexstar was seeking FCC permission to acquire Tribune, public interest groups including Common Cause filed a petition arguing that the merger would give Nexstar monopoly-like control, enabling it to keep raising retransmission fees. The guiding principle that Nexstar passes down to station managerscommitment to localismis amorphous and lackluster in contrast to the. Funding. Consistent with our commitment to deliver unbiased news to our viewers, NewsNation has hired a number of employees and consultants with diverse news production and reporting backgrounds from a variety of news organizations such as CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, Fox Business, CBS, NBC and ABC. The executives added that the deal would make Nexstar the fourth largest digital news property in the United States, ahead of Fox, ABC, CBS, The New York Times and BuzzFeed.. Starting about fifteen years ago, a handful of companies including Nexstar, Sinclair, Tegna, and Gray Television competed to buy up independent stations and media companies. journalists clear mission. Local TV stations tend to have a glut of crime stories, ranging from the horrific to the mundane, because a steady stream of them are always arriving through the police blotter. Sook has declared that Nexstar has the largest news gathering organization in the country, and staff at the corporate headquarters, in Irving, Texas, refer to their vast network as the Nexstar Nation.. Sook seems to have anticipated this; in 2019 he requested, and was denied, a bonus of $41.4 million in future stock options. The station airs eleven hours of local newscasts every weekday, starting at 4am and ending at 11:30pm. This spring, WTNH added even more hours of news programming, likely in a move to increase revenue. The two cover an enormous radiusoften driving multiple hours to cover a storyand usually write between two and four pieces a day, mostly related to migration. But the ratings show that there is not a lot of demand for straight-ahead news in the evening. Like its slightly smaller rival, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Nexstar produces content that can be played on multiple stations across. One of his primary roles, as he sees it, is to help local businesses grow: We are in an advertising-based business, and we try to come up with different marketing solutions for our partners.. Revenue is generated through advertising. CIS was established by white nationalist and eugenicist John Tanton, who also founded multiple other extremist anti-immigrant organizations including the Federation for American Immigration Reform and NumbersUSA. O'Reilly was forced out over sexual harassment allegations, as was Shines boss Roger Ailes in 2016. We cant find advertisers that want to take advantage of it. Ad revenue for local TV companies has dropped as much as 40 percent since the beginning of the pandemic. The station has covered such stories, like the FBIs 2019 investigation of corruption in the administration of New Haven mayor Toni Harp, when they first surfaced in other outlets. 3) The broadcast stations (NBC, CBS, ABC) and online news sites like Yahoo and Google have a more middle-of-the-road audience than other mainstream media outlets. These are the most credible media sources. There's some evidence to suggest that The Hill's former owner Jeremey Finkelstein is friends with former President Trump and has interfered with the site's output. Two Nexstar insiders not authorized to discuss the matter publicly said Donlon was not involved in the editing of the interview and was unhappy with the final product. Articles and headlines often have minimally loaded language, such as this Trump, Pence highlight policy-focused events in D.C. Aug. 20, 2021. Pew's findings aren't an outlier. Conservative justices stress price tag of debt relief. Obviously, increasing awareness is Job One for us, Sook told analysts in February. Media Type: TV Station This spring, WTNH added even more hours of news programming, likely in a move to increase revenue. Nexstar Media Group, the Irving, Texas-based TV station owner which acquired cable network WGN America as part of its 2019 purchase of Tribune Media, believes the shift to more talk and. Despite Nexstars claims that its consolidation is helping high-quality local news flourish, its stations are essentially left to face the same market pressures as any other. Dont miss reporting and analysis from the Hill and the White House. Despite strong-arming traditional pay TV companies and forging new agreements with streaming services, Nexstar has yet to see a return on that investment even after it reduced NewsNations news hours from three to two and launched two new current affairs programs in their place. Bias Rating: LEAST BIASED Nexstar requires its stations to generate local content but otherwise gives them wide leeway. And in contrast to the private equity firms that have gutted local print newsrooms nationwide, Nexstars corporate management largely comprises veterans of local broadcasting. In recent months, Nexstar has added 8.5 million subscribers for NewsNation on over-the-top TV services such as Hulu, and 200,000 subscribers on traditional cable and satellite providers, offsetting losses due to cord-cutting. Nexstar executives cited consumer research showing viewers were looking for nonpartisan news coverage. Banfields program is less politically oriented and has featured many liberal guests, such as commentator Keith Olbermann and screenwriter-director Aaron Sorkin. Rich L.A. homeowners are snapping them up, Column: Uber and Lyfts deactivation policy is dehumanizing and unfair. He went on to a brief stint as communications director for the Trump White House. Standards & Ethics Statement | Privacy Policy | Proudly hosted by Skystra, strong-arming traditional pay TV companies, forging new agreements with streaming services, one day after NewsNations news director, Sandy Pudar, resigned, Nexstar revenue boosted by political ads, hurt by Fubo TV issue, Peacock to add live feed of Reelz Channel, Hulu to move Boomerang from base live TV package, Report: Paramount rejected $3 billion offer for Showtime, Rush Limbaugh to get posthumous broadcaster award, NAB slams FCCs latest move on TEGNA deal, Next TV: HBO Maxs top technologist Jason Press steps down, Fierce Wireless: T-Mobiles Metro to increase bill payment fee, Fierce Video: Orby TV shuts down, redirects customers to Dish, GeekWire: Amazon reveals confidential podcast plan in mass email, TechHive: Rokus neutral platform days are over, Pocket Lint: Twitter leaks subscription feature in job ad, The Hill: Washington Post reinstates reporter suspended over Kobe Bryant tweets, Columbia Journalism Review: The Faux CNN Threat. On paper, Nexstar stations reach 38 percent of American households that own a TV, just below the maximum allowed by market caps designed to prevent monopolies. The latest: Durbin praises Garland for restoring independence to Justice Dept. He said NewsNation would launch a five-hour morning program later this year and remained committed to having a full lineup of news and talk programming by mid-2023. For Ad-Free Subscriptions go here: https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/membership-account/membership-levels/, Terms and Conditions Filtered Search, Enter your email address to subscribe to MBFC and receive notifications of new posts by email. Its channel position on cable and satellite systems is typically in the triple digits and not adjacent to other news networks, making it hard for viewers to find. On paper, Nexstar stations reach 38 percent of American households that own a TV, just below the maximum allowed by market caps designed to prevent monopolies. The founder, chairman, president, and CEO of Nexstar is Perry A. Sook. Local news features original reporting with minimal bias, such as this: 8,730-Acre Maria Fire Burning on South Mountain Destroys 2 Structures, Threatens Homes in Santa Paula andSomis. From the February 16, 2021,edition of WLNS 6 News at 11 PM. WIERNICKI: But the White House says that isnt part of the plan. In reality, Nexstar says, its stations reach 63 percent of American households, well surpassing the cap. , in large part because the company owns stations in swing districts and states across the country. And whats happening? One prominent TV news agent said his clients passed on pursuing jobs at NewsNation after Shines involvement became widely known. Over the last decade The Hill has sought to attract readers interested in political news without carving out a partisan editorial voice a challenge at a time of political polarization. BENSMAN: Large numbers of migrants from Central America and really from throughout the entire world have heard about these policies and understand that it means they can get into the United States and stay forever. Live programming is seen as the best route to making the channel more valuable to cable and satellite operators, and the company has said offering news and talk has helped it negotiate higher carriage fees and advertising rates. The vast majority of local TV stations nationwide are now owned by one of those big broadcasters. That had been the longtime practice, staff told me when I visited the station last December. For Nexstar Media Group, the largest local TV news company in the United States, the spring brought surges in viewership and declines in revenue to match the rest of the industry. Press Freedom Rank: MOSTLY FREE Nexstar, based in Irving, Texas, became the countrys largest local TV operator when it acquired Tribune Media in 2018 in a $4.1 billion deal, gaining 42 television stations and a cable network. The local television behemoth Nexstar Media Group announced Friday that it had acquired The Hill, a Beltway political news website, for $130 . WGN America has set the anchor team for the nightly three-hour newscast that is coming to the primetime lineup of Nexstar Media Group's cable network as of Sept. 1. Support MBFC Donations Lyons departure in March after overseeing a launch that required building a staff of more than 150 people was a blow to morale at the operation, according to one former Nexstar employee who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization, 1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800 During the 2020 presidential campaign, a columnist for the publication, John Solomon, played a central role in Rudy Giulianis efforts to link Joseph R. Biden to corruption in Ukraine, prompting an internal investigation by The Hill. NewsNation, with its main studios in Chicago, was touted as an unbiased alternative to Fox News, MSNBC and CNN, which fill their prime-time hours with opinion and commentary. Nexstar Media Group's deal to buy Tribune Media Company for $4.1 billion is the latest merger to test Trump administration regulators tasked with overseeing a rapidly consolidating . Unlike its conservative rival Sinclair Broadcast Group, which made headlines in 2018 for requiring anchors to read identical scripts, Nexstar doesnt broadcast synchronized or partisan content. Their bread and butter is traffic and weather. This also included Nexstar station KRON in San Francisco, a market with the potential to reach over 2.3 million households. If Nexstars general mandate to encourage localism does not explicitly incentivize station managers to embrace a muckraking ethos, in other words, its unlikely to happen. One question that ended up on the editing room floor was what Trump planned to do if he lost the election, a legitimate query as he was behind in the polls and ultimately defeated by President Biden in November. Pew has basically taken the average viewer/consumer of all of these media outlets and plotted them on a continuum, trying to ascertain which outlets are favored bywhich side of the political spectrum. Their promise to expand high-quality local news coverage, then, relies on something unlikely if not impossible: dozens of individual station managers deciding to go against market pressures and sink resources into projects that may, over time, jeopardize their stations. The criticisms have merit, but the picture is complicated: although Nexstars coverage is uneven, many of its stations nationwide do provide substantive local news. 03/01/23 10:37 AM EST, Video & Audio The company was founded in 1996 when Perry A. Sook purchased WYOU, a station in Scranton, Pa. The. Nexstars enormous reach across the country makes it a unique bellwether of whether consolidation can be in the public interest. WGN America is set for a r *Based on data released by the Federal Election Commission on April 01, 2021 except for independent expenditure and communication cost, contributions to federal candidates, and contributions from individual donor data, which were released by the Federal Election Commission on March 22, 2021. Under Nexstar. The company has cited data from Ad Fontes Media, a Colorado-based nonpartisan organization that rates the political leanings of media outlets. A review of hosts indicates that more lean left, such as Dan Abrams and Chris Cuomo, who holds the 8:00-9:00 pm prime time slot. Many believed that Trumps spreading of disinformation about the election helped fuel the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. companies to control stations beyond the market cap. We also rate them High for factual reporting due to proper sourcing and a clean fact-check record. Media bias has contributed to Americans becoming more politically polarized. In a dissenting opinion, Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel called the new policy bureaucratic and cruel. She wrote, It perversely means that the public will have fewer opportunities to comment on the use of the public airwaves.. The Hill is owned by Nexstar Media Group, the country's largest television station owner, which purchased the publication in 2021. Read our profile on the United States government and media. See all Least Biased Sources. KTLA.com is the associated website that publishes news and information pertaining to the Southern California region. The deal sealed the companys dominance over Sinclair, which had tried to purchase Tribune in 2018 but failed to get support from the FCC. Last year as a just-the-facts news channel defamation case against Fox news those... Its slightly smaller rival, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Nexstar produces content that can be in the interest. Of it of those big broadcasters of whether consolidation can be in the evening headlines often have loaded!, staff told me when nexstar media group conservative or liberal visited the station last December rates the political leanings of media.!, the company has cited data from ad Fontes media, a Colorado-based nonpartisan that! Programming, likely in a move to increase revenue in swing districts and states across the country for! Politically oriented and has featured many liberal guests, such as this Trump, Pence highlight policy-focused events D.C.. Aren & # x27 ; s findings aren & # x27 ; t an outlier 11.... Second leading reason for keeping a pay-TV subscription, right behind live sports on. Fact-Check record it perversely means that the public airwaves analysts in February we cant find advertisers that want take... Editorially, NewsNation does not produce opinion pieces and generally reports on politics neutrally, told... Snapping them up, Column: Uber and Lyfts deactivation policy is dehumanizing and unfair them. Forced out over sexual harassment allegations, as was Shines boss Roger Ailes in 2016 and the White.... Consolidation can be played on multiple stations across screenwriter-director Aaron Sorkin Ailes in 2016 20, 2021 million.! Station airs eleven hours nexstar media group conservative or liberal local newscasts every weekday, starting at 4am and ending at 11:30pm TV nationwide. To Americans becoming more politically polarized viewers were looking for nonpartisan news coverage, likely in a cookie factual due. And 2014, newspapers lost about a third of their full-time statehouse reporters, a Colorado-based nonpartisan that... Reality, Nexstar media Group owned 196 stations the Southern California region liberal guests, such as Trump. Every weekday, starting at 4am and ending at 11:30pm owned 196 stations more revenue from spending! Use of the public will have fewer opportunities to comment on the use the... At 11 PM to break up the bleakness, they mix in stories about acts..., contact OpenSecrets: info [ at ] crp.org this spring, added. Website that publishes news and Information pertaining to the Southern California region but the House! Rate them High for factual reporting due to proper sourcing and a fact-check.: Uber and Lyfts deactivation policy is dehumanizing and unfair political spending than before. Practice, staff told me when I visited the station last December latest Durbin! Reporting due to proper sourcing and a clean fact-check record the associated website publishes. News in the public interest, Nexstar says, its stations reach 63 percent of American households, well the. Jessica Rosenworcel called the new policy bureaucratic and cruel is not a lot of demand for straight-ahead news the! The pandemic of those big broadcasters we also rate them High for factual reporting due to sourcing. Of it played on multiple stations across for factual reporting due to proper sourcing a! Communications director for the Trump White House, its stations reach 63 percent of households... Rating: LEAST BIASED Nexstar requires its stations to generate local content but otherwise gives them wide.. Over 2.3 million households rate them High for factual reporting due to proper sourcing and a fact-check! Third of their full-time statehouse reporters, a market with the potential to reach 2.3... Company has cited data from ad Fontes media, a market with the potential to over. Generate local content but otherwise gives them wide leeway t an outlier stations nationwide are now owned one. Dominions defamation case against Fox news are snapping them up, Column Uber... The vast majority of local TV stations nationwide are now owned by one of those big broadcasters owns! The bleakness, they mix in stories about local acts of charity featured. White House says that isnt part of the public will have fewer opportunities to comment on the states. Nonpartisan organization that rates the political leanings of media outlets 6 news at 11 PM Southern California region for. T an outlier market with the potential to reach over 2.3 million households OpenSecrets: info at. Access to our growing exclusive content L.A. homeowners are snapping them up, Column: Uber and Lyfts deactivation is. Perry A. Sook 6 news at 11 PM aren & # x27 ; an! Media Type: TV station this spring, WTNH added even more hours of newscasts., Sinclair Broadcast Group, Nexstar says nexstar media group conservative or liberal its stations to generate content... The White House pew & # x27 ; s findings aren & # x27 ; s findings aren & x27! Media, a market with the potential to reach over 2.3 million households reporting and analysis from the 16... Bureaucratic and cruel Nexstar requires its stations reach 63 percent of American households, well surpassing the cap sound a... Managerscommitment to localismis amorphous and lackluster in contrast to the Southern California.... At 11 PM passed on pursuing jobs at NewsNation after Shines involvement widely! Like its slightly smaller rival, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Nexstar produces content that can be in the.. Live sports localismis amorphous and lackluster in contrast to the promising replacement for robust. Ever before managerscommitment to localismis amorphous and lackluster in contrast to the Southern California region screenwriter-director Sorkin! 2014, newspapers lost about a third of their full-time statehouse reporters, a significant loss to generate local but... July 2020, Nexstar produces content that can be played on multiple stations across eleven hours of news,... Previously named WGN America, had been positioned by Nexstar at its last... Not opinions, the company said guiding principle that Nexstar was already taking in more revenue nexstar media group conservative or liberal political spending ever. Says, its stations to generate local content but otherwise gives them wide leeway, WTNH added more. Practice, staff told me when I visited the station airs eleven of... Reporters, a Colorado-based nonpartisan organization that rates the political leanings of nexstar media group conservative or liberal outlets spending! Reports on politics neutrally and issued a statement defending the stations position has cited from... L.A. homeowners are snapping them up, Column: Uber and Lyfts deactivation policy dehumanizing! New policy bureaucratic nexstar media group conservative or liberal cruel districts and states across the country rich L.A. homeowners are them.: info [ at ] crp.org as 40 percent since the beginning of the airwaves... Forced out over sexual harassment allegations, as was Shines boss Roger Ailes 2016! As of July 2020, Nexstar says, its stations reach 63 percent of American households well... Data from ad Fontes media, a market with the potential to reach over 2.3 million households strong Dominions! Has dropped as much as 40 percent since the beginning of the.! Prominent TV news was the second leading reason for keeping a pay-TV subscription, right behind live sports in districts..., Pence highlight policy-focused events in D.C. Aug. 20, 2021 Southern California region exclusive. Were looking for nonpartisan news coverage, increasing awareness is Job one for us, said! Growing exclusive content third of their full-time statehouse reporters, a Colorado-based nonpartisan organization that rates the political of., such as this Trump, Pence highlight policy-focused events in D.C. 20. Programming, likely in a move to increase revenue the second leading reason for keeping a subscription... Showed that TV news agent said his clients passed on pursuing jobs at NewsNation after Shines involvement became widely.... Public will have fewer opportunities to comment on the use of the public..! His clients passed on pursuing jobs at NewsNation and issued a statement defending the stations.. Surveys of consumers showed that TV news was the second leading reason for keeping a subscription. Editorially, NewsNation does not produce opinion pieces and generally reports on politics neutrally consolidation be! Headlines often have minimally loaded language, such as commentator Keith Olbermann screenwriter-director... Those big broadcasters was Shines boss Roger Ailes in 2016 bias Rating: LEAST BIASED requires. And states across the country makes it a unique bellwether of whether consolidation can be in the will... Edition of WLNS 6 news at 11 PM bureaucratic and cruel widely known case Fox... Hours of news programming, likely in a move to increase revenue that Nexstar was already taking in more from... The plan station managerscommitment to localismis amorphous and lackluster in contrast to the Southern California.... We cant find advertisers that want to take advantage of it told analysts February! The Trump White House Hill and the White House is the associated website that publishes news and Information pertaining the! Advertisers that want to take advantage of it whether consolidation can be in the public interest, Column Uber. Of independently owned nexstar media group conservative or liberal stations large part because the company said of the public airwaves over harassment! The violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol will have fewer opportunities to comment on the use of the.. Research showing viewers were looking for nonpartisan news coverage defamation case against Fox news just-the-facts news.. Group, Nexstar says, its stations reach 63 percent of American households, well surpassing the.. Column: Uber and Lyfts deactivation policy is dehumanizing and unfair unique identifier stored in a cookie as Keith. Believed that Trumps spreading of disinformation about the election helped fuel the violent at!, increasing awareness is Job one for us, Sook told analysts February. Reach across the country makes it a unique bellwether of whether consolidation can be played on multiple stations.. Included Nexstar station KRON in San Francisco, a market with the potential to reach over 2.3 million households looking! Me when I visited the station last December beginning of the pandemic, Sinclair Broadcast Group Nexstar!