Nexstar Media Group To Air Daily Broadcasts Of The National Anthem By Emerging Artists
Nexstar Partners with BMI in Association with Production Services of Belmont University to Provide Daily Patriotic Musical Composition
Beginning Labor Day, Nexstar Stations Across the United States Will Showcase a New Series Featuring the Star-Spangled Banner Performed by BMI’s Talented Songwriters
IRVING, Texas (August 29, 2019) – Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXST) (the “Company”) announced today a new partnership with Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI®) and Belmont University’s Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business to air a new singer/songwriter series featuring a daily broadcast of the U.S. National Anthem performed by a variety of emerging artists. The Star-Spangled Banner was once a staple on local television stations, signifying the beginning or end of the broadcast day, and with this new collaboration, Nexstar is restoring this long-held tradition across 171 stations in 100 markets starting this Labor Day, September 2, 2019.
The new singer/songwriter series will showcase multiple renditions of the National Anthem by BMI’s emerging talented songwriters who will record their own unique versions of the Star-Spangled Banner at Belmont University’s Ocean Way Studios. Nexstar will leverage its leading distribution capabilities to deliver professionally produced music video recordings of the national anthem to more than 43 million television households across the United States.
“Nexstar’s core mission is to provide exceptional service to the local communities where we operate across America through our organization-wide commitment to localism, unbiased local broadcast journalism and telling the local stories that matter to our viewers and their families,” stated Tim Busch, President of Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. “Nexstar’s local teams take great pride in their ability to bring the local communities they serve together and that is why we are excited to partner with BMI and Belmont University to broadcast this new daily series featuring the Star-Spangled Banner that will air 365 days of each year. This unique collaboration supports higher education in business for the music and entertainment industry, while providing aspiring professional artists and songwriters a national distribution platform to showcase their respective talents. We look forward to returning the time-honored tradition of including the National Anthem in our stations’ broadcasts with this new partnership.”
“This unique partnership gives BMI’s songwriters a wonderful platform to showcase their vocal talent to viewers across the country,” said Dan Spears, Vice President, Industry Relations, BMI. “We’re thrilled that Belmont University’s Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business has generously provided its state-of-the-art recording studio as well. I’m looking forward to hearing how our songwriters perform their own special rendition of one of the nation’s most beloved patriotic songs.”
The first group of songwriters to be featured include Nashville-based Brian Sutherland, Texas native Kristen Kelly, and 2018 American Idol contestant Julia Cole. All musical genres will be highlighted during the series.
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 174 full power television stations and related digital multicast signals reaching 100 markets or nearly 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.
Pro-forma for the completion of all announced transactions, Nexstar will own, operate, program or provide sales and other services to 197 television stations and their related low power and digital multicast signals reaching 115 markets or nearly 63% of all U.S. television households. For more information please visit www.nexstar.tv.
About Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI)
Celebrating over 78 years of service to songwriters, composers, music publishers and businesses, Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®) is a global leader in music rights management, serving as an advocate for the value of music. BMI represents the public performance rights in 14 million musical works created and owned by more than 900,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers. The Company negotiates music license agreements and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to its affiliated writers and publishers when their songs are performed in public. In 1939, BMI created a groundbreaking open-door policy becoming the only performing rights organization to welcome and represent the creators of blues, jazz, country, and American roots music. Today, the musical compositions in BMI’s repertoire, from chart toppers to perennial favorites, span all genres of music and are consistently among the most-performed hits of the year. For additional information and the latest BMI news, visit bmi.com, follow us on Twitter @BMI or stay connected through Broadcast Music, Inc.‘s Facebook page. Sign up for BMI’s The Weekly™ and receive our e-newsletter every week to stay up to date on all things music.
About Belmont University
Ranked No. 6 in the Regional Universities South category and consistently named as a “Most Innovative” university by U.S. News & World Report, Belmont University is home to nearly 8,500 students who come from every state and more than 36 countries. Committed to being a leader among teaching universities, Belmont brings together the best of liberal arts and professional education in a Christian community of learning and service. The University’s purpose is to help students explore their passions and develop their talents to meet the world’s needs. With more than 95 areas of undergraduate study, more than 25 master’s programs and five doctoral degrees, there is no limit to the ways Belmont University can expand an individual’s horizon. For more information, visit www.belmont.edu.
Contacts:
Nexstar Media Group, Inc.
Blake Russell
EVP, Station Operations and Content Development
972/373-8800
Joseph Jaffoni, Jennifer Neuman
JCIR
212/835-8500 or nxst@jcir.com
Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI)
Jodie Thomas
Executive Director, Corporate Communications
212/220-3142 or jthomas@bmi.com
Belmont University
Greg Pillon
Director, Office of Communications
615/460-6645 or greg.pillon@belmont.edu