Sean Compton Returns To Radio
• This week Nexstar Media Group, Inc. announced that it completed its previously announced acquisition of Tribune Media Company in an accretive transaction valued at approximately $7.2 billion. According to the press release, the combination “creates the nation’s largest pure-play local broadcast television and digital media company, with national coverage and reach to approximately 39% of U.S. television households.”
At the same time Nexstar announced that three former members of Tribune Media’s senior management team have joined Nexstar, most notably radio veteran Sean Compton, formerly Tribune’s President of Strategic Programming and Acquisitions, who has been named Executive Vice President of WGN America, the company’s only radio station, WGN Radio and Director of Content Acquisition. Compton (pictured, left) will be responsible for the management of these former Tribune Media properties, as well as the digital multicast television network he created, Antenna TV, and will also oversee Nexstar’s programming acquisitions across all television platforms. Compton notably spent two decades in radio at Jacor, Clear Channel and Premiere Networks before his former boss Randy Michaels hired him at Tribune in 2008.
Dana Zimmer will serve as Executive Vice President and Chief Distribution and Strategy Officer and Gary Weitman has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer.
Perry Sook, Chairman, President & CEO of Nexstar said, “Today, the Nexstar team is comprised of more than 13,000 talented team members across America united by a common vision focused on localism, innovation and growth as well as a passion for professional excellence. Sean, Dana and Gary are recognized leaders in their respective fields and we welcome them to the Nexstar senior management team. These appointments reflect our proven integration strategy of marrying best of breed practices from our existing operations with those from acquired entities. Our long-term strategy of appointing proven broadcast and digital media leaders has driven our industry-leading innovation, distribution and core revenue growth, seamless M&A integration and enterprise-wide cost management all of which are fundamental to our consistent growth.”
According to Chicago media journalist Robert Feder, last Thursday also marked the last day on the job for longtime Chicago broadcast executive Larry Wert, who had lead Tribune Broadcast Media and its 41 television stations since 2013. The sale to Nexstar closed out a four-decade media run for Wert, who previously spent 15 years as President/GM of NBC-owned WMAQ-TV and before that ran WLUP (97.9 The Loop) and WLUP-AM 1000 (now WMVP) under Evergreen Media and Chancellor Broadcasting.
