| Document and Entity Information | 12 Months Ended |
| Dec. 31, 2022 | |
| Cover [Abstract] | |
| Document Type | DEF 14A |
| Amendment Flag | false |
| Entity Registrant Name | Nexstar Media Group, Inc. |
| Entity Central Index Key | 0001142417 |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure - USD ($) | 12 Months Ended | ||
| Dec. 31, 2022 | Dec. 31, 2021 | Dec. 31, 2020 | |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Pay vs Performance [Table Text Block] | PAY VERSUS PERFORMANCE As required by Section 953(a) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform a nd C onsumer Protection Act and with Item 402(v) of Regulation S-K , we provide the following disclosure regarding “executive compensation actually paid” (CAP), calculated in accordance with the SEC rules, and certain Company performance for the years listed below. This disclosure was prepared in accordance with the requirements of Item 402(v) and does not necessarily reflect the value actually realized by our executives, how our executives’ compensation relates to Company performance, or how the Compensation Committee evaluates compensation decisions in light of Company or individual performance. For example, the Compensation Committee does not use CAP as a basis for making compensation decisions, nor does it use net income (as reflected below) for purposes of determining our executive’s incentive compensation. Please refer to our Compensation Discussion and Analysis for a complete description of how executive compensation relates to Company performance and how the Compensation Committee makes its compensation decisions. The information provided under this Pay versus Performance section will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing made by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, except to the extent the Company specifically incorporates it by reference. Value of Initial Fixed $100 Investment Based On: Year Summary (1) Compensation (2) (c) Average Summary (1) Average (2) Total Peer Group (3) After Tax Adjusted 2022 $ 39,318,892 $ 44,590,917 $ 2,405,595 $ 3,205,364 $ 159 $ 66 $ 944 $ 2,223 2021 $ 21,145,853 $ 36,963,649 $ 2,395,200 $ 4,041,589 $ 135 $ 89 $ 830 $ 1,905 2020 $ 23,564,264 $ 17,368,770 $ 3,934,418 $ 3,771,789 $ 95 $ 88 $ 808 $ 1,996 (1) Perry A. Sook served as the Company’s PEO (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer) for each year presented. The dollar amounts shown in column (b) are the amounts of total compensation reported for Mr. Sook for each corresponding year in the “Total” column of the Summary Compensation Table (“SCT”). The dollar amounts reported in column (d) represent the average of the amounts reported for the Company’s non-PEO NEOs as a group in the “Total” column of the SCT in each applicable year. The individuals comprising the non-PEO NEO for each year presented are listed below: 2022 2021 2020 Thomas E. Carter Thomas E. Carter Thomas E. Carter Lee Ann Gliha Lee Ann Gliha Timothy C. Bush (4) Andrew Alford Andrew Alford Gregory R. Raifman (5) Sean Compton Sean Compton Dana Zimmer Dana Zimmer Dana Zimmer (2) The dollar amounts shown for CAP in columns (c) and (e) have been calculated in accordance with Item 402(v) of Regulation S-K and do not reflect compensation actually earned, realized, or received by the PEO and non-PEO NEOs. The following is a reconciliation of the “Total” column of SCT and the CAP for each of the applicable years. PEO Non-PEO NEOs Year 2022 2021 2020 2022 2021 2020 Summary Compensation Table $ 39,318,892 $ 21,145,853 $ 23,564,264 $ 2,405,595 $ 2,395,200 $ 3,934,418 Less: Grant date fair value of equity awards made during the applicable year and unvested at applicable year end ( 33,308,029 ) ( 15,510,127 ) ( 18,306,887 ) ( 927,756 ) ( 1,131,540 ) ( 2,528,617 ) Plus: Year-end fair value of equity awards made during the applicable year and unvested at applicable year end 32,378,979 21,697,552 15,597,050 933,377 1,167,755 3,684,712 Change in fair value of equity awards made in prior years and unvested at applicable year end 3,960,129 6,777,536 ( 1,424,081 ) 442,343 924,521 ( 251,802 ) Change in fair value of equity awards made in prior years and vested during applicable year 2,240,946 2,852,835 ( 2,061,576 ) 351,805 685,653 ( 844,385 ) Less: Fair value of equity awards made in prior years that are forfeited during applicable year — — — — — ( 222,537 ) Compensation Actually Paid $ 44,590,917 $ 36,963,649 $ 17,368,770 $ 3,205,364 $ 4,041,589 $ 3,771,789 (3) Represents the weighted peer group cumulative total stockholder return (“TSR”), weighted according to the respective companies’ stock market capitalization at the beginning of each period for which a return is indicated. The peer group comprise of the following publicly traded companies identified in Part 1, Item 5. of our Annual Report on Form 10-K as of December 31, 2022: Gray Television, Inc., TEGNA Inc., Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., The E.W. Scripps Company, Fox Corporation and Paramount Global. (4) On June 1, 2021, Mr. Busch retired from his position at Nexstar. (5) On March 31, 2021, Mr. Raifman’s employment agreement with the Company ended and was not renewed. | ||
| Company Selected Measure Name | Adjusted EBITDA | ||
| Named Executive Officers, Footnote [Text Block] | Perry A. Sook served as the Company’s PEO (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer) for each year presented. The individuals comprising the non-PEO NEO for each year presented are listed below: 2022 2021 2020 Thomas E. Carter Thomas E. Carter Thomas E. Carter Lee Ann Gliha Lee Ann Gliha Timothy C. Bush (4) Andrew Alford Andrew Alford Gregory R. Raifman (5) Sean Compton Sean Compton Dana Zimmer Dana Zimmer Dana Zimmer | ||
| Peer Group Issuers, Footnote [Text Block] | The peer group comprise of the following publicly traded companies identified in Part 1, Item 5. of our Annual Report on Form 10-K as of December 31, 2022: Gray Television, Inc., TEGNA Inc., Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., The E.W. Scripps Company, Fox Corporation and Paramount Global. | ||
| PEO Total Compensation Amount | $ 39,318,892 | $ 21,145,853 | $ 23,564,264 |
| PEO Actually Paid Compensation Amount | 44,590,917 | 36,963,649 | 17,368,770 |
| Non-PEO NEO Average Total Compensation Amount | 2,405,595 | 2,395,200 | 3,934,418 |
| Non-PEO NEO Average Compensation Actually Paid Amount | $ 3,205,364 | 4,041,589 | 3,771,789 |
| Compensation Actually Paid vs. Total Shareholder Return [Text Block] | Compensation Actually Paid and Company Cumulative TSR Compensation Actually Paid (in millions) $60 $45 $30 $15 $- $200 $160 $120 $80 $40 $- 2020 2021 2022 Cumulative TSR (value of initial $100 investment) PEO Average for Non-PEO NEOs Company Cumulative TSR | ||
| Compensation Actually Paid vs. Net Income [Text Block] | and Adjusted EBITDA(1) Compensation Actually Paid (in millions) $50 $40 $30 $20 $10 $- 2020 2021 2022 $2,250 $2,100 $1,950 $1,800 $1,650 Adjusted EBITDA (in millions) PEO Average for Non-PEO NEOs Adjusted EBITDA | ||
| Compensation Actually Paid vs. Company Selected Measure [Text Block] | Compensation Actually Paid and Net Income(1) (1) The Company’s Net Income and Adjusted EBITDA are driven by political advertising revenue financial cycle. As such, the Company’s cash flow increases in election years (even-numbered years) and declines in non-election years (odd-numbered years). | ||
| Total Shareholder Return Vs Peer Group [Text Block] | eer Group Cumulative TSR Cumulative TSR (value of initial $100 investment) $200 $160 $120 $80 $40 $- 2019 2020 2021 2022 Company Cumulative TSR Peer Group Cumulative TSR | ||
| Total Shareholder Return Amount | $ 159 | 135 | 95 |
| Peer Group Total Shareholder Return Amount | 66 | 89 | 88 |
| Net Income (Loss) | $ 944,000,000 | $ 830,000,000 | $ 808,000,000 |
| Company Selected Measure Amount | 2,223,000,000 | 1,905,000,000 | 1,996,000,000 |
| PEO Name | Perry A. Sook | Perry A. Sook | Perry A. Sook |
| Adj to Peo and Non-PEO NEO Compensation Footnote [Text Block] | The following is a reconciliation of the “Total” column of SCT and the CAP for each of the applicable years. PEO Non-PEO NEOs Year 2022 2021 2020 2022 2021 2020 Summary Compensation Table $ 39,318,892 $ 21,145,853 $ 23,564,264 $ 2,405,595 $ 2,395,200 $ 3,934,418 Less: Grant date fair value of equity awards made during the applicable year and unvested at applicable year end ( 33,308,029 ) ( 15,510,127 ) ( 18,306,887 ) ( 927,756 ) ( 1,131,540 ) ( 2,528,617 ) Plus: Year-end fair value of equity awards made during the applicable year and unvested at applicable year end 32,378,979 21,697,552 15,597,050 933,377 1,167,755 3,684,712 Change in fair value of equity awards made in prior years and unvested at applicable year end 3,960,129 6,777,536 ( 1,424,081 ) 442,343 924,521 ( 251,802 ) Change in fair value of equity awards made in prior years and vested during applicable year 2,240,946 2,852,835 ( 2,061,576 ) 351,805 685,653 ( 844,385 ) Less: Fair value of equity awards made in prior years that are forfeited during applicable year — — — — — ( 222,537 ) Compensation Actually Paid $ 44,590,917 $ 36,963,649 $ 17,368,770 $ 3,205,364 $ 4,041,589 $ 3,771,789 | ||
| Measure [Axis]: 1 | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Non-GAAP Measure Description [Text Block] | In our assessment, the most important financial performance measures used to link CAP (as calculated in accordance with the SEC rules) to our NEOs in 2022 to our performance was Adjusted EBITDA . For purposes of determining eligibility for annual cash bonus payments and performance vesting under performance-based restricted stock units, the Company uses its calculation of Adjusted EBITDA (which is calculated in a manner consistent with the calculation of EBITDA that is referenced in the employment agreement) which is the primary financial metric it uses in its annual and quarterly earnings releases. A reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income for the year ended December 31, 2022 can be found on the Company’s Q4 2022 earnings release filed with the SEC on February 28, 2023 (Exhibit 99.1 to Current Report on Form 8-K). The Company does not consider any performance measures other than Adjusted EBITDA and Net Revenue as the most important performance measures used by us to link CAP to the NEOs to company performance for 2022. | ||
| PEO [Member] | Less: Grant Date Fair Value of Equity Awards Made During the Applicable Year and Unvested at Applicable Year End [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | $ (33,308,029) | $ (15,510,127) | $ (18,306,887) |
| PEO [Member] | Plus: Year-end Fair Value of Equity Awards Made During the Applicable Year and Unvested at Applicable Year End [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 32,378,979 | 21,697,552 | 15,597,050 |
| PEO [Member] | Change in Fair Value of Equity Awards Made in Prior Years and Unvested at Applicable Year End [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 3,960,129 | 6,777,536 | (1,424,081) |
| PEO [Member] | Change in Fair Value of Equity Awards Made in Prior Years and Vested During Applicable Year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 2,240,946 | 2,852,835 | (2,061,576) |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Less: Grant Date Fair Value of Equity Awards Made During the Applicable Year and Unvested at Applicable Year End [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | (927,756) | (1,131,540) | (2,528,617) |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Plus: Year-end Fair Value of Equity Awards Made During the Applicable Year and Unvested at Applicable Year End [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 933,377 | 1,167,755 | 3,684,712 |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Change in Fair Value of Equity Awards Made in Prior Years and Unvested at Applicable Year End [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 442,343 | 924,521 | (251,802) |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Change in Fair Value of Equity Awards Made in Prior Years and Vested During Applicable Year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | $ 351,805 | $ 685,653 | (844,385) |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Less: Fair Value of Equity Awards Made in Prior Years That are Forfeited During Applicable Year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | $ (222,537) | ||
