Nexstar Media Group is the latest major media and entertainment company to soften its diversity, equity and inclusiveness (DEI) policies as the broadcaster looks to advance certain business interests in Washington.
Over the past several months, Nexstar has deleted references to its DEI policies and practices from its corporate website and social media accounts, according to live and archived copies of both reviewed by The Desk. It has also lessened the visibility of certain executives hired to advance diversity policies within the company, and deleted data that previously offered insight into the composite of its workforce by race and gender.
Nexstar follows in the footsteps of other companies like Verizon and Disney to eliminate or reframe its diversity and inclusiveness policies in order to curry favor with President Donald Trump and members of his administration.
Trump has long been a vocal critic of DEI practices, claiming inclusiveness policies discriminate against certain workers by prioritizing race and gender over skill and merit.
In January, Trump signed an Executive Order that required federal agencies to end DEI practices and terminate employees who were tasked with executing on those initiatives. Some administration officials have gone a step further, demanding that regulated companies and organizations also eliminate their DEI programs, or face certain unfavorable consequences.
In February, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr said he would consider blocking certain media-related transactions if one or more companies involved in those deals had DEI programs.
Since then, Carr has sent letters to executives at Comcast, Disney and others warning that their DEI programs may violate federal anti-discrimination law, and demanding more information about their practices. Comcast owns NBC Universal, which holds broadcast licenses for around a dozen local NBC-owned TV stations and many more operated by Telemundo. Disney owns ABC, which operates eight licensed TV stations.
Nexstar is the largest local TV broadcaster in the country, owning or controlling more than 200 licensed stations. It also owns a controlling share of the CW Network and operates NewsNation, a cable news channel.
Nexstar holds membership in a number of trade groups and advocacy organizations, some of which are pushing for regulatory changes that would be beneficial to its business. The company participates in the Coalition for Local News, which is lobbying the FCC to impose cable-like rules that would allow Nexstar and others to seek higher retransmission fees from streaming services. The company has also worked with the National Association of Broadcasters to call for the elimination of a federal cap that limit the number of licensed TV stations a company may directly own.
On a recent conference call with investors, Nexstar CEO Perry Sook said he was confident that the FCC will act on the ownership cap issue once the commission has a full, five-member panel. (There are two vacancies at the FCC, one of which is in the process of being filled.) He also said Congress might take up the issue, which could prevent activist groups from filing legal challenges by completely removing the FCC from the process.
“I do think you will see M&A (merger and acquisition) activity come into focus as the year goes on,” Sook said.
Later on the call, Sook affirmed that the company was interested in “accretive acquisitions” that would allow Nexstar to expand its national footprint by purchasing more local TV stations.
“I would say growing our national footprint has more strategic importance than adding a second or third station in a market,” Sook said.
The elimination of the ownership cap doesn’t necessarily mean Nexstar will get approval to acquire new TV stations — the transfer of broadcast licenses are still subject to FCC scrutiny, and promoting DEI programs could stand in the way of having those deals rejected.
With this in mind, the company has taken significant steps to curb its outward promotion of DEI practices in a way that focuses on more generalized opportunities for hiring and advancement.
Earlier this year, Nexstar removed a webpage called “HR Management: Workforce Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” which previously explained the company’s DEI practices this way:
We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion across our workforce at all levels. We have dedicated DEI programs, hiring practices and mentorship opportunities which we continue to work to extend across our entire workforce. We believe a diverse workforce fosters innovation and cultivates an environment of unique perspectives. We encourage a culture of diversity and inclusion so our employees feel respected and do not feel discriminated against. Nexstar believes that diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace is an ongoing issue in need of constant attention and improvement, and that a diverse and welcoming culture is essential to achieving success.
The webpage was replaced with one called “Workforce Management,” which discusses employee compensation, benefits and career development opportunities in more-generalized terms.
Until recently, the Workforce Diversity webpage continued to offer reports and granular-level data on Nexstar’s employees based on race and gender. A table reviewed by The Desk showed white or Caucasian workers accounted for nearly 69 percent of all Nexstar employees and 75 percent of those working in managerial or more senior-level positions, both higher than the national average of 60.1 percent. Black, Hispanic and Asian employees were all below national averages in both categories, the chart showed.
The data also revealed Nexstar’s workforce skewed male, particularly among managers and other senior-level employees. Men accounted for nearly 59 percent of all employees and over 61 percent of managers and other senior-level workers, the chart revealed. Both were above the national average of 49.2 percent.
At some point between mid-February and early May, Nexstar deleted the chart from its webpage. The broadcaster still links to its Equal Employment Opportunity report from 2023, which contains the same data.
Nexstar also deleted a biography for Courtney Williams, the company’s Chief Diversity Officer, and pulled her photo from its executive team webpage, according to archived versions viewed by The Desk. Williams was listed alongside other C-level Nexstar executives as early as January. A webpage for Williams is still active, but doesn’t name her title and contains little more than her headshot.
Internally, Williams is now referred to as the Vice President of Human Resources, according to a source. She was not demoted and continues to receive benefits associated with her C-level position, but DEI initiatives are no longer a focal point of her role, the source said.
While Williams’ role may have changed, there continues to be fallout from the company’s DEI practices: This week, Williams and Nexstar were named as defendants in a lawsuit filed by Mark Cifarelli, a former local TV sales manager who claims he was illegally fired for being a white male. Despite being one of the TV station’s highest earners, Cifarelli says he was singled out because his race and gender did not align with the DEI policies that Williams previously enforced. The company has not commented on the lawsuit.
