Green Bay, WI (WFRV/Nexstar) – Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXST) announced today that Michael J. Smith has been promoted to Vice President and General Manager of WFRV-TV (CBS) and associated digital services, including WeAreGreenBay.com serving Green Bay, Wisconsin DMA (#68). In his new role, he will also be responsible for overseeing WJMN-TV (CBS) and associated digital services, including UPMatters.com serving Marquette, Michigan DMA (#180). Mr. Smith will assume his new responsibilities immediately and report to Tim Busch, Executive Vice President and Co-Chief Operating Officer of Nexstar Broadcasting.
Mr. Smith replaces Joseph Denk who was recently promoted to Vice President and General Manager of Nexstar’s television and digital operations serving Memphis and Jackson, Tennessee.
Michael Smith has nearly 30 years of combined local broadcast television and sales management experience serving the Green Bay market, with the past 15 years at WFRV-TV. Since 2013, he served as General Sales Manager of WFRV-TV and associated digital services, while also acting as the National Sales Manager for WFRV-TV and WJMN-TV – a position he has held since 2000. Under his leadership, he has enhanced the overall development and growth of the traditional and digital sales operations. In addition, he developed and led highly effective teams and implemented new sales and digital initiatives resulting in increased market share and profitability at the station. During his tenure, Mr. Smith developed unique marketing programs focused on the stations’ sports and digital verticals that generated both local and national revenue share gains while significantly increasing customer retention and new local direct business partners.
Before joining Nexstar, Mr. Smith spent 12 years at WGBA-TV (NBC) and WACY-TV (MNTV) in Green Bay, WI where he ascended from his original role as an Account Executive to the stations’ Director of Sales.
Commenting on the appointment, Tim Busch stated, “As a resident of Green Bay with nearly 30 years of local broadcast television and sales management experience in the market, Michael brings to his new role at Nexstar an exceptional commitment to the local community, local businesses and advertisers, as well as an intimate understanding of the market that is unparalleled within his peer group in Green Bay. By working day in, day out with multiple individual companies, community leaders and public organizations, he has built a successful long-term record of providing exceptional service to local viewers and advertisers. Throughout his Nexstar career, Michael has consistently demonstrated effective broadcasting sales leadership. Furthermore, he has successfully exceeded economic goals while improving customer retention and viewer interaction with the Company’s broadcast and digital platforms. A respected leader in the community and this company, he has built upon a dynamic sales operation that has created deeper engagement and enduring partnerships with local advertisers and community organizations. In addition to accomplishing consistent revenue and market share growth, he was instrumental in the development of our extensive line-up of locally-produced sports programming, including popular NFL and PGA events.
“Localism is our top priority at Nexstar and with Michael’s extensive local broadcast experience, management expertise and dedication to the local communities he has served for decades, we are highly confident in his ability to provide effective leadership and build upon the achievements of our Green Bay / Marquette operations while also continuing to enhance the effectiveness and value of our expanding marketing solutions platforms.”
Commenting on his new role, Michael Smith stated, “My nearly three-decade long professional career in broadcasting has been solely dedicated to serving the local Green Bay market, with over half of that time at WFRV-TV and four years with Nexstar Broadcasting. With this promotion, I am grateful to expand my service to this exceptional community that my family and I call home, and where many close business contacts and personal friends reside. I’ve lived in Green Bay almost all of my life, and lived in Upper Michigan as a young boy, which gives me a unique understanding of both communities. In my new role, I will further leverage the management experience and deep community relationships built over my career to generate results and further strengthen our Green Bay / Marquette television and digital operations as leading providers of the most compelling entertainment, local news and sports programming in the market. I look forward to taking on this new opportunity at Nexstar and working with the exceptional team of broadcasters at WFRV-TV, WJMN-TV, WeAreGreenBay.com and UPMatters.com as we continue to build upon the foundation of excellence in client and viewer service.”
Mr. Smith earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. He is a former Board Member of The Green Bay Jaycees, Optimist Club of Green Bay and Youth Go of Neenah.
Michael Smith and his wife Alice reside in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
