Nexstar’s NewsNation Faces Turmoil, Staff Departures Amid Conservative Bias Concerns

Nexstar’s NewsNation channel is experiencing internal unrest with staff departures amid apprehensions that the network is being directed towards a right-leaning stance in its news coverage.

The ongoing controversy surrounding the channel, formerly known as WGN America, escalated on Tuesday with Nexstar confirming the resignation of Jennifer Lyons. As a WGN-TV Chicago news veteran, she played a pivotal role in launching the primetime “NewsNation” block in September. Lyons held the position of VP of news. Last week witnessed several lower-level departures, suggesting concerns about former Fox News executive Bill Shine’s perceived influence in steering the channel to the right. Shine acts as a consultant to Nexstar and NewsNation but lacks a formal role within the company.

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Nexstar’s NewsNation channel is experiencing internal unrest with staff departures amid apprehensions that the network is being directed towards a right-leaning stance in its news coverage.

The ongoing controversy surrounding the channel, formerly known as WGN America, escalated on Tuesday with Nexstar confirming the resignation of Jennifer Lyons. As a WGN-TV Chicago news veteran, she played a pivotal role in launching the primetime “NewsNation” block in September. Lyons held the position of VP of news. Last week witnessed several lower-level departures, suggesting concerns about former Fox News executive Bill Shine’s perceived influence in steering the channel to the right. Shine acts as a consultant to Nexstar and NewsNation but lacks a formal role within the company.

you are watching: Nexstar’s NewsNation Faces Turmoil, Staff Departures Amid Conservative Bias Concerns

“Jennifer Lyons has decided to leave her position as Vice President of News at NewsNation,” stated Nexstar. “We thank her for her efforts in spearheading the launch of NewsNation and we wish her success in whatever she does next. We have begun a search for her replacement and hope to have that person in place quickly.”

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When the NewsNation concept for WGN America was revealed in January 2020, Perry Sook emphasized that the newscasts would prioritize breaking news and provide an unbiased perspective. The intention was to concentrate on current headlines and compelling stories sourced from Nexstar’s stations nationwide.

“Nobody’s doing news in primetime,” Sook told Variety last year. “We’ve got more journalists working for us than any other news organization in the country. We said, ‘This is an opportunity.’ I think of it as a newscast from the heartland, for the heartland.”

Sook was questioned about whether there has been a shift in philosophy for NewsNation due to its weak viewership to date, falling below the 100,000 viewer threshold in many instances and as low as 2,000 viewers in the crucial adults 25-54 demo for news. The three-hour primetime block of newscasts debuted on Sept. 1, 2020. On March 1, the 10 p.m. hour transitioned to a show reminiscent of “Larry King Live,” hosted by Ashleigh Banfield. Nexstar has increased its news hours this year and is planning to establish a presence in the morning news hours soon.

Sook communicated to the staff that the initial objective was to create a broadcast reflecting centrist viewpoints. Consequently, NewsNation would naturally have a slightly right-leaning stance compared to other mainstream news outlets, as Sook perceived that journalists in most newsrooms tend to have left-leaning political perspectives. Sook’s reiteration of Nexstar’s commitment to news is noteworthy, considering the channel’s low viewership.

Despite the modest ratings, for Nexstar, producing newscasts leveraging existing resources represents a highly cost-effective strategy for programming a channel that previously incurred license fees for syndicated content. Nexstar envisions a lucrative outcome by owning and fully controlling its programming if it demonstrates the patience to allow the news audience to grow.

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Lyons’ resignation follows a March 7 report by The New York Times detailing internal upheaval at NewsNation. With a 25-year tenure at WGN-TV Chicago, Lyons’ departure came after news director Sandy Puday left in early February, and managing editor Richard Maginn departed earlier this month.

During the staff meeting, Sook faced questions about the turnover and its reasons. He emphasized that Bill Shine, not an employee, had never visited the “NewsNation” studio. According to a source familiar with the meeting, Sook underlined the commitment to hiring top talent, noting that NewsNation had built its team with seasoned journalists from diverse backgrounds, spanning MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, CBS News, ABC News, and NBC News.

Concerning instances of bias on NewsNation broadcasts, The New York Times highlighted unease in the newsroom regarding anchor Joe Donlon’s approach to his interview with then-President Donald Trump in September and Bill Shine’s role as a consultant. Sean Compton, president of Nexstar’s networks group and the creator of NewsNation, had prior business connections to Trump over a decade ago through their collaboration on the 2004 radio series “Trumped!” syndicated by Clear Channel.

A source at NewsNation refuted the criticism, asserting that the commitment to providing impartial news coverage remained intact, except in shows explicitly designed for opinion and commentary. A Nexstar insider pointed out the intensified competition for the conservative demographic beyond Fox News, with the emergence of far-right outlets like Newsmax and One America Network.

Despite Nexstar’s belief that the criticism reflects left-leaning media bias, Lyons’ resignation has forced the company to address the situation, prompting a call for viewers to assess the product themselves.

Source: https://dominioncinemas.net
Category: TV