Perry Sook, chairman and president of Nexstar Broadcasting, has been named TVB chairman for a two year term running through 2018. Sook takes over the chairman’s role from Michael Fiorile, vice chairman and chief executive of Dispatch Broadcast Group, whose two-year term ended in December.
“I’m honored to follow Michael Fiorile’s tremendous leadership by assuming the role of TVB Chairman as we continue to extend our work on important initiatives that will benefit the local broadcast television industry and our over 800 member stations,” Sook said in a statement released by TVB.
Sook has served on the TVB board for 16 years. He founded Nexstar in 1996 with one television station (in Scranton), and with the anticipated closing of Nexstar’s acquisition of Media General, will lead the second largest local broadcast television group in the U.S., with 171 stations.
“Perry is a local broadcast television industry pioneer and innovator,” said TVB president Steve Lanzano. “Throughout his time as a TVB Board member and his years of executive leadership, Perry has been a strong advocate on key industry issues including the establishment of the retransmission revenue stream which benefits affiliates and networks, the ongoing pursuit of fair compensation from pay TV operators, the establishment of a successful framework to support diversity in local broadcast station ownership and the advancement of digital innovation and cross-platform marketing solutions.”