Nexstar Broadcasting and Mission Broadcasting Complete Acquisition of Two Vermont Stations for $16.9 Million
Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXST) and Mission
Broadcasting, Inc. announced today that they completed the previously
announced accretive acquisition of the assets of WFFF-TV (FOX) and WVNY
(ABC) serving the Burlington, Vermont market from Smith Media, LLC and
affiliates for a total of $16.9 million. Concurrent with the closing of
the station acquisitions, Nexstar and Mission entered into a local
services agreement whereby Nexstar is providing sales and other services
to WVNY.
Perry A. Sook, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of
Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc., commented, “This transaction is
consistent with our acquisition criteria as it further diversifies our
operations, expands our scale, creates another new duopoly market and is
financially accretive. Since mid-2012, Nexstar has expanded to 72 from
55 the number of television stations that it owns, operates or provides
services to and in doing so, we’ve grown our duopoly markets to 26 from
20. The eighteen recently acquired stations will be additive to our
operating results throughout 2013 and we continue to evaluate additional
station acquisition opportunities that will allow the Company to
leverage its intellectual capital and operating management disciplines.”
Waller Capital served as the exclusive financial advisor to Smith Media,
LLC.
About Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.
Nexstar Broadcasting Group is a leading diversified media company that
leverages localism to bring new services and value to consumers and
advertisers through its traditional media, e-MEDIA, digital and mobile
media platforms. Nexstar owns, operates, programs or provides sales and
other services to 72 television stations and 15 related digital
multicast signals reaching 41 markets or approximately 12.1% of all U.S.
television households. Nexstar’s portfolio includes affiliates of NBC,
CBS, ABC, FOX, MyNetworkTV, The CW, Telemundo, and Bounce TV, the
nation’s first over-the-air broadcast television network programmed for
African-American audiences and two independent stations. Nexstar’s 41
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.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release includes forward-looking statements. We have based
these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and
projections about future events. Forward-looking statements include
information preceded by, followed by, or that includes the words
"guidance," "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "could," or similar
expressions. For these statements, the Company claims the protection of
the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements
contained in this news release, concerning, among other things, changes
in net revenue, cash flow and operating expenses, involve risks and
uncertainties, and are subject to change based on various important
factors, including the impact of changes in national and regional
economies, our ability to service and refinance our outstanding debt,
successful integration of acquired television stations (including
achievement of synergies and cost reductions), pricing fluctuations in
local and national advertising, future regulatory actions and conditions
in the television stations' operating areas, competition from others in
the broadcast television markets served by the Company, volatility in
programming costs, the effects of governmental regulation of
broadcasting, industry consolidation, technological developments and
major world news events. Unless required by law, we undertake no
obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether
as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In light of
these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events
discussed in this news release might not occur. You should not place
undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as
of the date of this release. For more details on factors that could
affect these expectations, please see our filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission.