Perry Sook

Last updated
Perry A. Sook
Replace this image male.svg
Born1958 (age 6667)
Education Ohio University
OccupationMedia mogul
Known forFounder, Chairman and CEO of Nexstar Media Group (1996 - Present)
SpouseSandra
Children3

Perry A. Sook is an American media mogul who founded Nexstar Media, one of the largest television and digital media corporations in the United States. He continues to serve as Chairman and CEO of Nexstar, and in 2022, his contract as CEO was extended through 2026. [1] Sook is also the Chairman of the Joint Board of Directors of the National Association of Broadcasters. [2]

Sook founded Nexstar in 1996, with the acquisition of a single local television station in Scranton, Pennsylvania. In the decades since, the corporation has grown into the largest owner of television stations in the United States, in addition to amassing additional media holdings such as The Hill.

In 2003, Sook took Nexstar public after acquiring Quorum Broadcasting. [3] He subsequently led a project to convince satellite companies to pay for his stations' content, but the cable companies, like Cox Cable did not like the idea. This is referred to as a "retransmission consent dispute." Cox and 21 TV stations in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kansas and Missouri engaged in a campaign against the idea. As part of their campaign, they published Sook's home phone number in advertisements and encouraged customers to call him. Sook responded in kind and put the home phone number of the general manager of Cox cable. After about a year, Cox agreed to pay for carrying Nexstar's stations' signals. The revenue impact was significant. Sook said in 2020, "We went from a penny a day [$3.65 a year]...to $2 billion in revenue to [Nexstar] and $18 billion in revenue to local television stations across the country." [3]

Sook's compensation at Nexstar, over $40 million in 2022, made him the highest paid corporate executive in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. [4] However, in 2018 and 2019, Nexstar shareholders rejected multimillion dollar compensation packages for Sook. [3] The editorial board of Variety named Sook to the 2023 edition of the Variety500, a list of top entertainment industry leaders. [5]

Early life

Sook was born in approximately 1958 in DuBois, Pennsylvania [3] and raised in West Virginia. He completed his undergraduate studies at Ohio University in the Scripps College of Communication. [3]

Early in his career, Sook gained experience in both television and radio broadcasting, working in various roles including sales, on-air talent, and news. He worked at stations in West Virginia, Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

Before founding Nexstar Media Group in 1996, Sook was an adjunct professor at Edinboro State University of Pennsylvania and was involved in station ownership and management. [6] [7] [8]

Sook's first sales job was at a small radio station in Kissimmee, Florida, where the station did not pay him his commission after a big ad sale, which spurred a change to television sales. [3]

References

  1. Maas, Jennifer (August 1, 2022). "Nexstar CEO Perry Sook Extends Contract Through 2026". Variety . Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  2. "Perry A. Sook: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer". Nexstar Media Inc. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Stephenson, Tom (September 20, 2025). "The Life and Times of a Media Magnate: A former small-town anchorman, Nexstar Media Group's Perry Sook owns more television stations than anyone else in the country. Up next: Reinventing local news". D Magazine. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  4. Richie, Sasha (August 2, 2023). "How Nexstar's Perry Sook built a broadcast powerhouse from a single TV station". Dallas Morning News . Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  5. "Nexstar Media Group: Perry Sook". Variety. December 19, 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  6. "Perry A. Sook - Biography" . Retrieved 2025-09-17.
  7. "Perry Sook - NYSBA Hall Of Fame" . Retrieved 2025-09-17.
  8. "Perry Sook - Texas Association of Broadcasters" . Retrieved 2025-09-17.