Nexstar Media Group Names Marc Hefner Vice President and General Manager of Savannah, Georgia Television and Digital Operations
Nexstar Veteran Executive with over 20 Years of Broadcast Experience Promoted to Lead WSAV-TV (NBC), CW / MyNetwork Digital Subchannels and WSAV.com
SAVANNAH, Georgia and IRVING, Texas – Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXST) announced today that Marc Hefner has been named Vice President and General Manager of WSAV-TV (NBC), CW / MyNetwork digital subchannels and associated digital services, including WSAV.com, serving Savannah, GA (DMA #91). Since 2007, Mr. Hefner has served as Vice President and General Manager of Nexstar’s WCWJ-TV (CW) and YourJax.com in Jacksonville, FL (DMA #47). Mr. Hefner will immediately assume his new responsibilities and report to Bill Sally, Senior Vice President and Regional Manager of Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
An accomplished local media sales and management executive, Mr. Hefner is a highly-regarded leader within the Nexstar organization. He brings to his new role over two decades of broadcasting experience with success in station and digital revenue growth, local programming and digital content development, and strategic planning across multiple media platforms. In his most recent position at WCWJ-TV in Jacksonville, he developed highly effective sales teams that executed successful multiplatform marketing campaigns on behalf of clients, while also increasing revenue, market share and profitability. In addition, he launched innovative sports and local entertainment programming, as well as unique digital content strategies that expanded audience reach and engagement and produced incremental revenue for the station. His efforts and initiatives resulted in ongoing strong station performance that was consistently acknowledged by industry peers. Most notably, WCWJ-TV was a recipient of a CW #1 affiliate performance award along with consistent recognition as an elite and a Model CW affiliate. Mr. Hefner’s launch of Bounce Jacksonville achieved equal success and has been recognized as one of the top Bounce TV affiliates in the country.
Before joining Nexstar, Mr. Hefner held other sales management positions in Jacksonville at WTLV-TV (NBC), WJXX-TV (ABC), WAWS-TV (FOX) and WTEV-TV (CBS) where he consistently delivered excellence in client service and sales performance. Prior to his work in Jacksonville, he held sales management and Account Executive positions at KCTV-TV (CBS) in Kansas City, MO (DMA #33), WZTV-TV (FOX) and WXMT-TV (formerly UPN) in Nashville, TN (DMA #29).
Bill Sally commented on the appointment, “Marc is a dedicated and a highly accomplished General Manager within the Nexstar organization. He has an intimate understanding of how the Company’s organization-wide commitment to delivering exceptional service to our communities and outstanding results for our clients serves as a cornerstone of our long-term success. Marc brings to his new role a proven record of growing revenue and market share by leveraging Nexstar’s unique local programming and digital content to deliver diversified marketing solutions that yield distinct competitive advantages for our local and national advertising partners. Throughout his television career, he has built high-achieving, deeply engaged teams that have established enduring partnerships with local advertisers, businesses and community organizations, while elevating the level of service provided to the local viewers and clients. With his entrepreneurial spirit and deep dedication to the local communities he serves, we are confident in Marc’s ability to provide effective leadership and look forward to his contributions as we continue to enhance the effectiveness and value of our Savannah operations.”
Commenting on his promotion, Marc Hefner stated, “I am excited about continuing my career with Nexstar Media Group in my new leadership role in Savannah. I will leverage the management, sales, marketing and broadcast experience built over my career to generate results and further strengthen the position of WSAV-TV and WSAV.com. Many business and cultural traditions in Savannah are very similar to those in Jacksonville and other Southern markets I have proudly served throughout my career. As such, I have a deep appreciation for the city’s rich history and a solid understanding of a local economy that is influenced by a strong military presence and a thriving seaport. Nexstar’s unwavering commitment to superior local content production and service combined with its scalable diversified marketing solutions drives positive results on behalf of our local clients and customers. I look forward to immediately immersing myself into the Savannah community and working together with the exceptional team at WSAV-TV as we continue to build upon the foundation of client service excellence across our broadcast, digital and mobile platforms.”
Mr. Hefner earned his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Missouri and attended the Antoneli School of Media, in New York City. He has also served the Jacksonville community through board membership of Goodwill Industries of North Florida and has been a Trustee Member of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce. He has also coached youth baseball and soccer for non-profit organizations in Jacksonville.
Mr. Hefner, his wife and children will be relocating to Savannah, GA.
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 and Media General claim 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, the ultimate outcome and benefits of a transaction between Nexstar and Media General and timing thereof, and 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 timing to consummate the proposed transaction; the risk that a condition to closing of the proposed transaction may not be satisfied and the transaction may not close; the risk that a regulatory approval that may be required for the proposed transaction is delayed, is not obtained or is obtained subject to conditions that are not anticipated, the impact of changes in national and regional economies, the ability to service and refinance our outstanding debt, successful integration of Media General (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 and Media General undertake 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 the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus of Nexstar and Media General and Media General’s and Nexstar’s other filings with the SEC.
Contact:
Bill Sally
SVP and Regional Sales Manager
Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
585-287-8083 or bsally@nexstar.tv
Joseph Jaffoni, Jennifer Neuman
JCIR
212/835-8500 or nxst@jcir.com