KFDX-KJTL-KJBO general manager Julie Pruett has been promoted to senior vice president and regional manager of west region markets at Nexstar Broadcasting. In her new role, she will be overseeing Nexstar’s stations in Louisiana, Missouri and Texas.
In a statement announcing the promotion, Nexstar COO Brian Jones said Pruett’s new position was created to “oversee our expanded scale and maintain our industry-wide reputation of delivering exceptional community service.”
“Julie brings to her new position a deep understanding of critical functions including station management, local programming production, sales and strategic planning, and positioning across multiple media platforms,” Jones said.
Pruett will be replaced by Wayne Reed, who will step into the general manager role at Nexstar’s stations serving Wichita Falls, Texas and Lawton, Okla. Reed has worked at the stations since 1994, most recently as director of sales.
“Wayne brings a proven long-term record of achieving outstanding financial results by implementing innovative sales strategies and leading teams that delivered compelling and effective marketing solutions for local and national advertisers,” Jones said.
More in the Nexstar press release after the jump.
NEXSTAR BROADCASTING NAMES JULIE PRUETT SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND REGIONAL MANAGER OF WEST REGION MARKETS
– Appointment Reflects Nexstar’s Expanding Scale and Local Community Commitment –
WAYNE REED TO SUCCEED PRUETT AS VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER OF WICHITA FALLS TELEVISION AND E-MEDIA OPERATIONS
IRVING and WICHITA FALLS, Texas, August 26, 2013 – Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXST) announced today that Julie Pruett has been named Senior Vice President and Regional Manager, West Region, a new position at the company. Ms. Pruett’s appointment highlights Nexstar’s commitment to serve customers, clients and advertising partners across its on-air and digital platforms while supporting the Company’s expanded scale. Since 1996, Ms. Pruett has served as Vice President/General Manager of Nexstar-owned KFDX-TV(NBC) and texomashomepage.com serving the Wichita Falls, TX and Lawton, OK DMA. During that time, Ms. Pruett was also responsible for managing Nexstar’s relationship with Mission Broadcasting’s KJTL (FOX) and KJBO-LP(MyNetworkTV) under a joint operating agreement. Wayne Reed, who has served as Director of Sales since 2007 and has held various local, national and digital sales positions at KFDX-TV since 1994, has been appointed Vice President/General Manager of the stations and their digital e-Media operations and is assuming Ms. Pruett’s responsibilities, including the Mission relationship. The appointments are effective September 3, and both Ms. Pruett and Mr. Reed will report to Brian Jones, Co-Chief Operating Officer of Nexstar.
In her new role, Ms. Pruett will oversee strategic planning and business development of Nexstar’s West Region operations, which includes stations in Louisiana, Missouri and Texas. She will have direct oversight of select markets and their respective General Managers and will be responsible for developing and implementing new business strategies to optimize the value of Nexstar’s on-air and online platforms. Ms. Pruett will work across the Nexstar organization and with other corporate personnel to administer policies and procedures to further enhance the effectiveness and service of the Company’s West Region operations. Additionally, she will be responsible for executing strategies aimed at developing local viewership, improving operating efficiencies, and achieving financial goals.
Ms. Pruett first joined Nexstar in 1997 as Vice President/General Manager of KFDX-TV serving the Wichita Falls Market. During her tenure, she provided oversight of the stations’ DTV and High Definition conversion, managed a complete overall of the station’s news operations and launched its e-Media platform. Through her efforts and initiatives, Nexstar’s Wichita Falls/Lawton station operations increased local community involvement, elevated service to local advertisers, and established a strong local brand which led to consistent year-over-year local revenue growth.
Consistent with Nexstar’s record of attracting and developing the industry’s top talent and advancing long-term, results-oriented employees, Wayne Reed has been appointed the new Vice President/General Manager of KFDX-TV texomashomepage.com and the Mission-relationship. A self-motivated leader, Mr. Reed ascended to positions of increasing responsibility serving as Local Account Executive, Local Sales Manager, and most recently Director of Sales for all three Wichita Falls/Lawton stations and their e-Media operations. Throughout his approximate twenty year career at the stations, he has lead sales teams and implemented strategies that resulted in local, national, and digital revenue increases and new business growth.
Brian Jones commented on the appointments, “Nexstar’s organization-wide commitment to broadcasting excellence for local viewers and unparalleled marketing results for our advertisers has been a key component of our success and long-term growth. As Nexstar continues building the company through a disciplined approach, we created the new Regional Manager position to oversee our expanded scale and maintain our industry-wide reputation of delivering exceptional community service.
“Julie brings to her new position a deep understanding of critical functions including station management, local programming production, sales and strategic planning, and positioning across multiple media platforms. Throughout her career at Nexstar, Julie developed a reputation of being an exceptionally hard-working leader with a high level of integrity and experienced tremendous success advancing the effectiveness of station operations. In fact, over the years I have consistently used our Wichita Falls market and Julie’s leadership example as a model to teach recently-hired general managers operational best practices and as a key approach in attracting new talent to Nexstar. With her extensive broadcast knowledge and leadership experience we are confident in her ability to implement effective new business strategies that extend viewership of our leading local market newscasts, and other community focused content and programming while strengthening Nexstar’s position as a leading provider of effective advertising solutions. We look forward to her contributions in her new role as we pursue our goals for continued near- and long-term growth.
“Wayne Reed has also demonstrated a results-oriented focus and entrepreneurial approach to the business of broadcasting and he is the ideal candidate to succeed Julie as Vice President/General Manager of Nexstar’s Wichita Falls operations. Wayne brings a proven long-term record of achieving outstanding financial results by implementing innovative sales strategies and leading teams that delivered compelling and effective marketing solutions for local and national advertisers.”
Commenting on her new position, Ms. Pruett stated, “Nexstar’s commitment to local community viewers and advertisers is recognized throughout the broadcasting industry and I intend to extend that distinction in my new position. In this role, I will leverage the management experience and deep community relationships built over my career, to generate results in the West Region and further strengthen Nexstar’s position as a leading provider of superior service to our clients, advertisers, and the local communities where we operate. I look forward to working with the exceptional group of general managers in the states of Missouri, Louisiana, and Texas, to develop new revenue-generating strategies while building on our already impressive record of client service excellence.”
Commenting on his new role, Mr. Reed stated, “I have deep ties to the local communities throughout the Wichita Falls area, where many immediate and extended family members, as well as close business and personal friends, reside. I am thrilled to be working with the exceptional team of broadcasters at KFDX, KJTL, and KJBO and will utilize the management experience and relationships built over my career to generate results. I also look forward to working with advertisers and local business community to develop superior marketing solutions across multi-distribution platforms.”