Nexstar Media Group Names Gary Hackler Vice President and General Manager of Champaign-Springfield-Decatur, Illinois Television and Digital Operations

March 17, 2017

Nexstar Broadcasting Executive with over 27 years of Local Market Experience Promoted to Lead WCIA-TV (CBS), WCIX-TV (MyNetwork) and illinoishomepage.net

CHAMPAIGN, Illinois and IRVING, Texas – Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXST) announced today that Gary Hackler has been promoted to Vice President and General Manager of WCIA-TV (CBS), WCIX-TV (MyNetwork) and illinoishomepage.net serving Champaign-Springfield-Decatur, IL (DMA #86). Since 2014, Mr. Hackler has served as Director of Sales for WCIA-TV and WCIX-TV where he was responsible for overseeing all revenue for the television and digital operations. Mr. Hackler will assume his new responsibilities immediately and report to Diane Kniowski, Senior Vice President and Regional Manager for Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.

Gary Hackler replaces Coby Cooper who has been promoted to Vice President and General Manager of Nexstar-owned WATE-TV (ABC) and associated digital services, including WATE.com, serving Knoxville, TN (DMA #62).

A Champaign-area native and accomplished broadcasting sales management executive, Mr. Hackler has spent his entire broadcast career of nearly three decades serving local communities in the Champaign-Springfield-Decatur market. Mr. Hackler joined Nexstar’s WCIA-TV and WCIX-TV in 2008 as an Account Executive where he consistently delivered excellence in client service and sales performance, which ultimately led to his promotion to Local Sales Manager in 2013. In his new role, he further built upon WCIA-TV’s market leadership by developing revenue-generating strategies for the station’s local programming, digital and mobile content resulting in expanded audience reach and community engagement. In late 2014, he was elevated to the Director of Sales position at WCIA-TV and WCIX-TV, where he led highly effective teams and implemented sales, marketing and digital media initiatives that drove increased market share and profitability at the station, while improving overall client service.

Prior to joining Nexstar, from 1990 to 2007 Mr. Hackler held various sales management positions at WICD-TV (ABC), rising from Local Account Executive to Station Manager, where he successfully led the station through an affiliation change. Throughout his career in Champaign-Springfield-Decatur, Mr. Hackler has developed an exceptional reputation within the business community and a long-term record of delivering successful local multi-platform marketing solutions that have helped many local businesses grow.

Commenting on the appointment, Diane Kniowski noted, “Gary’s extensive sales management leadership and entrepreneurial approach is reflected in the ongoing revenue share outperformance and high level of sales productivity at our Champaign-Springfield-Decatur operations. As a Champaign-area native, Gary has deep community connections and has built a solid reputation as a trusted business partner who is committed to the growth and economic success of local clients, businesses and public organizations. Importantly, he has an intimate understanding of Nexstar’s culture and a proven record of generating excellent sales performance by implementing innovative marketing solutions across multiple media platforms that deliver positive results for local and national advertisers. In addition, he has consistently exceeded economic goals while growing digital revenues, improving customer retention and identifying new business opportunities. Gary is taking the logical next step in his professional career with Nexstar and we have the highest degree of confidence in his ability to continue enhancing the effectiveness and value of our broadcast, digital and mobile services in the Champaign-Springfield-Decatur area.”

Commenting on his new role, Gary Hackler said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to continue serving local communities in my home state of Illinois, where I have deep personal, business and community relationships. In this new role, I will utilize the management and marketing experience built over my career to further strengthen the leadership position of our Champaign-Springfield-Decatur broadcast and digital operations. As a Champaign-area native, I understand the opportunities and challenges that are facing local residents and businesses. Nexstar’s strong commitment to superior local content production combined with its scalable diversified marketing solutions will yield distinct competitive advantages for our clients. I look forward to working alongside the experienced local media teams at WCIA-TV, WCIX-TV and illinoishomepage.net as we continue to build upon our commitment to deliver unrivaled local news programming and service to viewers and advertisers in Champaign-Decatur-Springfield.”

Mr. Hackler graduated from East Illinois University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Communications. He has volunteered for the Make a Wish Foundation and the Danville, IL “Festival of Trees,” and has served on the boards of Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Champaign County Crime Stoppers and the Provena Covenant Medical Center Foundation. He is also the past Board Chair of Vermilion Advantage (the Vermilion County Economic Development/Chamber Group) and past Chairman of the Vermilion County Heart Walk. He currently serves as the Vice President of the Danville Area Visitors and Convention Bureau.

Born in Ridge Farm, IL, Gary is a lifelong resident of the local area. His wife La Donna is a High School English Teacher at Georgetown Ridge Farm Unit 4 Schools. They have two sons, Joel and Cal, who also reside in Illinois.

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 170 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:
Diane Kniowski
SVP and Regional Manager
Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
616/292-2712 or dkniowski@nexstar.tv

Joseph Jaffoni, Jennifer Neuman
JCIR
212/835-8500 or nxst@jcir.com