Nexstar Media (NXST) 10-Q 11 May 15 2015 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	4-May-15
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	FALSE
Document Period End Date	31-Mar-15
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Trading Symbol	NXST
Entity Registrant Name	NEXSTAR BROADCASTING GROUP INC
Entity Central Index Key	1142417
Current Fiscal Year End Date	-19
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		31,291,608

CONDENSED_CONSOLIDATED_BALANCE

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (unaudited) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015		Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$44,584		$131,912
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $4,544 and $3,002, respectively	164,581		127,878
Deferred tax assets, net	49,926		41,737
Broadcast rights	16,855		10,873
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	5,692		5,264
Total current assets	281,638		317,664
Property and equipment, net	277,837		237,739
Goodwill	441,129		256,491
FCC licenses	489,698		322,040
Other intangible assets, net	347,660		194,129
Other noncurrent assets, net	65,189		134,162
Total assets	1,903,151	[1]	1,462,225	[1]
Current liabilities:
Current portion of debt	17,189		15,840
Current portion of broadcast rights payable	17,937		11,935
Accounts payable	20,335		17,231
Accrued expenses	38,096		36,807
Taxes payable	19,064		4,899
Interest payable	16,612		4,601
Other current liabilities	7,180		5,953
Total current liabilities	136,413		97,266
Debt	1,526,830		1,220,304
Deferred tax liabilities	117,198		44,224
Other noncurrent liabilities	51,273		43,894
Total liabilities	1,831,714	[1]	1,405,688	[1]
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders' equity:
Preferred stock - $0.01 par value, 200,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding at each of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014
Additional paid-in capital	398,116		398,029
Accumulated deficit	-332,897		-345,804
Total Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. stockholders' equity	65,532		52,537
Noncontrolling interests in consolidated variable interest entities	5,905		4,000
Total stockholders' equity	71,437		56,537
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	1,903,151		1,462,225
Class A Common Stock [Member]
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock	313		312
Total stockholders' equity	$313		$312
[1]	The consolidated total assets as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 include certain assets held by consolidated VIEs of $122.9 million and $49.1 million, respectively, which are not available to be used to settle the obligations of Nexstar. The consolidated total liabilities as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 include certain liabilities of consolidated VIEs of $38.5 million and $17.9 million for which the creditors of the VIEs have no recourse to the general credit of Nexstar. See Note 2 for additional information

CONDENSED_CONSOLIDATED_BALANCE1

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (unaudited) (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified
ASSETS
Accounts receivable, allowance for doubtful accounts	$4,544	$3,002
Stockholders' equity:
Preferred stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Preferred stock, shares authorized	200,000	200,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	0
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	0	0
Consolidated VIEs [Member]
ASSETS
Total assets	296,144	224,541
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Total liabilities	328,147	312,196
Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Nature of Restriction and Lack of Recourse [Member]
ASSETS
Total assets	122,855	49,131
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Total liabilities	$38,502	$17,870
Class A Common Stock [Member]
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	100,000,000	100,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	31,291,608	31,172,060
Common stock, shares outstanding	31,291,608	31,172,060
Class B Common Stock [Member]
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	20,000,000	20,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	0	0
Common stock, shares outstanding	0	0
Class C Common Stock [Member]
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock, par value	$0.01	$0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	5,000,000	5,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	0	0
Common stock, shares outstanding	0	0

CONDENSED_CONSOLIDATED_STATEME

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Revenues [Abstract]
Net revenue	$203,391	$133,833
Operating expenses:
Direct operating expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization	69,685	41,849
Selling, general, and administrative expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization	57,289	41,040
Amortization of broadcast rights	14,581	8,632
Amortization of intangible assets	13,060	6,193
Depreciation	10,872	8,419
Total operating expenses	165,487	106,133
Income from operations	37,904	27,700
Interest expense, net	-19,293	-15,170
Other expenses	-118	-128
Income before income taxes	18,493	12,402
Income tax expense	-6,581	-5,049
Net income	11,912	7,353
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	995
Net income attributable to Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.	$12,907	$7,353
Net income per common share attributable to Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.:
Basic	$0.41	$0.24
Diluted	$0.40	$0.23
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding:
Basic	31,196	30,603
Diluted	32,256	31,909
Dividends declared per common share	$0.19	$0.15

CONDENSED_CONSOLIDATED_STATEME1

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (unaudited) (USD $)	Total	Additional Paid-In Capital [Member]	Accumulated Deficit [Member]	Noncontrolling interests in consolidated variable interest entities [Member]	Class A Common Stock [Member]	Class B Common Stock [Member]	Class C Common Stock [Member]
In Thousands, except Share data	USD ($)	USD ($)	USD ($)	USD ($)	USD ($)
Balance at Dec. 31, 2014	$56,537	$398,029	($345,804)	$4,000	$312
Balance, Shares at Dec. 31, 2014					31,172,060	0	0
Stock-based compensation expense	2,858	2,858
Exercise of stock options	1,465	1,464			1
Exercise of stock options, shares					119,548
Excess tax benefit from stock option exercises	1,686	1,686
Common stock dividends declared	-5,921	-5,921
Consolidation of a variable interest entity	2,900			2,900
Net income	11,912		12,907	-995
Balance at Mar. 31, 2015	$71,437	$398,116	($332,897)	$5,905	$313
Balance, Shares at Mar. 31, 2015					31,291,608	0	0

CONDENSED_CONSOLIDATED_STATEME2

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (unaudited) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	$11,912	$7,353
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Provision for bad debt	453	1,015
Amortization of broadcast rights, excluding barter	5,162	2,960
Depreciation of property and equipment	10,872	8,419
Amortization of intangible assets	13,060	6,193
Loss (gain) on asset disposal, net	802	-15
Amortization of debt financing costs	820	647
Amortization of debt discount (premium), net	65	43
Stock-based compensation expense	2,858	1,643
Deferred income taxes	5,139	4,496
Payments for broadcast rights	-5,271	-3,149
Deferred gain recognition	-109	-109
Amortization of deferred representation fee incentive	-264	-205
Non-cash representation contract termination fee	1,516
Excess tax benefit from stock option exercises	-1,686	-274
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions and dispositions:
Accounts receivable	934	3,958
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	1,452	1,184
Other noncurrent assets	56	92
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	-5,781	1,528
Taxes payable	-4,478	141
Interest payable	12,011	8,932
Other noncurrent liabilities	103	-121
Net cash provided by operating activities	49,626	44,731
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of property and equipment	-6,401	-3,983
Payments for acquisitions, net of cash acquired	-459,979	-22,057
Proceeds from disposal of a station	26,805
Proceeds from disposals of property and equipment	877	14
Net cash used in investing activities	-438,698	-26,026
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from long-term debt	411,950
Repayments of long-term debt	-104,140	-3,610
Payments for debt financing costs	-2,920	-77
Proceeds from exercise of stock options	1,465	107
Excess tax benefit from stock option exercises	1,686	274
Common stock dividends paid	-5,921	-4,588
Payments for capital lease obligations	-376	-259
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	301,744	-8,153
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents	-87,328	10,552
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	131,912	40,028
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	44,584	50,580
Supplemental information:
Interest paid	6,397	5,547
Income taxes paid, net of refunds	5,925	47
Non-cash investing and financing activities:
Accrued purchases of property and equipment	1,321	966
Noncash purchases of property and equipment	1,276	14
Accrued debt financing costs	$127

Organization_and_Business_Oper

Organization and Business Operations	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Organization and Business Operations	1. Organization and Business Operations
	As of March 31, 2015, Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (“Nexstar”) owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services to 107 television stations and 36 digital multicast channels, including those owned by variable interest entities (“VIEs”), in 58 markets in the states of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin. The stations are affiliates of ABC (20 stations), NBC (20 stations), FOX (28 stations), CBS (17 stations), The CW (10 stations and 2 digital multicast channels), MyNetworkTV (10 stations and 4 digital multicast channels), Telemundo (one station and one digital multicast channel), RTV (one station), Bounce TV (9 digital multicast channels), Me-TV (9 digital multicast channels), Estrella (6 digital multicast channels), LATV (one digital multicast channel), This TV (one digital multicast channel), Weather Nation Utah (one digital multicast channel), Movies! (one digital multicast channel) and News/Weather (one digital multicast channel). Through various local service agreements, Nexstar provided sales, programming and other services to 31 stations and 6 digital multicast channels owned and/or operated by independent third parties. Nexstar operates in one reportable television broadcasting segment. The economic characteristics, services, production process, customer type and distribution methods for Nexstar’s operations are substantially similar and are therefore aggregated as a single reportable segment.

Summary_of_Significant_Account

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	2.  Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
	Principles of Consolidation
	The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Nexstar and the accounts of independently-owned VIEs for which Nexstar is the primary beneficiary. Nexstar and the consolidated VIEs are collectively referred to as the “Company.” Noncontrolling interests represent the VIE owners’ share of the equity in the consolidated VIEs and are presented as a component separate from Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. stockholders’ equity. All intercompany account balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Nexstar management evaluates each arrangement that may include variable interests and determines the need to consolidate an entity where it determines Nexstar is the primary beneficiary of a VIE in accordance with related authoritative literature and interpretive guidance. Effective January 1, 2015, Nexstar entered into local service agreements to provide programming and sales services to stations acquired from Communications Corporation of America (“CCA”) and sold to Marshall Broadcasting Group, Inc. (“Marshall”) and stations owned by White Knight Broadcasting (“White Knight”), which were considered as VIEs as of that date.
	Certain assets of consolidated VIEs are not available to settle the obligations of Nexstar and there are certain liabilities of consolidated VIEs for which the creditors of the VIEs do not have recourse to the general credit of Nexstar. In previous filings, the Company presented such amounts as separate amounts on its Consolidated Balance Sheets.  The Company has elected to present these amounts in this and future filings in a combined footnote on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, with footnote disclosure of the related carrying amounts and classification, as follows (in thousands):
			March 31,			December 31,
			2015			2014
	Current assets		$	3,196		$	12	-1
	Property and equipment, net			4,503			-
	Goodwill			18,451			697	-1
	FCC licenses			74,312			46,727
	Other intangible assets, net			21,419			1,695	-1
	Other noncurrent assets, net			974			-
	Total assets			122,855			49,131
	Current liabilities			11,370			7,852
	Noncurrent liabilities			27,132			10,018
	Total liabilities		$	38,502		$	17,870
	-1	These balances relate to Parker Broadcasting of Colorado, LLC and were previously not presented separately on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. This correction is not considered material to the Consolidated Financial Statements as of December 31, 2014.
	Liquidity
	Nexstar is highly leveraged, which makes it vulnerable to changes in general economic conditions. Nexstar’s ability to repay or refinance its debt will depend on, among other things, financial, business, market, competitive and other conditions, many of which are beyond Nexstar’s control.
	Interim Financial Statements
	The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of March 31, 2015 and for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014 are unaudited. However, in the opinion of management, such financial statements include all adjustments (consisting solely of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for the fair statement of the financial information included herein in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The preparation of the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the full year. These Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes included in Nexstar’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014. The balance sheet as of December 31, 2014 has been derived from the audited financial statements as of that date, but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements.
	Variable Interest Entities
	The Company may determine that an entity is a VIE as a result of local service agreements entered into with the owner-operator of an entity. The term local service agreements generally refers to a contract between two separately owned television stations serving the same market, whereby the owner-operator of one station contracts with the owner-operator of the other station to provide it with administrative, sales and other services required for the operation of its station. Nevertheless, the owner-operator of each station retains control and responsibility for the operation of its station, including ultimate responsibility over all programming broadcast on its station. A local service agreement can be (1) a time brokerage agreement (“TBA”) which allows Nexstar to program most of a station’s broadcast time, sell the station’s advertising time and retain the advertising revenue generated in exchange for monthly payments, based on the station’s monthly operating expenses, (2) a shared services agreement (“SSA”) which allows the Nexstar station in the market to provide services including news production, technical maintenance and security, in exchange for Nexstar’s right to receive certain payments as described in the SSA, or (3) a joint sales agreement (“JSA”) which permits Nexstar to sell certain of the station’s advertising time and retain a percentage of the related revenue, as described in the JSA.
	Consolidated VIEs
	Mission Broadcasting, Inc. (“Mission”), Marshall and Parker Broadcasting of Colorado, LLC (“Parker”) are consolidated by Nexstar because Nexstar is deemed under U.S. GAAP to have controlling financial interests in these entities for financial reporting purposes as a result of (1) local service agreements Nexstar has with these stations, (2) Nexstar’s guarantees of the obligations incurred under Mission’s and Marshall’s senior secured credit facilities (see Note 6), (3) Nexstar having power over significant activities affecting these entities’ economic performance, including budgeting for advertising revenue, certain advertising sales and, for Mission and Parker, hiring and firing of sales force personnel and (4) purchase options granted by Mission which permit Nexstar to acquire the assets and assume the liabilities of each Mission station, subject to Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) consent.
	Effective January 1, 2015, upon Nexstar’s acquisition of CCA, Nexstar assumed the contractual obligations under CCA’s local service agreements with White Knight, the owner of six television stations in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Shreveport, Louisiana and Tyler-Longview, Texas markets. Nexstar evaluated the business arrangements with White Knight and has determined that it has a variable interest in this entity. Nexstar has also determined that it is the primary beneficiary of the variable interest because it has the ultimate power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of White Knight, including management advice and consultation in broadcast matters, the ability to sell certain advertising on the White Knight stations, the production of the White Knight stations’ news and other programming, and oversight and control of sales management personnel. Additionally, Nexstar assumed CCA’s options to acquire the assets and assume the liabilities of each White Knight station, subject to FCC consent. Simultaneous with Nexstar’s acquisition of CCA, Nexstar sold the assets of CCA stations KPEJ and KMSS to Marshall and, as discussed above, Nexstar is the primary beneficiary of Marshall. Therefore, Nexstar consolidated White Knight, KPEJ and KMSS as of January 1, 2015. See Note 3 for additional information with respect to these transactions.
	The following table summarizes the various local service agreements Nexstar had in effect as of March 31, 2015 with Mission, Marshall, Parker and White Knight:
	Service Agreements		Owner		Mission Stations
	TBA Only		Mission		WFXP and KHMT
			Parker		KFQX
	SSA & JSA		Mission		KJTL, KJBO-LP, KLRT, KASN, KOLR, KCIT, KCPN-LP, KAMC, KRBC, KSAN, WUTR, WAWV, WYOU, KODE, WTVO, KTVE, WTVW and WVNY
			Marshall		KLJB, KPEJ and KMSS
			White Knight		WVLA, KZUP, KFXK, KFXL, KLPN, KSHV
	Nexstar’s ability to receive cash from Mission, Marshall, Parker and White Knight is governed by the local service agreements. Under these agreements, Nexstar has received substantially all of the consolidated VIEs’ available cash, after satisfaction of operating costs and debt obligations. Nexstar anticipates it will continue to receive substantially all of the consolidated VIEs’ available cash, after satisfaction of operating costs and debt obligations. In compliance with FCC regulations for all the parties, Mission, Marshall, Parker and White Knight maintain complete responsibility for and control over programming, finances, personnel and operations of their stations.
	The carrying amounts and classification of the assets and liabilities of the VIEs mentioned above which have been included in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets were as follows (in thousands):
			March 31,			December 31,
			2015			2014
	Current assets:
	Cash and cash equivalents		$	5,662		$	1,440
	Accounts receivable, net			13,645			7,594
	Deferred tax assets, net			9,474			9,389
	Prepaid expenses and other current assets			3,709			2,657
	Total current assets			32,490			21,080
	Property and equipment, net			32,332			26,235
	Goodwill			70,081			35,308
	FCC licenses			74,312			46,727
	Other intangible assets, net			62,368			30,333
	Other noncurrent assets, net			24,561			64,858
	Total assets		$	296,144		$	224,541
	Current liabilities:
	Current portion of debt		$	5,561		$	5,137
	Interest payable			28			28
	Other current liabilities			11,372			7,852
	Total current liabilities			16,961			13,017
	Debt			284,053			289,161
	Other noncurrent liabilities			27,133			10,018
	Total liabilities		$	328,147		$	312,196
	Non-Consolidated VIEs
	Nexstar has an outsourcing agreement with Cunningham Broadcasting Corporation (“Cunningham”), which continues through December 31, 2017. Under the outsourcing agreement, Nexstar provides certain engineering, production, sales and administrative services for WYZZ, the FOX affiliate in the Peoria, Illinois market, through WMBD, the Nexstar television station in that market. During the term of the outsourcing agreement, Nexstar retains the broadcasting revenue and related expenses of WYZZ and is obligated to pay a monthly fee based on the combined operating cash flow of WMBD and WYZZ, as defined in the agreement.
	Nexstar has determined that it has a variable interest in WYZZ. Nexstar has evaluated its arrangements with Cunningham and has determined that it is not the primary beneficiary of the variable interest in WYZZ because it does not have the ultimate power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of the station, including developing the annual operating budget, programming and oversight and control of sales management personnel. Therefore, Nexstar has not consolidated this station under authoritative guidance related to the consolidation of VIEs. Under the outsourcing agreement for WYZZ, Nexstar pays for certain operating expenses, and therefore may have unlimited exposure to any potential operating losses. Nexstar’s management believes that Nexstar’s minimum exposure to loss under the WYZZ outsourcing agreement consists of the fees paid to Cunningham. Additionally, Nexstar indemnifies the owner of WYZZ from and against all liability and claims arising out of or resulting from its activities, acts or omissions in connection with the agreement. The maximum potential amount of future payments Nexstar could be required to make for such indemnification is undeterminable at this time.
	As of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, Nexstar had balances in accounts payable of $0.1 million and $0.5 million, respectively, for fees under this arrangement and had receivables for advertising aired on these stations of $0.5 million and $0.7 million, respectively. Fees incurred under this arrangement of $0.1 million and $0.3 million were included in direct operating expenses in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
	Financial Instruments
	The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate fair value due to their short-term nature. See Note 6 for fair value disclosures related to the Company’s debt.
	Income Per Share
Basic income per share is computed by dividing the net income attributable to Nexstar by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted income per share is computed using the weighted-average number of common shares and potentially dilutive common shares outstanding during the period. Potentially dilutive common shares are calculated using the treasury stock method. They consist of stock options and restricted stock units outstanding during the period and reflect the potential dilution that could occur if common stock were issued upon exercise of stock options and vesting of restricted stock units. The following table shows the amounts used in computing the Company’s diluted shares (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2015			2014
Weighted average shares outstanding - basic			31,196			30,603
Dilutive effect of equity incentive plan instruments			1,060			1,306
Weighted average shares outstanding - diluted			32,256			31,909
Stock options and restricted stock units to acquire Class A common stock excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share were comprised of a weighted average of 1,043,000 shares and 621,000 shares for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, because their impact would have been antidilutive.
Basis of Presentation
Certain prior year financial statement amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on net income or stockholders’ equity as previously reported.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which updates the accounting guidance on revenue recognition. This standard is intended to provide a more robust framework for addressing revenue issues, improve comparability of revenue recognition practices and improve disclosure requirements. The standard is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with a proposed one year delay. Transition to the new guidance may be done using either a full or modified retrospective method. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the provisions of the accounting standard update.
In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-02, Consolidation (Topic 810) - Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis, to improve certain areas of consolidation guidance for reporting organizations (i.e., public, private and not-for-profit) that are required to evaluate whether to consolidate certain legal entities such as limited partnerships, limited liability corporations, and securitization structures (e.g., collateralized debt/loan obligations). All legal entities are subject to reevaluation under the revised consolidation model. Specifically, the amendments (1) eliminate the presumption that a general partner should consolidate a limited partnership, (2) eliminate the indefinite deferral of FASB Statement No. 167, thereby reducing the number of VIE consolidation models from four to two (including the limited partnership consolidation model), (3) clarify when fees paid to a decision maker should be a factor to include in the consolidation of VIEs, (4) amend the guidance for assessing how related party relationships affect VIE consolidation analysis and (5) exclude certain money market funds from the consolidation guidance. The amendments in this accounting standard are effective for public business entities for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect the implementation of this standard to have a material impact on its financial position or results of operations.
In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-03, Interest, Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs, which requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability. The amendments in this accounting standard are effective for interim and annual periods ending after December 15, 2015, with early application permitted. The Company does not expect this guidance to have a significant impact on its financial statements, other than a change in the financial statement classification of debt issuance costs. As of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, $19.1 million and $17.0 million, respectively, of net debt financing costs were included in other noncurrent assets in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. Under the new guidance, the carrying amount of debt financing costs would reduce the Company’s total debt.

Acquisitions_and_Dispositions

Acquisitions and Dispositions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Acquisitions and Dispositions	3.  Acquisitions and Dispositions
	CCA
	Effective January 1, 2015, Nexstar completed the acquisition of the outstanding equity of privately-held CCA from SP ComCorp LLC (“SP ComCorp”), NexPoint Credit Strategies Fund (“NexPoint”) and Highland Floating Rate Opportunities Fund (“Highland”) and assumed CCA’s rights and obligations under its existing local service agreements with White Knight, for $278.3 million in cash, less a $0.2 million receivable from the sellers representing working capital adjustment. CCA and White Knight, collectively, owned 19 television stations in 10 markets.
	A deposit of $27.0 million was paid to CCA in April 2013 upon signing the stock purchase agreement. Nexstar paid the $251.3 million remaining purchase price at closing funded by a combination of cash on hand, term loans borrowed in October 2014 and borrowings from its revolving credit facility in January 2015 (See Note 6). The transaction costs relating to this acquisition, including legal and professional fees of $0.4 million, were expensed as incurred during the three months ended March 31, 2015. Additionally, employment charges of $0.5 million were incurred and included in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.
	Simultaneous with Nexstar’s acquisition of CCA, Nexstar sold the assets of CCA stations KPEJ and KMSS to Marshall for $43.3 million in cash, funded primarily by a $43.0 million deposit made in December 2014 arising from Marshall’s term loan. Nexstar also entered into local service agreements with Marshall to perform certain sales and other services for these stations. Additionally, Nexstar sold the assets of CCA station WEVV, the CBS and FOX affiliate serving the Evansville, Indiana market, to Bayou City Broadcasting Evansville, Inc. (“BCB”) for $26.8 million in cash, plus a $0.8 million cash sale of certain real estate properties previously owned by Nexstar (not acquired from CCA). Nexstar recognized a net loss on disposal of $0.5 million in connection with this transaction. There is no relationship between Nexstar and BCB or their respective stations after the sale.
	The above transactions allow the Company entrance into 7 new markets and create duopolies in 6 markets. The stations impacted are as follows:
	Market	Market Rank		Station	Affiliation
	Nexstar:
	Harlingen-Weslaco-Brownsville-McAllen, TX	86		KVEO	NBC/Estrella
	Waco-Temple-Bryan, TX	87		KWKT	FOX/MyNetworkTV/ Estrella
				KYLE	FOX/MyNetworkTV/ Estrella
	El Paso, TX	91		KTSM	NBC/Estrella
	Baton Rouge, LA	93		WGMB	FOX
				WBRL	The CW
	Tyler-Longview, TX	108		KETK	NBC/Estrella
	Lafayette, LA	124		KADN	FOX
				KLAF	MyNetworkTV
	Alexandria, LA	179		WNTZ	FOX/MyNetworkTV
	Marshall:
	Shreveport, LA	83		KMSS	FOX
	Odessa-Midland, TX	146		KPEJ	FOX/Estrella
	White Knight:
	Baton Rouge, LA	93		WVLA	NBC
				KZUP	RTV
	Tyler-Longview, TX	108		KFXK	FOX
				KFXL	FOX
				KLPN	MyNetworkTV
	Shreveport, LA	83		KSHV	MyNetworkTV
	As discussed in Note 2, Nexstar is the primary beneficiary of the variable interests in White Knight and Marshall and has consolidated White Knight and the stations Nexstar sold to Marshall, KPEJ and KMSS, into Nexstar’s Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements beginning January 1, 2015. Accordingly, all effects of the sale between Nexstar and Marshall have been eliminated in consolidation.
	The consolidation of the assets and liabilities of White Knight into Nexstar resulted in a noncontrolling interest of $2.9 million, representing the fair value of interest held by the owners as of January 1, 2015, estimated by applying the income approach valuation technique.
	The estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the CCA acquisition (net of the effects of the sale of WEVV to BCB), including the consolidation of the assets and liabilities of White Knight, KPEJ and KMSS, are as follows (in thousands):
	Cash	$	1,847
	Accounts receivable		19,624
	Broadcast rights		10,233
	Deferred tax assets		247
	Prepaid expenses and other current assets		118
	Property and equipment		25,647
	FCC licenses		71,465
	Network affiliation agreements		86,219
	Other intangible assets		7,818
	Goodwill		119,780
	Other assets		59
	Total assets acquired		343,057
	Less:  Broadcast rights payable		(10,467	)
	Less:  Accounts payable and accrued expenses		(4,685	)
	Less: Taxes payable		(18,613	)
	Less: Deferred tax liabilities		(55,454	)
	Less:  Other noncurrent liabilities		(221	)
	Less:  Noncontrolling interest in a consolidated VIE		(2,900	)
	Net assets acquired	$	250,717
	The fair value assigned to goodwill is attributable to future expense reductions utilizing management’s leverage in operating costs. The goodwill, FCC licenses and network affiliation agreements are not deductible for tax purposes. The intangible assets related to the network affiliation agreements are amortized over 15 years and other intangible assets are amortized over an estimated weighted average useful life of five years.
	The acquired entities’ net revenue of $24.4 million and operating income of $4.7 million from the date of acquisition to March 31, 2015 have been included in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.
	KASW
	Effective January 29, 2015, Nexstar acquired the assets of KASW, the CW affiliate in the Phoenix, Arizona market from Meredith Corporation (“Meredith”) and SagamoreHill of Phoenix, LLC (“SagamoreHill”) for $71.3 million in cash, less a $0.5 million receivable from the sellers representing working capital adjustment. The acquisition allows Nexstar entrance into this market and the purchase price was funded through Nexstar’s $275.0 million 6.125% senior unsecured notes (“6.125% Notes”) and borrowings under Nexstar’s existing credit facility (See Note 6). No significant transaction costs were incurred in connection with this acquisition during the three months ended March 31, 2015.
	The estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the acquisition are as follows (in thousands):
	Accounts receivable	$	3,544
	Broadcast rights		8,771
	Prepaid expenses and other current assets		24
	Property and equipment		987
	FCC licenses		35,566
	Other intangible assets		713
	Goodwill		32,254
	Total assets acquired		81,859
	Less:  Broadcast rights payable		(10,291	)
Less:  Accounts payable and accrued expenses		(790	)
Net assets acquired	$	70,778
The fair value assigned to goodwill is attributable to future expense reductions utilizing management’s leverage in programming and other station operating costs. The goodwill and FCC licenses are deductible for tax purposes. The intangible assets related to the network affiliation agreements are amortized over 15 years. Other intangible assets are amortized over an estimated weighted average useful life of 1.5 years.
KASW’s net revenue of $3.5 million and operating income of $1.4 million from the date of acquisition to March 31, 2015 have been included in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Yashi
On February 2, 2015, Nexstar acquired the outstanding equity of Yashi, a local digital video advertising and targeted programmatic technology platform, for $33.4 million in cash, less a $0.4 million receivable from the sellers representing working capital adjustment. The acquisition is expected to broaden Nexstar’s digital media portfolio with technologies and offerings that are complementary to Nexstar’s digital businesses and multi-screen strategies. The purchase price was funded through Nexstar’s 6.125% Notes and borrowings under Nexstar’s existing credit facility (See Note 6). No significant transaction costs were incurred in connection with this acquisition during the three months ended March 31, 2015.
The estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the acquisition are as follows (in thousands):
Cash	$	1,472
Accounts receivable		8,449
Property and equipment		114
Software and other intangible assets		22,321
Goodwill		16,904
Other assets		15
Total assets acquired		49,275
Less:  Accounts payable and accrued expenses		(7,681	)
Less: Deferred tax liabilities		(8,588	)
Net assets acquired	$	33,006
The fair value assigned to goodwill is attributable to future expense reductions utilizing management’s leverage in operating costs. Goodwill and Software and other intangible assets are not deductible for tax purposes. Software and other intangible assets are amortized over an estimated weighted average useful life of four years.
Yashi’s net revenue of $5.8 million and operating income of $0.4 million from the date of acquisition to March 31, 2015 have been included in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.
KLAS
On February 13, 2015, Nexstar acquired the outstanding equity of KLAS, LLC, the owner of television station KLAS, the CBS affiliate serving the Las Vegas, Nevada market, from Landmark Television, LLC and Landmark Media Enterprises, LLC, for $150.4 million in cash, plus a $0.6 million payable to the sellers representing working capital adjustment. The acquisition allows Nexstar entrance into this market and the purchase price was funded through Nexstar’s 6.125% Notes and borrowings under Nexstar’s existing credit facility (See Note 6). Transaction costs relating to this acquisition, including legal and professional fees of $0.1 million, were expensed as incurred during the three months ended March 31, 2015.
The estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the acquisition are as follows (in thousands):
Cash	$	18
Accounts receivable		6,474
Broadcast rights		58
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		438
Property and equipment		19,154
FCC licenses		60,627
Network affiliation agreements		49,485
Other intangible assets		35
Goodwill		15,700
Total assets of a consolidated VIE		151,989
Less:  Broadcast rights payable		(58	)
Less:  Accounts payable and accrued expenses		(838	)
Less:  Other current liabilities		(117	)
Net assets acquired	$	150,976
The fair value assigned to goodwill is attributable to future expense reductions utilizing management’s leverage in programming and other station operating costs. The goodwill and FCC licenses are deductible for tax purposes. The intangible assets related to the network affiliation agreements are amortized over 15 years. Other intangible assets are amortized over an estimated weighted average useful life of 12 years.
KLAS’ net revenue of $4.8 million and operating income of $1.3 million from the date of acquisition to March 31, 2015 have been included in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Unaudited Pro Forma Information
The acquisitions of KASW, Yashi and KLAS are not significant for financial reporting purposes, both individually and in aggregate. Therefore, pro forma information has not been provided for these acquisitions. The following unaudited pro forma information has been presented for the periods indicated as if the 2014 acquisitions of Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. (“IBS”) and Grant Company, Inc. (“Grant”) had occurred on January 1, 2013 and the 2015 acquisition of CCA and the related consolidation of VIEs had occurred on January 1, 2014 (in thousands):
	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2015			2014
Net revenue	$	203,391		$	176,890
Income before income taxes		22,283			17,114
Net income		14,259			9,709
Net income attributable to Nexstar		14,661			9,465
Net income per common share attributable to Nexstar - basic		0.47			0.31
Net income per common share attributable to Nexstar - diluted		0.45			0.3
The above selected unaudited pro forma information is presented for illustrative purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of results of operations in future periods or results that would have been achieved had Nexstar owned IBS, Grant and CCA during the specified periods.
Please refer to Nexstar’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 for more information with respect to IBS and Grant.
Pending Acquisition
KCWI
On October 24, 2014, Nexstar entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the assets of KCWI, the CW affiliate in the Des Moines-Ames, Iowa market, from Pappas Telecasting of Iowa, LLC (“Pappas”) for $3.5 million, subject to adjustments for working capital. A deposit of $0.2 million was paid upon signing the purchase agreement. This acquisition is subject to bankruptcy approval and other customary conditions, and Nexstar expects it to close in the second quarter of 2015.

Intangible_Assets_and_Goodwill

Intangible Assets and Goodwill	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Intangible Assets and Goodwill	4.  Intangible Assets and Goodwill
	Intangible assets subject to amortization consisted of the following (in thousands):
		Estimated		31-Mar-15								31-Dec-14
		useful life,					Accumulated								Accumulated
		in years		Gross			Amortization			Net		Gross			Amortization			Net
	Network affiliation agreements		15	$	614,592		$	(316,903	)	$	297,689	$	478,888		$	(310,097	)	$	168,791
	Other definite-lived	15-Jan			82,939			(32,968	)		49,971		52,052			(26,714	)		25,338
	intangible assets
	Other intangible assets			$	697,531		$	(349,871	)	$	347,660	$	530,940		$	(336,811	)	$	194,129
	The increases in network affiliation agreements and other definite-lived intangible assets relate to Nexstar’s acquisitions and VIE consolidations, as discussed in Notes 2 and 3.
	The following table presents the Company’s estimate of amortization expense for the remainder of 2015, each of the five succeeding years ended December 31 and thereafter for definite-lived intangible assets as of March 31, 2015 (in thousands):
	Remainder of 2015	$	32,696
	2016		39,068
	2017		36,418
	2018		29,315
	2019		26,440
	2020		21,793
	Thereafter		161,930
		$	347,660
	The amounts recorded to goodwill and FCC licenses were as follows (in thousands):
		Goodwill								FCC Licenses
				Accumulated								Accumulated
		Gross		Impairment			Net			Gross		Impairment			Net
	Balances as of December 31, 2014	$	302,482	$	(45,991	)	$	256,491		$	371,461	$	(49,421	)	$	322,040
	Acquisitions and consolidation		184,638		-			184,638			167,658		-			167,658
	of VIEs (See Notes 2 and 3)
	Balances as of March 31, 2015	$	487,120	$	(45,991	)	$	441,129		$	539,119	$	(49,421	)	$	489,698
	Indefinite-lived intangible assets are not subject to amortization, but are tested for impairment annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that such assets might be impaired. As of March 31, 2015, the Company did not identify any events that would trigger impairment assessment.

Accrued_Expenses

Accrued Expenses	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Payables And Accruals [Abstract]
Accrued Expenses	5.  Accrued Expenses
	Accrued expenses consisted of the following (in thousands):
		March 31,		December 31,
		2015		2014
	Compensation and related taxes	$	9,299	$	9,918
	Sales commissions		4,056		3,108
	Employee benefits		2,425		2,410
	Property taxes		1,442		886
	Other		20,874		20,485
		$	38,096	$	36,807

Debt

Debt	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Debt	6.  Debt
	Long-term debt consisted of the following (in thousands):
			March 31,			December 31,
			2015			2014
	Term loans, net of discount of $1,639 and $1,725, respectively		$	701,450		$	705,054
	Revolving loans			42,000			5,500
	6.875% Senior unsecured notes due 2020, including premium of $569 and $590, respectively			525,569			525,590
	6.125% Senior unsecured notes due 2022			275,000			-
				1,544,019			1,236,144
	Less: current portion			(17,189	)		(15,840	)
			$	1,526,830		$	1,220,304
	2015 Transactions
	On January 29, 2015, Nexstar completed the issuance and sale of $275.0 million 6.125% Notes at par. The proceeds from these notes were used to partially finance acquisitions and to pay for related fees and expenses (See Note 3). Interest on the 6.125% Notes is payable semiannually in arrears on February 15 and August 15 of each year commencing on August 15, 2015. The notes are senior unsecured obligations of Nexstar and are guaranteed by Mission and certain of Nexstar’s and Mission’s future 100% owned subsidiaries, subject to certain customary release provisions. The notes will mature on February 15, 2022.
	The 6.125% Notes are senior obligations of Nexstar and Mission but junior to the secured debt, including Nexstar’s, Mission’s and Marshall’s senior secured credit facilities to the extent of the value of the assets securing such debt. The 6.125% Notes rank equal to the 6.875% senior unsecured notes (“6.875% Notes”).
	On January 30, 2015, Mission repaid the outstanding principal balance under its revolving credit facility of $5.5 million.
	In January and February 2015, Nexstar borrowed a total of $134.9 million under its revolving credit facility, less repayments of $94.9 million during the period. The net proceeds from these borrowings were used to partially finance the acquisitions discussed in Note 3. In April 2015, Nexstar repaid the outstanding principal balance under its revolving credit facility of $30.0 million funded by cash on hand.
	In January and March 2015, Marshall borrowed a total of $2.0 million under its revolving credit facility.
	In March 2015, Nexstar, Mission and Marshall paid the contractual maturities under their senior secured credit facilities of $2.5 million, $0.5 million and $0.7 million, respectively.
	Unused Commitments and Borrowing Availability
	The Company had $63.0 million of total unused revolving loan commitments under its amended senior secured credit facilities, all of which was available for borrowing, based on the covenant calculations as of March 31, 2015. The Company’s ability to access funds under its senior secured credit facilities depends, in part, on its compliance with certain financial covenants. In April 2015, Nexstar repaid the outstanding principal balance under its revolving credit facility of $30.0 million. As of March 31, 2015, Nexstar was in compliance with all of its covenants.
	Collateralization and Guarantees of Debt
	The Company’s senior secured credit facilities are collateralized by a security interest in substantially all the combined assets, excluding FCC licenses and the other assets of consolidated VIEs unavailable to creditors of Nexstar (See Note 2). Nexstar guarantees full payment of all obligations incurred under the Mission and Marshall senior secured credit facilities in the event of their default. Similarly, Mission and Marshall are guarantors of the Nexstar senior secured credit facility. Mission is also a guarantor of Nexstar’s 6.875% Notes and 6.125% Notes. Marshall is not a guarantor of either the 6.875% Notes or the 6.125% Notes. White Knight and Parker do not guarantee Nexstar’s debt.
	Fair Value of Debt
	The aggregate carrying amounts and estimated fair values of the Company’s debt were as follows (in thousands):
			31-Mar-15						31-Dec-14
			Carrying			Fair			Carrying		Fair
			Amount			Value			Amount		Value
	Term loans(1)		$	701,450		$	697,180		$	705,054	$	697,420
	Revolving loans(1)			42,000			41,131			5,500		5,386
	6.875% Senior unsecured notes(2)			525,569			557,813			525,590		547,313
	6.125% Senior unsecured notes(2)			275,000			283,938			-		-
	-1	The fair value of senior secured credit facilities is computed based on borrowing rates currently available to the Company for bank loans with similar terms and average maturities. These fair value measurements are considered Level 3, as significant inputs to the fair value calculation are unobservable in the market.
	-2	The fair value of the Company’s fixed rate debt is estimated based on bid prices obtained from an investment banking firm that regularly makes a market for these financial instruments. These fair value measurements are considered Level 2, as quoted market prices are available for low volume trading of these securities.

FCC_Regulatory_Matters

FCC Regulatory Matters	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Risks And Uncertainties [Abstract]
FCC Regulatory Matters	7.  FCC Regulatory Matters
	Television broadcasting is subject to the jurisdiction of the FCC under the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the “Communications Act”). The Communications Act prohibits the operation of television broadcasting stations except under a license issued by the FCC, and empowers the FCC, among other things, to issue, revoke and modify broadcasting licenses, determine the location of television stations, regulate the equipment used by television stations, adopt regulations to carry out the provisions of the Communications Act and impose penalties for the violation of such regulations. The FCC’s ongoing rule making proceedings could have a significant future impact on the television industry and on the operation of the Company’s stations and the stations to which it provides services. In addition, the U.S. Congress may act to amend the Communications Act or adopt other legislation in a manner that could impact the Company’s stations, the stations to which it provides services and the television broadcast industry in general.
	The FCC has adopted rules with respect to the final conversion of existing low power and television translator stations to digital operations. The FCC has established a September 1, 2015 deadline by which low power and television translator stations must cease analog operations, but it recently has suspended that deadline pending action in an ongoing rulemaking proceeding.
	Media Ownership
	The FCC is required to review its media ownership rules every four years and to eliminate those rules it finds no longer serve the “public interest, convenience and necessity.”
	In March 2014, the FCC initiated its 2014 quadrennial review with the adoption of a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“FNPRM”). The FNPRM incorporates the record of the uncompleted 2010 quadrennial review proceeding and solicits comment on proposed changes to the media ownership rules. Among the proposals in the FNPRM are (1) retention of the current local television ownership rule (but with modifications to certain service contour definitions to conform to digital television broadcasting), (2) elimination of the radio/television cross-ownership rule, (3) elimination of the newspaper/radio cross-ownership rule, and (4) retention of the newspaper/television cross-ownership rule, while considering waivers of that rule in certain circumstances. The FNPRM also proposes to define a category of sharing agreements designated as SSAs between television stations, and to require television stations to disclose those SSAs. Comments and reply comments on the FNPRM were filed in the third quarter of 2014.
	Concurrently with its adoption of the FNPRM, the FCC also adopted a rule making television JSAs attributable to the seller of advertising time in certain circumstances. Under this rule, where a party owns a full-power television station in a market and sells more than 15% of the weekly advertising time for another, non-owned station in the same market under a JSA, that party will be deemed to have an attributable interest in the latter station for purposes of the local television ownership rule. Parties to newly attributable JSAs that do not comply with the local television ownership rule were given two years to modify or terminate their JSAs to come into compliance. Congressional legislation signed into law in late 2014 extended this compliance period for an additional six months, and the compliance deadline is now December 19, 2016. Although the FCC has indicated that it will consider waivers of the new JSA attribution rule, the FCC thus far has not granted any such waiver and has provided little guidance on what factors must be present for a waiver to be granted. Various parties, including Nexstar (and Mission, which has intervened), have appealed this new rule to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. If Nexstar is required to amend or terminate its existing agreements with Mission and others, the Company could have a reduction in revenue and could incur increased costs if it is unable to successfully implement alternative arrangements that are as beneficial as the existing JSAs.
	Spectrum
	The FCC has initiated various proceedings to assess the availability of spectrum to meet future wireless broadband needs. The FCC’s March 2010 “National Broadband Plan” recommends the reallocation of 120 megahertz of the spectrum currently used for broadcast television for wireless broadband use. The FCC has thus far adopted rules permitting television stations to share a single 6 megahertz channel and requested comment on proposals that include, among other things, whether to add new frequency allocations in the television bands for licensed fixed and mobile wireless uses and whether to implement technical rule modifications to improve the viability of certain channels that are underutilized by digital television stations. In February 2012, the U.S. Congress adopted legislation authorizing the FCC to conduct an incentive auction whereby television broadcasters could voluntarily relinquish their spectrum in exchange for consideration. In June 2014, the FCC released a Report and Order in which it adopted a framework for the auction.  This Report and Order is the subject of a pending court appeal.  In December 2014, the FCC released a public notice proposing certain procedures that the FCC will follow in the incentive auction and the subsequent “repacking” of broadcast television spectrum.  Comments on this public notice were filed in the first quarter of 2015. The FCC is deciding additional issues related to the incentive auction, including still-outstanding technical issues, in other proceedings. The FCC has stated its intention to conduct the incentive auction in 2016. The reallocation of television spectrum for wireless broadband use will require some television stations to change channel or otherwise modify their technical facilities. Future steps to reallocate television spectrum to broadband use may be to the detriment of the Company’s investment in digital facilities, could require substantial additional investment to continue current operations, and may require viewers to invest in additional equipment or subscription services to continue receiving broadcast television signals. The Company cannot predict the timing or results of television spectrum reallocation efforts or their impact to its business.
	Retransmission Consent
	On March 3, 2011, the FCC initiated a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to reexamine its rules (i) governing the requirements for good faith negotiations between multichannel video program distributors (“MVPDs”) and broadcasters, including implementing a prohibition on one station negotiating retransmission consent terms for another station under a local service agreement; (ii) for providing advance notice to consumers in the event of dispute; and (iii) to extend certain cable-only obligations to all MVPDs. The FCC also asked for comment on eliminating the network non-duplication and syndicated exclusivity protection rules, which may permit MVPDs to import out-of-market television stations during a retransmission consent dispute.
	In March 2014, the FCC adopted a rule that prohibits joint retransmission consent negotiation between television stations in the same market which are not commonly owned and which are ranked among the top four stations in the market in terms of audience share. This new rule requires Nexstar, Mission and other independent third parties with which Nexstar has local service agreements to separately negotiate retransmission consent agreements for certain of their stations. This new rule is now effective and is the subject of a pending court appeal. On December 5, 2014, federal legislation extended the joint negotiation prohibition to all non-commonly owned television stations in a market. This legislation also directed the FCC to commence a rulemaking to “review its totality of the circumstances test for good faith [retransmission consent] negotiations.”  The FCC has not yet commenced this proceeding, and we cannot predict its outcome.
	Concurrently with its adoption of the prohibition on certain joint retransmission consent negotiation, the FCC also adopted a further notice of proposed rulemaking which seeks comment on the elimination or modification of the network non-duplication and syndicated exclusivity rules. The FCC’s prohibition on certain joint retransmission consent negotiations and its possible elimination or modification of the network non-duplication and syndicated exclusivity protection rules may affect the Company’s ability to sustain its current level of retransmission consent revenues or grow such revenues in the future and could have an adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations. The Company cannot predict the resolution of the FCC’s network non-duplication and syndicated exclusivity proposals, or the impact of these proposals or the FCC’s new prohibition on certain joint negotiations, on its business.
	Further, certain online video distributors and other over-the-top video distributors (“OTTDs”) have begun streaming broadcast programming over the Internet. In June 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court held that an OTTD’s retransmissions of broadcast television programs without the consent of the broadcast station violate the copyright holders’ exclusive right to perform their works publicly as provided under the Copyright Act. In December 2014, the FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposing to interpret the term “MVPD” to encompass OTTDs that make available for purchase multiple streams of video programming distributed at a prescheduled time, and seeking comment on the effects of applying MVPD rules to such OTTDs. Comments and reply comments were filed in the first and second quarters of 2015 and we cannot predict the outcome of the proceeding. However, if the FCC ultimately determines that an OTTD is not an MVPD, or declines to apply certain rules governing MVPDs to OTTDs, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Commitments_and_Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	8.  Commitments and Contingencies
	Guarantees of Mission and Marshall Debt
	Nexstar guarantees full payment of all obligations incurred under Mission’s and Marshall’s senior secured credit facilities. In the event that Mission and/or Marshall are unable to repay amounts due, Nexstar will be obligated to repay such amounts. The maximum potential amount of future payments that Nexstar would be required to make under this guarantee would be generally limited to the amount of borrowings outstanding. As of March 31, 2015, Mission had a maximum commitment of $237.2 million under its senior secured credit facility, of which $229.2 million of debt was outstanding, and Marshall had used all of its commitment and had outstanding obligations of $60.4 million.
	Indemnification Obligations
	In connection with certain agreements into which the Company enters in the normal course of its business, including local service agreements, business acquisitions and borrowing arrangements, the Company enters into contractual arrangements under which the Company agrees to indemnify the other party to such arrangement from losses, claims and damages incurred by the indemnified party for certain events as defined within the particular contract. Such indemnification obligations may not be subject to maximum loss clauses and the maximum potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to make under these indemnification arrangements may be unlimited. Historically, payments made related to these indemnifications have been immaterial and the Company has not incurred significant costs to defend lawsuits or settle claims related to these indemnification agreements.
	Litigation
	From time to time, the Company is involved with claims that arise out of the normal course of its business. In the opinion of management, any resulting liability with respect to these claims would not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Condensed_Consolidating_Financ

Condensed Consolidating Financial Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Condensed Financial Information Of Parent Company Only Disclosure [Abstract]
Condensed Consolidating Financial Information	9.  Condensed Consolidating Financial Information
	The following condensed consolidating financial information presents the financial position, results of operations and cash flows of the Company, including its 100%, directly or indirectly, owned subsidiaries and its consolidated VIEs. This information is presented in lieu of separate financial statements and other related disclosures pursuant to Regulation S-X Rule 3-10 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, “Financial Statements of Guarantors and Issuers of Guaranteed Securities Registered or Being Registered.”
	The Nexstar column presents the parent company’s financial information (not including any subsidiaries). Nexstar owns 100% of Nexstar Finance Holdings, Inc. (“Nexstar Holdings”), which owns 100% of Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. (“Nexstar Broadcasting”). The Nexstar Holdings column presents its financial information (not including any subsidiaries). The Nexstar Broadcasting column presents its financial information. The Mission column presents the financial information of Mission, an entity which Nexstar Broadcasting is required to consolidate as a VIE (see Note 2). The Non-Guarantors column presents the combined financial information of Nexstar Holdings (not including any subsidiaries) and other VIEs consolidated by Nexstar Broadcasting (See Note 2).
	Nexstar Broadcasting’s outstanding 6.875% Notes and 6.125% Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, by Nexstar and Mission, subject to certain customary release provisions. These notes are not guaranteed by any other entities.
	CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
	As of March 31, 2015
	(in thousands)
					Nexstar						Non-						Consolidated
		Nexstar			Broadcasting			Mission			Guarantors			Eliminations			Company
	ASSETS
	Current assets:
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	-		$	38,922		$	3,137		$	2,525		$	-		$	44,584
	Amounts due from consolidated entities		-			-			28,177			-			(28,177	)		-
	Other current assets		-			210,226			19,415			7,413			-			237,054
	Total current assets		-			249,148			50,729			9,938			(28,177	)		281,638
	Investments in subsidiaries		118,702			38,931			-			133,944			(291,577	)		-
	Amounts due from consolidated entities		1,564			13,674			-			-			(15,238	)		-
	Property and equipment, net		-			245,505			23,596			8,736			-			277,837
	Goodwill		-			371,048			32,489			37,592			-			441,129
	FCC licenses		-			415,387			41,563			32,748			-			489,698
	Other intangible assets, net		-			285,292			20,700			41,668			-			347,660
	Other noncurrent assets		-			40,627			20,210			4,352			-			65,189
	Total assets	$	120,266		$	1,659,612		$	189,287		$	268,978		$	(334,992	)	$	1,903,151
	LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS'
	EQUITY (DEFICIT)
	Current liabilities:
	Current portion of debt	$	-		$	11,628		$	1,961		$	3,600		$	-		$	17,189
	Amounts due to consolidated entities		-			22,100			-			6,077			(28,177	)		-
	Other current liabilities		-			107,824			6,431			4,969			-			119,224
	Total current liabilities		-			141,552			8,392			14,646			(28,177	)		136,413
	Debt		-			1,242,777			227,288			56,765			-			1,526,830
	Amounts due to consolidated entities		-			-			-			15,238			(15,238	)		-
	Other noncurrent liabilities		(3	)		141,339			7,764			19,371			-			168,471
	Total liabilities		(3	)		1,525,668			243,444			106,020			(43,415	)		1,831,714
	Stockholders' equity (deficit)		120,269			133,944			(54,157	)		162,958			(291,577	)		71,437
	Total liabilities and stockholders'	$	120,266		$	1,659,612		$	189,287		$	268,978		$	(334,992	)	$	1,903,151
	equity (deficit)
	CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
	As of December 31, 2014
	(in thousands)
					Nexstar						Non-						Consolidated
		Nexstar			Broadcasting			Mission			Guarantors			Eliminations			Company
	ASSETS
	Current assets:
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	-		$	130,472		$	880		$	560		$	-		$	131,912
	Amounts due from consolidated entities		-			-			29,867			-			(29,867	)		-
	Other current assets		-			166,112			17,972			1,668			-			185,752
	Total current assets		-			296,584			48,719			2,228			(29,867	)		317,664
	Investments in subsidiaries		109,834			-			-			125,076			(234,910	)		-
	Amounts due from consolidated entities		1,476			13,764			-			-			(15,240	)		-
	Property and equipment, net		-			211,504			24,166			2,069			-			237,739
	Goodwill		-			221,183			32,489			2,819			-			256,491
	FCC licenses		-			275,313			41,563			5,164			-			322,040
	Other intangible assets, net		-			163,796			21,310			9,023			-			194,129
	Other noncurrent assets		-			65,451			23,818			44,893			-			134,162
	Total assets	$	111,310		$	1,247,595		$	192,065		$	191,272		$	(280,017	)	$	1,462,225
	LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS'
	EQUITY (DEFICIT)
	Current liabilities:
	Current portion of debt	$	-		$	10,703		$	1,837		$	3,300		$	-		$	15,840
	Amounts due to consolidated entities		-			29,026			-			841			(29,867	)		-
	Other current liabilities		-			73,546			6,713			1,167			-			81,426
	Total current liabilities		-			113,275			8,550			5,308			(29,867	)		97,266
	Debt		-			931,143			233,357			55,804			-			1,220,304
Amounts due to consolidated entities		-			-			-			15,240			(15,240	)		-
Other noncurrent liabilities		(3	)		78,101			8,667			1,353			-			88,118
Total liabilities		(3	)		1,122,519			250,574			77,705			(45,107	)		1,405,688
Stockholders' equity (deficit):		111,313			125,076			(58,509	)		113,567			(234,910	)		56,537
Total liabilities and stockholders'	$	111,310		$	1,247,595		$	192,065		$	191,272		$	(280,017	)	$	1,462,225
equity (deficit)
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
Three Months Ended March 31, 2015
(in thousands)
				Nexstar						Non-						Consolidated
	Nexstar			Broadcasting			Mission			Guarantors			Eliminations			Company
Net broadcast revenue (including trade and barter)	$	-		$	183,046		$	12,110		$	8,235		$	-		$	203,391
Revenue between consolidated entities		-			6,469			8,554			1,926			(16,949	)		-
Net revenue		-			189,515			20,664			10,161			(16,949	)		203,391
Operating expenses:
Direct operating expenses, excluding depreciation		-			61,527			5,188			2,970			-			69,685
and amortization
Selling, general, and administrative expenses,		-			55,121			862			1,306			-			57,289
excluding depreciation and amortization
Local service agreement fees between consolidated		-			10,480			2,445			4,024			(16,949	)		-
entities
Amortization of broadcast rights		-			11,662			1,468			1,451			-			14,581
Amortization of intangible assets		-			10,691			610			1,759			-			13,060
Depreciation		-			9,999			602			271			-			10,872
Total operating expenses		-			159,480			11,175			11,781			(16,949	)		165,487
Income from operations		-			30,035			9,489			(1,620	)		-			37,904
Interest expense, net		-			(16,580	)		(2,316	)		(397	)		-			(19,293	)
Other expenses		-			(118	)		-			-			-			(118	)
Equity in income of subsidiaries		8,868			-			-			8,868			(17,736	)		-
Income before income taxes		8,868			13,337			7,173			6,851			(17,736	)		18,493
Income tax expense		-			(4,469	)		(2,821	)		709			-			(6,581	)
Net income		8,868			8,868			4,352			7,560			(17,736	)		11,912
Net loss attributable to the noncontrolling interests		-			-			-			995			-			995
Net income attributable to Nexstar	$	8,868		$	8,868		$	4,352		$	8,555		$	(17,736	)	$	12,907
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
Three Months Ended March 31, 2014
(in thousands)
				Nexstar						Non-						Consolidated
	Nexstar			Broadcasting			Mission			Guarantors			Eliminations			Company
Net broadcast revenue (including trade and barter)	$	-		$	124,953		$	8,880		$	-		$	-		$	133,833
Revenue between consolidated entities		-			2,445			9,648			-			(12,093	)		-
Net revenue		-			127,398			18,528			-			(12,093	)		133,833
Operating expenses:
Direct operating expenses, excluding depreciation		-			37,483			4,366			-			-			41,849
and amortization
Selling, general, and administrative expenses,		-			40,217			823			-			-			41,040
excluding depreciation and amortization
Local service agreement fees between consolidated		-			9,648			2,445			-			(12,093	)		-
entities
Amortization of broadcast rights		-			7,142			1,490			-			-			8,632
Amortization of intangible assets		-			5,420			773			-			-			6,193
Depreciation		-			7,686			733			-			-			8,419
Total operating expenses		-			107,596			10,630			-			(12,093	)		106,133
Income from operations		-			19,802			7,898			-			-			27,700
Interest expense, net		-			(12,677	)		(2,493	)		-			-			(15,170	)
Other expenses		-			(128	)		-			-			-			(128	)
Equity in income of subsidiaries		4,049			-			-			4,049			(8,098	)		-
Income before income taxes		4,049			6,997			5,405			4,049			(8,098	)		12,402
Income tax expense		-			(2,948	)		(2,101	)		-			-			(5,049	)
Net income	$	4,049		$	4,049		$	3,304		$	4,049		$	(8,098	)	$	7,353
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
Three Months Ended March 31, 2015
(in thousands)
				Nexstar						Non-						Consolidated
	Nexstar			Broadcasting			Mission			Guarantors			Eliminations			Company
Cash flows from operating activities	$	-		$	40,900		$	8,106		$	620		$	-		$	49,626
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of property and equipment		-			(6,545	)		(32	)		-			176			(6,401	)
Deposits and payments for acquisitions		-			(503,200	)		-			(79	)		43,300			(459,979	)
Proceeds from sale of stations		-			70,105			-			-			(43,300	)		26,805
Other investing activities		-			727			150			176			(176	)		877
Net cash (used in) provided by		-			(438,913	)		118			97			-			(438,698	)
investing activities
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from long-term debt		-			409,950			-			2,000			-			411,950
Repayments of long-term debt		-			(97,431	)		(5,959	)		(750	)		-			(104,140	)
Common stock dividends paid		(5,921	)		-			-			-			-			(5,921	)
Inter-company payments		4,456			(4,456	)		-			-			-			-
Other financing activities		1,465			(1,600	)		(8	)		(2	)		-			(145	)
Net cash provided by (used in)		-			306,463			(5,967	)		1,248			-			301,744
financing activities
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash		-			(91,550	)		2,257			1,965			-			(87,328	)
equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning		-			130,472			880			560			-			131,912
of period
Cash and cash equivalents at end of	$	-		$	38,922		$	3,137		$	2,525		$	-		$	44,584
period
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
Three Months Ended March 31, 2014
(in thousands)
				Nexstar						Non-						Consolidated
	Nexstar			Broadcasting			Mission			Guarantors			Eliminations			Company
Cash flows from operating activities	$	-		$	46,269		$	(1,538	)	$	-		$	-		$	44,731
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of property and equipment		-			(3,899	)		(84	)		-			-			(3,983	)
Deposits and payments for acquisitions		-			(22,057	)		-			-			-			(22,057	)
Other investing activities		-			14			-			-			-			14
Net cash used in investing activities		-			(25,942	)		(84	)		-			-			(26,026	)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Repayments of long-term debt		-			(2,155	)		(1,455	)		-			-			(3,610	)
Common stock dividends paid		(4,588	)		-			-			-			-			(4,588	)
Inter-company payments		4,481			(4,481	)		-			-			-			-
Other financing activities		107			10			(72	)		-			-			45
Net cash used in financing activities		-			(6,626	)		(1,527	)		-			-			(8,153	)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and		-			13,701			(3,149	)		-			-			10,552
cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning		-			36,312			3,716			-			-			40,028
of period
Cash and cash equivalents at end	$	-		$	50,013		$	567		$	-		$	-		$	50,580
of period

Subsequent_Events

Subsequent Events	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Events	10.	Subsequent Events
	On April 13, 2015, Nexstar repaid the outstanding principal balance of $30.0 million under its revolving credit facility, funded by cash on hand.
	On April 24, 2015, Nexstar’s Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.19 per share of its Class A common stock. The dividend is payable on May 29, 2015 to stockholders of record on May 15, 2015.

Summary_of_Significant_Account1

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Principles of Consolidation	Principles of Consolidation
	The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Nexstar and the accounts of independently-owned VIEs for which Nexstar is the primary beneficiary. Nexstar and the consolidated VIEs are collectively referred to as the “Company.” Noncontrolling interests represent the VIE owners’ share of the equity in the consolidated VIEs and are presented as a component separate from Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. stockholders’ equity. All intercompany account balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Nexstar management evaluates each arrangement that may include variable interests and determines the need to consolidate an entity where it determines Nexstar is the primary beneficiary of a VIE in accordance with related authoritative literature and interpretive guidance. Effective January 1, 2015, Nexstar entered into local service agreements to provide programming and sales services to stations acquired from Communications Corporation of America (“CCA”) and sold to Marshall Broadcasting Group, Inc. (“Marshall”) and stations owned by White Knight Broadcasting (“White Knight”), which were considered as VIEs as of that date.
	Certain assets of consolidated VIEs are not available to settle the obligations of Nexstar and there are certain liabilities of consolidated VIEs for which the creditors of the VIEs do not have recourse to the general credit of Nexstar. In previous filings, the Company presented such amounts as separate amounts on its Consolidated Balance Sheets.  The Company has elected to present these amounts in this and future filings in a combined footnote on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, with footnote disclosure of the related carrying amounts and classification, as follows (in thousands):
			March 31,			December 31,
			2015			2014
	Current assets		$	3,196		$	12	-1
	Property and equipment, net			4,503			-
	Goodwill			18,451			697	-1
	FCC licenses			74,312			46,727
	Other intangible assets, net			21,419			1,695	-1
	Other noncurrent assets, net			974			-
	Total assets			122,855			49,131
	Current liabilities			11,370			7,852
	Noncurrent liabilities			27,132			10,018
	Total liabilities		$	38,502		$	17,870
	-1	These balances relate to Parker Broadcasting of Colorado, LLC and were previously not presented separately on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. This correction is not considered material to the Consolidated Financial Statements as of December 31, 2014.
Interim Financial Statements	Interim Financial Statements
	The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of March 31, 2015 and for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014 are unaudited. However, in the opinion of management, such financial statements include all adjustments (consisting solely of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for the fair statement of the financial information included herein in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The preparation of the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the full year. These Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes included in Nexstar’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014. The balance sheet as of December 31, 2014 has been derived from the audited financial statements as of that date, but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements.
Variable Interest Entities	Variable Interest Entities
	The Company may determine that an entity is a VIE as a result of local service agreements entered into with the owner-operator of an entity. The term local service agreements generally refers to a contract between two separately owned television stations serving the same market, whereby the owner-operator of one station contracts with the owner-operator of the other station to provide it with administrative, sales and other services required for the operation of its station. Nevertheless, the owner-operator of each station retains control and responsibility for the operation of its station, including ultimate responsibility over all programming broadcast on its station. A local service agreement can be (1) a time brokerage agreement (“TBA”) which allows Nexstar to program most of a station’s broadcast time, sell the station’s advertising time and retain the advertising revenue generated in exchange for monthly payments, based on the station’s monthly operating expenses, (2) a shared services agreement (“SSA”) which allows the Nexstar station in the market to provide services including news production, technical maintenance and security, in exchange for Nexstar’s right to receive certain payments as described in the SSA, or (3) a joint sales agreement (“JSA”) which permits Nexstar to sell certain of the station’s advertising time and retain a percentage of the related revenue, as described in the JSA.
	Consolidated VIEs
	Mission Broadcasting, Inc. (“Mission”), Marshall and Parker Broadcasting of Colorado, LLC (“Parker”) are consolidated by Nexstar because Nexstar is deemed under U.S. GAAP to have controlling financial interests in these entities for financial reporting purposes as a result of (1) local service agreements Nexstar has with these stations, (2) Nexstar’s guarantees of the obligations incurred under Mission’s and Marshall’s senior secured credit facilities (see Note 6), (3) Nexstar having power over significant activities affecting these entities’ economic performance, including budgeting for advertising revenue, certain advertising sales and, for Mission and Parker, hiring and firing of sales force personnel and (4) purchase options granted by Mission which permit Nexstar to acquire the assets and assume the liabilities of each Mission station, subject to Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) consent.
	Effective January 1, 2015, upon Nexstar’s acquisition of CCA, Nexstar assumed the contractual obligations under CCA’s local service agreements with White Knight, the owner of six television stations in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Shreveport, Louisiana and Tyler-Longview, Texas markets. Nexstar evaluated the business arrangements with White Knight and has determined that it has a variable interest in this entity. Nexstar has also determined that it is the primary beneficiary of the variable interest because it has the ultimate power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of White Knight, including management advice and consultation in broadcast matters, the ability to sell certain advertising on the White Knight stations, the production of the White Knight stations’ news and other programming, and oversight and control of sales management personnel. Additionally, Nexstar assumed CCA’s options to acquire the assets and assume the liabilities of each White Knight station, subject to FCC consent. Simultaneous with Nexstar’s acquisition of CCA, Nexstar sold the assets of CCA stations KPEJ and KMSS to Marshall and, as discussed above, Nexstar is the primary beneficiary of Marshall. Therefore, Nexstar consolidated White Knight, KPEJ and KMSS as of January 1, 2015. See Note 3 for additional information with respect to these transactions.
	The following table summarizes the various local service agreements Nexstar had in effect as of March 31, 2015 with Mission, Marshall, Parker and White Knight:
	Service Agreements		Owner		Mission Stations
	TBA Only		Mission		WFXP and KHMT
			Parker		KFQX
	SSA & JSA		Mission		KJTL, KJBO-LP, KLRT, KASN, KOLR, KCIT, KCPN-LP, KAMC, KRBC, KSAN, WUTR, WAWV, WYOU, KODE, WTVO, KTVE, WTVW and WVNY
			Marshall		KLJB, KPEJ and KMSS
			White Knight		WVLA, KZUP, KFXK, KFXL, KLPN, KSHV
	Nexstar’s ability to receive cash from Mission, Marshall, Parker and White Knight is governed by the local service agreements. Under these agreements, Nexstar has received substantially all of the consolidated VIEs’ available cash, after satisfaction of operating costs and debt obligations. Nexstar anticipates it will continue to receive substantially all of the consolidated VIEs’ available cash, after satisfaction of operating costs and debt obligations. In compliance with FCC regulations for all the parties, Mission, Marshall, Parker and White Knight maintain complete responsibility for and control over programming, finances, personnel and operations of their stations.
	The carrying amounts and classification of the assets and liabilities of the VIEs mentioned above which have been included in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets were as follows (in thousands):
			March 31,			December 31,
			2015			2014
	Current assets:
	Cash and cash equivalents		$	5,662		$	1,440
	Accounts receivable, net			13,645			7,594
	Deferred tax assets, net			9,474			9,389
	Prepaid expenses and other current assets			3,709			2,657
	Total current assets			32,490			21,080
	Property and equipment, net			32,332			26,235
	Goodwill			70,081			35,308
	FCC licenses			74,312			46,727
	Other intangible assets, net			62,368			30,333
	Other noncurrent assets, net			24,561			64,858
	Total assets		$	296,144		$	224,541
	Current liabilities:
	Current portion of debt		$	5,561		$	5,137
	Interest payable			28			28
	Other current liabilities			11,372			7,852
	Total current liabilities			16,961			13,017
	Debt			284,053			289,161
	Other noncurrent liabilities			27,133			10,018
	Total liabilities		$	328,147		$	312,196
	Non-Consolidated VIEs
	Nexstar has an outsourcing agreement with Cunningham Broadcasting Corporation (“Cunningham”), which continues through December 31, 2017. Under the outsourcing agreement, Nexstar provides certain engineering, production, sales and administrative services for WYZZ, the FOX affiliate in the Peoria, Illinois market, through WMBD, the Nexstar television station in that market. During the term of the outsourcing agreement, Nexstar retains the broadcasting revenue and related expenses of WYZZ and is obligated to pay a monthly fee based on the combined operating cash flow of WMBD and WYZZ, as defined in the agreement.
	Nexstar has determined that it has a variable interest in WYZZ. Nexstar has evaluated its arrangements with Cunningham and has determined that it is not the primary beneficiary of the variable interest in WYZZ because it does not have the ultimate power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of the station, including developing the annual operating budget, programming and oversight and control of sales management personnel. Therefore, Nexstar has not consolidated this station under authoritative guidance related to the consolidation of VIEs. Under the outsourcing agreement for WYZZ, Nexstar pays for certain operating expenses, and therefore may have unlimited exposure to any potential operating losses. Nexstar’s management believes that Nexstar’s minimum exposure to loss under the WYZZ outsourcing agreement consists of the fees paid to Cunningham. Additionally, Nexstar indemnifies the owner of WYZZ from and against all liability and claims arising out of or resulting from its activities, acts or omissions in connection with the agreement. The maximum potential amount of future payments Nexstar could be required to make for such indemnification is undeterminable at this time.
	As of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, Nexstar had balances in accounts payable of $0.1 million and $0.5 million, respectively, for fees under this arrangement and had receivables for advertising aired on these stations of $0.5 million and $0.7 million, respectively. Fees incurred under this arrangement of $0.1 million and $0.3 million were included in direct operating expenses in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
Financial Instruments	Financial Instruments
	The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate fair value due to their short-term nature. See Note 6 for fair value disclosures related to the Company’s debt.
Income Per Share	Income Per Share
	Basic income per share is computed by dividing the net income attributable to Nexstar by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted income per share is computed using the weighted-average number of common shares and potentially dilutive common shares outstanding during the period. Potentially dilutive common shares are calculated using the treasury stock method. They consist of stock options and restricted stock units outstanding during the period and reflect the potential dilution that could occur if common stock were issued upon exercise of stock options and vesting of restricted stock units. The following table shows the amounts used in computing the Company’s diluted shares (in thousands):
			Three Months Ended
			March 31,
			2015			2014
	Weighted average shares outstanding - basic			31,196			30,603
	Dilutive effect of equity incentive plan instruments			1,060			1,306
	Weighted average shares outstanding - diluted			32,256			31,909
	Stock options and restricted stock units to acquire Class A common stock excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share were comprised of a weighted average of 1,043,000 shares and 621,000 shares for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, because their impact would have been antidilutive.
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation
	Certain prior year financial statement amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on net income or stockholders’ equity as previously reported.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
	Recent Accounting Pronouncements
	In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which updates the accounting guidance on revenue recognition. This standard is intended to provide a more robust framework for addressing revenue issues, improve comparability of revenue recognition practices and improve disclosure requirements. The standard is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with a proposed one year delay. Transition to the new guidance may be done using either a full or modified retrospective method. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the provisions of the accounting standard update.
	In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-02, Consolidation (Topic 810) - Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis, to improve certain areas of consolidation guidance for reporting organizations (i.e., public, private and not-for-profit) that are required to evaluate whether to consolidate certain legal entities such as limited partnerships, limited liability corporations, and securitization structures (e.g., collateralized debt/loan obligations). All legal entities are subject to reevaluation under the revised consolidation model. Specifically, the amendments (1) eliminate the presumption that a general partner should consolidate a limited partnership, (2) eliminate the indefinite deferral of FASB Statement No. 167, thereby reducing the number of VIE consolidation models from four to two (including the limited partnership consolidation model), (3) clarify when fees paid to a decision maker should be a factor to include in the consolidation of VIEs, (4) amend the guidance for assessing how related party relationships affect VIE consolidation analysis and (5) exclude certain money market funds from the consolidation guidance. The amendments in this accounting standard are effective for public business entities for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect the implementation of this standard to have a material impact on its financial position or results of operations.
	In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-03, Interest, Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs, which requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability. The amendments in this accounting standard are effective for interim and annual periods ending after December 15, 2015, with early application permitted. The Company does not expect this guidance to have a significant impact on its financial statements, other than a change in the financial statement classification of debt issuance costs. As of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, $19.1 million and $17.0 million, respectively, of net debt financing costs were included in other noncurrent assets in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. Under the new guidance, the carrying amount of debt financing costs would reduce the Company’s total debt.

Summary_of_Significant_Account2

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Consolidated VIEs	The carrying amounts and classification of the assets and liabilities of the VIEs mentioned above which have been included in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets were as follows (in thousands):
			March 31,		December 31,
			2015		2014
	Current assets:
	Cash and cash equivalents		$	5,662	$	1,440
	Accounts receivable, net			13,645		7,594
	Deferred tax assets, net			9,474		9,389
	Prepaid expenses and other current assets			3,709		2,657
	Total current assets			32,490		21,080
	Property and equipment, net			32,332		26,235
	Goodwill			70,081		35,308
	FCC licenses			74,312		46,727
	Other intangible assets, net			62,368		30,333
	Other noncurrent assets, net			24,561		64,858
	Total assets		$	296,144	$	224,541
	Current liabilities:
	Current portion of debt		$	5,561	$	5,137
	Interest payable			28		28
	Other current liabilities			11,372		7,852
	Total current liabilities			16,961		13,017
	Debt			284,053		289,161
	Other noncurrent liabilities			27,133		10,018
	Total liabilities		$	328,147	$	312,196
Weighted Average Shares Outstanding	Basic income per share is computed by dividing the net income attributable to Nexstar by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted income per share is computed using the weighted-average number of common shares and potentially dilutive common shares outstanding during the period. Potentially dilutive common shares are calculated using the treasury stock method. They consist of stock options and restricted stock units outstanding during the period and reflect the potential dilution that could occur if common stock were issued upon exercise of stock options and vesting of restricted stock units. The following table shows the amounts used in computing the Company’s diluted shares (in thousands):
			Three Months Ended
			March 31,
			2015		2014
	Weighted average shares outstanding - basic			31,196		30,603
	Dilutive effect of equity incentive plan instruments			1,060		1,306
	Weighted average shares outstanding - diluted			32,256		31,909
Nature of Restriction and Lack of Recourse [Member]
Consolidated VIEs	Certain assets of consolidated VIEs are not available to settle the obligations of Nexstar and there are certain liabilities of consolidated VIEs for which the creditors of the VIEs do not have recourse to the general credit of Nexstar. In previous filings, the Company presented such amounts as separate amounts on its Consolidated Balance Sheets.  The Company has elected to present these amounts in this and future filings in a combined footnote on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, with footnote disclosure of the related carrying amounts and classification, as follows (in thousands):
			March 31,		December 31,
			2015		2014
	Current assets		$	3,196	$	12	-1
	Property and equipment, net			4,503		-
	Goodwill			18,451		697	-1
	FCC licenses			74,312		46,727
	Other intangible assets, net			21,419		1,695	-1
	Other noncurrent assets, net			974		-
	Total assets			122,855		49,131
	Current liabilities			11,370		7,852
	Noncurrent liabilities			27,132		10,018
	Total liabilities		$	38,502	$	17,870
	-1	These balances relate to Parker Broadcasting of Colorado, LLC and were previously not presented separately on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. This correction is not considered material to the Consolidated Financial Statements as of December 31, 2014.

Acquisitions_and_Dispositions_

Acquisitions and Dispositions (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Unaudited Pro forma Information	The following unaudited pro forma information has been presented for the periods indicated as if the 2014 acquisitions of Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. (“IBS”) and Grant Company, Inc. (“Grant”) had occurred on January 1, 2013 and the 2015 acquisition of CCA and the related consolidation of VIEs had occurred on January 1, 2014 (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended
		March 31,
		2015			2014
	Net revenue	$	203,391		$	176,890
	Income before income taxes		22,283			17,114
	Net income		14,259			9,709
	Net income attributable to Nexstar		14,661			9,465
	Net income per common share attributable to Nexstar - basic		0.47			0.31
	Net income per common share attributable to Nexstar - diluted		0.45			0.3
Cca And White Knight
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Schedule of Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed	The estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the CCA acquisition (net of the effects of the sale of WEVV to BCB), including the consolidation of the assets and liabilities of White Knight, KPEJ and KMSS, are as follows (in thousands):
	Cash	$	1,847
	Accounts receivable		19,624
	Broadcast rights		10,233
	Deferred tax assets		247
	Prepaid expenses and other current assets		118
	Property and equipment		25,647
	FCC licenses		71,465
	Network affiliation agreements		86,219
	Other intangible assets		7,818
	Goodwill		119,780
	Other assets		59
	Total assets acquired		343,057
	Less:  Broadcast rights payable		(10,467	)
	Less:  Accounts payable and accrued expenses		(4,685	)
	Less: Taxes payable		(18,613	)
	Less: Deferred tax liabilities		(55,454	)
	Less:  Other noncurrent liabilities		(221	)
	Less:  Noncontrolling interest in a consolidated VIE		(2,900	)
	Net assets acquired	$	250,717
KASW [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Schedule of Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed	The estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the acquisition are as follows (in thousands):
	Accounts receivable	$	3,544
	Broadcast rights		8,771
	Prepaid expenses and other current assets		24
	Property and equipment		987
	FCC licenses		35,566
	Other intangible assets		713
	Goodwill		32,254
	Total assets acquired		81,859
	Less:  Broadcast rights payable		(10,291	)
	Less:  Accounts payable and accrued expenses		(790	)
	Net assets acquired	$	70,778
Yashi [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Schedule of Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed	The estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the acquisition are as follows (in thousands):
	Cash	$	1,472
	Accounts receivable		8,449
	Property and equipment		114
	Software and other intangible assets		22,321
	Goodwill		16,904
	Other assets		15
	Total assets acquired		49,275
	Less:  Accounts payable and accrued expenses		(7,681	)
	Less: Deferred tax liabilities		(8,588	)
	Net assets acquired	$	33,006
KLAS [ Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Schedule of Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed	The estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the acquisition are as follows (in thousands):
	Cash	$	18
	Accounts receivable		6,474
	Broadcast rights		58
	Prepaid expenses and other current assets		438
	Property and equipment		19,154
	FCC licenses		60,627
	Network affiliation agreements		49,485
	Other intangible assets		35
	Goodwill		15,700
	Total assets of a consolidated VIE		151,989
	Less:  Broadcast rights payable		(58	)
	Less:  Accounts payable and accrued expenses		(838	)
	Less:  Other current liabilities		(117	)
	Net assets acquired	$	150,976

Intangible_Assets_and_Goodwill1

Intangible Assets and Goodwill (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Goodwill And Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Intangible Assets Subject to Amortization	Intangible assets subject to amortization consisted of the following (in thousands):
		Estimated		31-Mar-15								31-Dec-14
		useful life,					Accumulated								Accumulated
		in years		Gross			Amortization			Net		Gross			Amortization			Net
	Network affiliation agreements		15	$	614,592		$	(316,903	)	$	297,689	$	478,888		$	(310,097	)	$	168,791
	Other definite-lived	15-Jan			82,939			(32,968	)		49,971		52,052			(26,714	)		25,338
	intangible assets
	Other intangible assets			$	697,531		$	(349,871	)	$	347,660	$	530,940		$	(336,811	)	$	194,129
Estimated Amortization Expense of Definite-Lived Intangibles Assets	The following table presents the Company’s estimate of amortization expense for the remainder of 2015, each of the five succeeding years ended December 31 and thereafter for definite-lived intangible assets as of March 31, 2015 (in thousands):
	Remainder of 2015	$	32,696
	2016		39,068
	2017		36,418
	2018		29,315
	2019		26,440
	2020		21,793
	Thereafter		161,930
		$	347,660
Goodwill and FCC Licenses	The amounts recorded to goodwill and FCC licenses were as follows (in thousands):
		Goodwill								FCC Licenses
				Accumulated								Accumulated
		Gross		Impairment			Net			Gross		Impairment			Net
	Balances as of December 31, 2014	$	302,482	$	(45,991	)	$	256,491		$	371,461	$	(49,421	)	$	322,040
	Acquisitions and consolidation		184,638		-			184,638			167,658		-			167,658
	of VIEs (See Notes 2 and 3)
	Balances as of March 31, 2015	$	487,120	$	(45,991	)	$	441,129		$	539,119	$	(49,421	)	$	489,698

Accrued_Expenses_Tables

Accrued Expenses (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Payables And Accruals [Abstract]
Accrued Expenses	Accrued expenses consisted of the following (in thousands):
		March 31,		December 31,
		2015		2014
	Compensation and related taxes	$	9,299	$	9,918
	Sales commissions		4,056		3,108
	Employee benefits		2,425		2,410
	Property taxes		1,442		886
	Other		20,874		20,485
		$	38,096	$	36,807

Debt_Tables

Debt (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Long Term Debt	Long-term debt consisted of the following (in thousands):
			March 31,			December 31,
			2015			2014
	Term loans, net of discount of $1,639 and $1,725, respectively		$	701,450		$	705,054
	Revolving loans			42,000			5,500
	6.875% Senior unsecured notes due 2020, including premium of $569 and $590, respectively			525,569			525,590
	6.125% Senior unsecured notes due 2022			275,000			-
				1,544,019			1,236,144
	Less: current portion			(17,189	)		(15,840	)
			$	1,526,830		$	1,220,304
Fair Value of Debt	The aggregate carrying amounts and estimated fair values of the Company’s debt were as follows (in thousands):
			31-Mar-15						31-Dec-14
			Carrying			Fair			Carrying		Fair
			Amount			Value			Amount		Value
	Term loans(1)		$	701,450		$	697,180		$	705,054	$	697,420
	Revolving loans(1)			42,000			41,131			5,500		5,386
	6.875% Senior unsecured notes(2)			525,569			557,813			525,590		547,313
	6.125% Senior unsecured notes(2)			275,000			283,938			-		-
	-1	The fair value of senior secured credit facilities is computed based on borrowing rates currently available to the Company for bank loans with similar terms and average maturities. These fair value measurements are considered Level 3, as significant inputs to the fair value calculation are unobservable in the market.
	-2	The fair value of the Company’s fixed rate debt is estimated based on bid prices obtained from an investment banking firm that regularly makes a market for these financial instruments. These fair value measurements are considered Level 2, as quoted market prices are available for low volume trading of these securities.

Condensed_Consolidating_Financ1

Condensed Consolidating Financial Information (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
Condensed Financial Information Of Parent Company Only Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet	CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
	As of March 31, 2015
	(in thousands)
					Nexstar						Non-						Consolidated
		Nexstar			Broadcasting			Mission			Guarantors			Eliminations			Company
	ASSETS
	Current assets:
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	-		$	38,922		$	3,137		$	2,525		$	-		$	44,584
	Amounts due from consolidated entities		-			-			28,177			-			(28,177	)		-
	Other current assets		-			210,226			19,415			7,413			-			237,054
	Total current assets		-			249,148			50,729			9,938			(28,177	)		281,638
	Investments in subsidiaries		118,702			38,931			-			133,944			(291,577	)		-
	Amounts due from consolidated entities		1,564			13,674			-			-			(15,238	)		-
	Property and equipment, net		-			245,505			23,596			8,736			-			277,837
	Goodwill		-			371,048			32,489			37,592			-			441,129
	FCC licenses		-			415,387			41,563			32,748			-			489,698
	Other intangible assets, net		-			285,292			20,700			41,668			-			347,660
	Other noncurrent assets		-			40,627			20,210			4,352			-			65,189
	Total assets	$	120,266		$	1,659,612		$	189,287		$	268,978		$	(334,992	)	$	1,903,151
	LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS'
	EQUITY (DEFICIT)
	Current liabilities:
	Current portion of debt	$	-		$	11,628		$	1,961		$	3,600		$	-		$	17,189
	Amounts due to consolidated entities		-			22,100			-			6,077			(28,177	)		-
	Other current liabilities		-			107,824			6,431			4,969			-			119,224
	Total current liabilities		-			141,552			8,392			14,646			(28,177	)		136,413
	Debt		-			1,242,777			227,288			56,765			-			1,526,830
	Amounts due to consolidated entities		-			-			-			15,238			(15,238	)		-
	Other noncurrent liabilities		(3	)		141,339			7,764			19,371			-			168,471
	Total liabilities		(3	)		1,525,668			243,444			106,020			(43,415	)		1,831,714
	Stockholders' equity (deficit)		120,269			133,944			(54,157	)		162,958			(291,577	)		71,437
	Total liabilities and stockholders'	$	120,266		$	1,659,612		$	189,287		$	268,978		$	(334,992	)	$	1,903,151
	equity (deficit)
	CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
	As of December 31, 2014
	(in thousands)
					Nexstar						Non-						Consolidated
		Nexstar			Broadcasting			Mission			Guarantors			Eliminations			Company
	ASSETS
	Current assets:
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	-		$	130,472		$	880		$	560		$	-		$	131,912
	Amounts due from consolidated entities		-			-			29,867			-			(29,867	)		-
	Other current assets		-			166,112			17,972			1,668			-			185,752
	Total current assets		-			296,584			48,719			2,228			(29,867	)		317,664
	Investments in subsidiaries		109,834			-			-			125,076			(234,910	)		-
	Amounts due from consolidated entities		1,476			13,764			-			-			(15,240	)		-
	Property and equipment, net		-			211,504			24,166			2,069			-			237,739
	Goodwill		-			221,183			32,489			2,819			-			256,491
	FCC licenses		-			275,313			41,563			5,164			-			322,040
	Other intangible assets, net		-			163,796			21,310			9,023			-			194,129
	Other noncurrent assets		-			65,451			23,818			44,893			-			134,162
	Total assets	$	111,310		$	1,247,595		$	192,065		$	191,272		$	(280,017	)	$	1,462,225
	LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS'
	EQUITY (DEFICIT)
	Current liabilities:
	Current portion of debt	$	-		$	10,703		$	1,837		$	3,300		$	-		$	15,840
	Amounts due to consolidated entities		-			29,026			-			841			(29,867	)		-
	Other current liabilities		-			73,546			6,713			1,167			-			81,426
	Total current liabilities		-			113,275			8,550			5,308			(29,867	)		97,266
	Debt		-			931,143			233,357			55,804			-			1,220,304
	Amounts due to consolidated entities		-			-			-			15,240			(15,240	)		-
	Other noncurrent liabilities		(3	)		78,101			8,667			1,353			-			88,118
	Total liabilities		(3	)		1,122,519			250,574			77,705			(45,107	)		1,405,688
	Stockholders' equity (deficit):		111,313			125,076			(58,509	)		113,567			(234,910	)		56,537
Total liabilities and stockholders'	$	111,310		$	1,247,595		$	192,065		$	191,272		$	(280,017	)	$	1,462,225
equity (deficit)
Schedule of Condensed Consolidating Statement of Operations	CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
	Three Months Ended March 31, 2015
	(in thousands)
					Nexstar						Non-						Consolidated
		Nexstar			Broadcasting			Mission			Guarantors			Eliminations			Company
	Net broadcast revenue (including trade and barter)	$	-		$	183,046		$	12,110		$	8,235		$	-		$	203,391
	Revenue between consolidated entities		-			6,469			8,554			1,926			(16,949	)		-
	Net revenue		-			189,515			20,664			10,161			(16,949	)		203,391
	Operating expenses:
	Direct operating expenses, excluding depreciation		-			61,527			5,188			2,970			-			69,685
	and amortization
	Selling, general, and administrative expenses,		-			55,121			862			1,306			-			57,289
	excluding depreciation and amortization
	Local service agreement fees between consolidated		-			10,480			2,445			4,024			(16,949	)		-
	entities
	Amortization of broadcast rights		-			11,662			1,468			1,451			-			14,581
	Amortization of intangible assets		-			10,691			610			1,759			-			13,060
	Depreciation		-			9,999			602			271			-			10,872
	Total operating expenses		-			159,480			11,175			11,781			(16,949	)		165,487
	Income from operations		-			30,035			9,489			(1,620	)		-			37,904
	Interest expense, net		-			(16,580	)		(2,316	)		(397	)		-			(19,293	)
	Other expenses		-			(118	)		-			-			-			(118	)
	Equity in income of subsidiaries		8,868			-			-			8,868			(17,736	)		-
	Income before income taxes		8,868			13,337			7,173			6,851			(17,736	)		18,493
	Income tax expense		-			(4,469	)		(2,821	)		709			-			(6,581	)
	Net income		8,868			8,868			4,352			7,560			(17,736	)		11,912
	Net loss attributable to the noncontrolling interests		-			-			-			995			-			995
	Net income attributable to Nexstar	$	8,868		$	8,868		$	4,352		$	8,555		$	(17,736	)	$	12,907
	CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
	Three Months Ended March 31, 2014
	(in thousands)
					Nexstar						Non-						Consolidated
		Nexstar			Broadcasting			Mission			Guarantors			Eliminations			Company
	Net broadcast revenue (including trade and barter)	$	-		$	124,953		$	8,880		$	-		$	-		$	133,833
	Revenue between consolidated entities		-			2,445			9,648			-			(12,093	)		-
	Net revenue		-			127,398			18,528			-			(12,093	)		133,833
	Operating expenses:
	Direct operating expenses, excluding depreciation		-			37,483			4,366			-			-			41,849
	and amortization
	Selling, general, and administrative expenses,		-			40,217			823			-			-			41,040
	excluding depreciation and amortization
	Local service agreement fees between consolidated		-			9,648			2,445			-			(12,093	)		-
	entities
	Amortization of broadcast rights		-			7,142			1,490			-			-			8,632
	Amortization of intangible assets		-			5,420			773			-			-			6,193
	Depreciation		-			7,686			733			-			-			8,419
	Total operating expenses		-			107,596			10,630			-			(12,093	)		106,133
	Income from operations		-			19,802			7,898			-			-			27,700
	Interest expense, net		-			(12,677	)		(2,493	)		-			-			(15,170	)
	Other expenses		-			(128	)		-			-			-			(128	)
	Equity in income of subsidiaries		4,049			-			-			4,049			(8,098	)		-
	Income before income taxes		4,049			6,997			5,405			4,049			(8,098	)		12,402
	Income tax expense		-			(2,948	)		(2,101	)		-			-			(5,049	)
	Net income	$	4,049		$	4,049		$	3,304		$	4,049		$	(8,098	)	$	7,353
Schedule of Condensed Consolidating Cash Flow Statement	CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
	Three Months Ended March 31, 2015
	(in thousands)
					Nexstar						Non-						Consolidated
		Nexstar			Broadcasting			Mission			Guarantors			Eliminations			Company
	Cash flows from operating activities	$	-		$	40,900		$	8,106		$	620		$	-		$	49,626
	Cash flows from investing activities:
	Purchases of property and equipment		-			(6,545	)		(32	)		-			176			(6,401	)
	Deposits and payments for acquisitions		-			(503,200	)		-			(79	)		43,300			(459,979	)
	Proceeds from sale of stations		-			70,105			-			-			(43,300	)		26,805
	Other investing activities		-			727			150			176			(176	)		877
	Net cash (used in) provided by		-			(438,913	)		118			97			-			(438,698	)
	investing activities
	Cash flows from financing activities:
	Proceeds from long-term debt		-			409,950			-			2,000			-			411,950
	Repayments of long-term debt		-			(97,431	)		(5,959	)		(750	)		-			(104,140	)
	Common stock dividends paid		(5,921	)		-			-			-			-			(5,921	)
	Inter-company payments		4,456			(4,456	)		-			-			-			-
	Other financing activities		1,465			(1,600	)		(8	)		(2	)		-			(145	)
	Net cash provided by (used in)		-			306,463			(5,967	)		1,248			-			301,744
	financing activities
	Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash		-			(91,550	)		2,257			1,965			-			(87,328	)
	equivalents
	Cash and cash equivalents at beginning		-			130,472			880			560			-			131,912
	of period
	Cash and cash equivalents at end of	$	-		$	38,922		$	3,137		$	2,525		$	-		$	44,584
	period
	CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
	Three Months Ended March 31, 2014
	(in thousands)
					Nexstar						Non-						Consolidated
		Nexstar			Broadcasting			Mission			Guarantors			Eliminations			Company
	Cash flows from operating activities	$	-		$	46,269		$	(1,538	)	$	-		$	-		$	44,731
	Cash flows from investing activities:
	Purchases of property and equipment		-			(3,899	)		(84	)		-			-			(3,983	)
	Deposits and payments for acquisitions		-			(22,057	)		-			-			-			(22,057	)
	Other investing activities		-			14			-			-			-			14
	Net cash used in investing activities		-			(25,942	)		(84	)		-			-			(26,026	)
	Cash flows from financing activities:
	Repayments of long-term debt		-			(2,155	)		(1,455	)		-			-			(3,610	)
	Common stock dividends paid		(4,588	)		-			-			-			-			(4,588	)
	Inter-company payments		4,481			(4,481	)		-			-			-			-
	Other financing activities		107			10			(72	)		-			-			45
	Net cash used in financing activities		-			(6,626	)		(1,527	)		-			-			(8,153	)
	Net increase (decrease) in cash and		-			13,701			(3,149	)		-			-			10,552
	cash equivalents
	Cash and cash equivalents at beginning		-			36,312			3,716			-			-			40,028
	of period
	Cash and cash equivalents at end	$	-		$	50,013		$	567		$	-		$	-		$	50,580
	of period

Organization_and_Business_Oper1

Organization and Business Operations (Details)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015
	Segment
	Channel
	TelevisionStation
	Market
Television stations and digital multi channel by affiliates [Line Items]
Number of television stations owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services	107
Number of digital multi-cast channels owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services to	36
Number of markets in various states	58
Number of television stations owned or operated by independent third parties	31
Number of digital multicast channels owned or operated by independent third parties	6
Number of reportable segments	1
ABC [Member]
Television stations and digital multi channel by affiliates [Line Items]
Number of television stations owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services	20
NBC [Member]
Television stations and digital multi channel by affiliates [Line Items]
Number of television stations owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services	20
FOX [Member]
Television stations and digital multi channel by affiliates [Line Items]
Number of television stations owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services	28
CBS [Member]
Television stations and digital multi channel by affiliates [Line Items]
Number of television stations owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services	17
The CW [Member]
Television stations and digital multi channel by affiliates [Line Items]
Number of television stations owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services	10
Number of digital multi-cast channels owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services to	2
MyNetworkTV [Member]
Television stations and digital multi channel by affiliates [Line Items]
Number of television stations owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services	10
Number of digital multi-cast channels owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services to	4
Telemundo [Member]
Television stations and digital multi channel by affiliates [Line Items]
Number of television stations owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services	1
Number of digital multi-cast channels owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services to	1
RTV [Member]
Television stations and digital multi channel by affiliates [Line Items]
Number of television stations owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services	1
Bounce TV [Member]
Television stations and digital multi channel by affiliates [Line Items]
Number of digital multi-cast channels owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services to	9
Me-TV [Member]
Television stations and digital multi channel by affiliates [Line Items]
Number of digital multi-cast channels owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services to	9
Estrella [Member]
Television stations and digital multi channel by affiliates [Line Items]
Number of digital multi-cast channels owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services to	6
LATV [Member]
Television stations and digital multi channel by affiliates [Line Items]
Number of digital multi-cast channels owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services to	1
This TV [Member]
Television stations and digital multi channel by affiliates [Line Items]
Number of digital multi-cast channels owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services to	1
Weather Nation Utah [Member]
Television stations and digital multi channel by affiliates [Line Items]
Number of digital multi-cast channels owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services to	1
Movies [Member]
Television stations and digital multi channel by affiliates [Line Items]
Number of digital multi-cast channels owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services to	1
News/Weather [Member]
Television stations and digital multi channel by affiliates [Line Items]
Number of digital multi-cast channels owned, operated, programmed or provided sales and other services to	1

Summary_of_Significant_Account3

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Consolidated VIEs (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014		Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$44,584	$131,912		$50,580	$40,028
Accounts receivable, net	164,581	127,878
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	5,692	5,264
Deferred tax assets, net	49,926	41,737
Total current assets	281,638	317,664
Property and equipment, net	277,837	237,739
Goodwill	441,129	256,491
FCC licenses	489,698	322,040
Other intangible assets, net	347,660	194,129
Other noncurrent assets, net	65,189	134,162
Current liabilities:
Current portion of debt	17,189	15,840
Interest payable	16,612	4,601
Other current liabilities	7,180	5,953
Total current liabilities	136,413	97,266
Debt	1,526,830	1,220,304
Other noncurrent liabilities	51,273	43,894
Consolidated VIEs [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	5,662	1,440
Accounts receivable, net	13,645	7,594
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	3,709	2,657
Deferred tax assets, net	9,474	9,389
Total current assets	32,490	21,080
Property and equipment, net	32,332	26,235
Goodwill	70,081	35,308
FCC licenses	74,312	46,727
Other intangible assets, net	62,368	30,333
Other noncurrent assets, net	24,561	64,858
Total assets	296,144	224,541
Current liabilities:
Current portion of debt	5,561	5,137
Interest payable	28	28
Other current liabilities	11,372	7,852
Total current liabilities	16,961	13,017
Debt	284,053	289,161
Other noncurrent liabilities	27,133	10,018
Total liabilities	328,147	312,196
Nature of Restriction and Lack of Recourse [Member] | Consolidated VIEs [Member]
Current assets:
Total current assets	3,196	12	[1]
Property and equipment, net	4,503
Goodwill	18,451	697	[1]
FCC licenses	74,312	46,727
Other intangible assets, net	21,419	1,695	[1]
Other noncurrent assets, net	974
Total assets	122,855	49,131
Current liabilities:
Total current liabilities	11,370	7,852
Other noncurrent liabilities	27,132	10,018
Total liabilities	$38,502	$17,870
[1]	These balances relate to Parker Broadcasting of Colorado, LLC and were previously not presented separately on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. This correction is not considered material to the Consolidated Financial Statements as of December 31, 2014.

Summary_of_Significant_Account4

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014
Debt Financing Costs [Abstract]
Debt financing costs	$19.10	$17
Stock Options [Member]
Earnings Per Share Basic And Diluted Other Disclosures [Abstract]
Options with potentially dilutive effect (in shares)	1,043,000		621,000
White Knight [Member]
Variable Interest Entity, Consolidated, Carrying Amount, Assets and Liabilities, Net [Abstract]
Number of stations owned	6
Nonconsolidated VIEs [Member]
Variable Interest Entity Nonconsolidated Carrying Amount Assets and Liabilities [Abstract]
Accounts payable for fees	0.1	0.5
Receivable for advertisements	0.5	0.7
Payments made under outsourcing agreement	$0.10		0.3

Summary_of_Significant_Account5

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Weighted Average Shares Outstanding (Details)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Earnings Per Share Basic And Diluted Other Disclosures [Abstract]
Weighted average shares outstanding - basic	31,196	30,603
Dilutive effect of equity incentive plan instruments	1,060	1,306
Weighted average shares outstanding - diluted	32,256	31,909

Acquisitions_and_Dispositions_1

Acquisitions and Dispositions - CCA - Additional Information (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014	Apr. 30, 2013
			TelevisionStation
			Market
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Proceeds from disposal of a station	$26,805,000
Proceeds from disposals of property and equipment	877,000	14,000
Non controlling interest, Fair value	5,905,000		4,000,000
Revenue included in consolidated statements of operations	203,391,000	133,833,000
Operating income	37,904,000	27,700,000
Eliminations [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Proceeds from disposal of a station	-43,300,000
Revenue included in consolidated statements of operations	-16,949,000	-12,093,000
Cca And White Knight
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition date			1-Jan-15
Purchase price of entities acquired			278,300,000
Working capital adjustment			200,000
Number of television stations acquired			19
Number of television market of stations acquired			10
Deposit paid upon signing an agreement to acquire a business				27,000,000
Cash paid in business acquisition			251,300,000
Acquisition related costs	400,000
One time employment charges	500,000
New television markets to be entered	7
New market duopolies to be operated	6
Non controlling interest, Fair value			2,900,000
Network affiliation agreements useful life			15 years
Weighted average estimated useful life of other intangible assets			5 years
Revenue included in consolidated statements of operations	24,400,000
Operating income	4,700,000
Cca And White Knight | Marshall Broadcasting Group Inc | Eliminations [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Deposit paid upon signing an agreement to acquire a business			43,000,000
Proceeds from disposal of a station			43,300,000
Cca And White Knight | Bayou City Broadcasting Evansville Inc
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Proceeds from disposal of a station			26,800,000
Proceeds from disposals of property and equipment			800,000
Loss on disposal of station			$500,000

Acquisitions_and_Dispositions_2

Acquisitions and Dispositions - Fair Values of Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Jan. 29, 2015	Feb. 02, 2015	Feb. 13, 2015
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill	$441,129	$256,491
Cca And White Knight
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Cash		1,847
Accounts receivable		19,624
Broadcast rights		10,233
Deferred tax assets		247
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		118
Property and equipment		25,647
FCC licenses		71,465
Network affiliation agreements		86,219
Other intangible assets		7,818
Goodwill		119,780
Other assets		59
Total assets acquired		343,057
Less: Broadcast rights payable		-10,467
Less: Accounts payable and accrued expenses		-4,685
Less: Taxes payable		-18,613
Less: Deferred tax liabilities		-55,454
Less: Other noncurrent liabilities		-221
Less: Noncontrolling interest in a consolidated VIE		-2,900
Net assets acquired		250,717
KASW [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Accounts receivable			3,544
Broadcast rights			8,771
Prepaid expenses and other current assets			24
Property and equipment			987
FCC licenses			35,566
Other intangible assets			713
Goodwill			32,254
Total assets acquired			81,859
Less: Broadcast rights payable			-10,291
Less: Accounts payable and accrued expenses			-790
Net assets acquired			70,778
Yashi [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Cash				1,472
Accounts receivable				8,449
Property and equipment				114
Software and other intangible assets				22,321
Goodwill				16,904
Other assets				15
Total assets acquired				49,275
Less: Accounts payable and accrued expenses				-7,681
Less: Deferred tax liabilities				-8,588
Net assets acquired				33,006
KLAS [ Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Cash					18
Accounts receivable					6,474
Broadcast rights					58
Prepaid expenses and other current assets					438
Property and equipment					19,154
FCC licenses					60,627
Network affiliation agreements					49,485
Other intangible assets					35
Goodwill					15,700
Total assets acquired					151,989
Less: Broadcast rights payable					-58
Less: Accounts payable and accrued expenses					-838
Less: Other current liabilities					-117
Net assets acquired					$150,976

Acquisitions_and_Dispositions_3

Acquisitions and Dispositions - KASW - Additional Information (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		0 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014	Jan. 29, 2015
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Proceeds from long-term debt	$411,950,000
Revenue included in consolidated statements of operations	203,391,000	133,833,000
Operating income	37,904,000	27,700,000
6.125% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2022 [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Proceeds from long-term debt			275,000,000
Interest rate	6.13%		6.13%
KASW [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Purchase price of entities acquired			71,300,000
Working capital adjustment			500,000
Acquisition related costs	0
Acquisition date			29-Jan-15
Network affiliation agreements useful life			15 years
Weighted average estimated useful life of other intangible assets			1 year 6 months
Revenue included in consolidated statements of operations	3,500,000
Operating income	1,400,000
KASW [Member] | 6.125% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2022 [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Proceeds from long-term debt			$275,000,000
Interest rate			6.13%

Acquisitions_and_Dispositions_4

Acquisitions and Dispositions - Yashi - Additional Information (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		0 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014	Feb. 02, 2015	Jan. 29, 2015
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Revenue included in consolidated statements of operations	$203,391,000	$133,833,000
Operating income	37,904,000	27,700,000
6.125% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2022 [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Interest rate	6.13%			6.13%
Yashi [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Purchase price of entities acquired			33,400,000
Working capital adjustment			400,000
Acquisition date			2-Feb-15
Acquisition related costs	0
Weighted average estimated useful life of other intangible assets			4 years
Revenue included in consolidated statements of operations	5,800,000
Operating income	$400,000
Yashi [Member] | 6.125% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2022 [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Interest rate				6.13%

Acquisitions_and_Dispositions_5

Acquisitions and Dispositions - KLAS - Additional Information (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		0 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014	Feb. 13, 2015	Jan. 29, 2015
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Revenue included in consolidated statements of operations	$203,391,000	$133,833,000
Operating income	37,904,000	27,700,000
6.125% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2022 [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Interest rate	6.13%			6.13%
KLAS [ Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Purchase price of entities acquired			150,400,000
Working capital adjustment			600,000
Acquisition related costs	100,000
Acquisition date			13-Feb-15
Network affiliation agreements useful life			15 years
Weighted average estimated useful life of other intangible assets			12 years
Revenue included in consolidated statements of operations	4,800,000
Operating income	$1,300,000
KLAS [ Member] | 6.125% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2022 [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Interest rate				6.13%

Acquisitions_and_Dispositions_6

Acquisitions and Dispositions - Unaudited Pro Forma Information (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Net revenue	$203,391	$176,890
Income before income taxes	22,283	17,114
Net income	14,259	9,709
Net income attributable to Nexstar	$14,661	$9,465
Net income per common share attributable to Nexstar - basic	$0.47	$0.31
Net income per common share attributable to Nexstar - diluted	$0.45	$0.30

Acquisitions_and_Dispositions_7

Acquisitions and Dispositions - KCWI - Additional Information (Details) (KCWI [Member], USD $)	0 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Oct. 24, 2014
KCWI [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Purchase price of entities to be acquired	$3.50
Deposit paid upon signing an agreement to acquire a business	$0.20

Intangible_Assets_and_Goodwill2

Intangible Assets and Goodwill - Intangible Assets Subject to Amortization (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross	$697,531	$530,940
Accumulated Amortization	-349,871	-336,811
Net	347,660	194,129
Network affiliation agreements [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Estimated useful life, in years	15 years	15 years
Gross	614,592	478,888
Accumulated Amortization	-316,903	-310,097
Net	297,689	168,791
Other definite-lived intangible assets [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Gross	82,939	52,052
Accumulated Amortization	-32,968	-26,714
Net	$49,971	$25,338
Other definite-lived intangible assets [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Estimated useful life, in years	1 year	1 year
Other definite-lived intangible assets [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Estimated useful life, in years	15 years	15 years

Intangible_Assets_and_Goodwill3

Intangible Assets and Goodwill - Estimated Amortization Expense of Definite-Lived Intangible Assets (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Finite Lived Intangible Assets Future Amortization Expense Current And Five Succeeding Fiscal Years [Abstract]
Remainder of 2015	$32,696
2016	39,068
2017	36,418
2018	29,315
2019	26,440
2020	21,793
Thereafter	161,930
Net	$347,660	$194,129

Intangible_Assets_and_Goodwill4

Intangible Assets and Goodwill - Goodwill and FCC Licenses (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill, Gross	$487,120	$302,482
Goodwill, Accumulated Impairment	-45,991	-45,991
Goodwill, Net	441,129	256,491
FCC Licenses [Abstract]
FCC Licenses, Gross	539,119	371,461
FCC Licenses, Accumulated Impairment	-49,421	-49,421
FCC Licenses, Net	489,698	322,040
Acquisitions and consolidation of VIEs [Member]
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill Acquisitions, Gross	184,638
Goodwill Acquisitions, Net	184,638
FCC Licenses [Abstract]
FCC Licenses Acquisitions, Gross	167,658
FCC Licenses Acquisitions, Net	$167,658

Accrued_Expenses_Accrued_Expen

Accrued Expenses - Accrued Expenses (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Payables And Accruals [Abstract]
Compensation and related taxes	$9,299	$9,918
Sales commissions	4,056	3,108
Employee benefits	2,425	2,410
Property taxes	1,442	886
Other	20,874	20,485
Accrued expenses	$38,096	$36,807

Debt_Long_Term_Debt_Details

Debt - Long Term Debt (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015		Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Long term Debt [Abstract]
Debt	$1,544,019		$1,236,144
Less: current portion	-17,189		-15,840
Debt, noncurrent	1,526,830		1,220,304
Term Loans [Member]
Long term Debt [Abstract]
Debt	701,450	[1]	705,054	[1]
Revolving loans [Member]
Long term Debt [Abstract]
Debt	42,000	[1]	5,500	[1]
6.875 % Senior Unsecured Notes due 2020 [Member]
Long term Debt [Abstract]
Debt	525,569	[2]	525,590	[2]
6.125% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2022 [Member]
Long term Debt [Abstract]
Debt	$275,000	[2]
[1]	The fair value of senior secured credit facilities is computed based on borrowing rates currently available to the Company for bank loans with similar terms and average maturities. These fair value measurements are considered Level 3, as significant inputs to the fair value calculation are unobservable in the market.
[2]	The fair value of the Companybs fixed rate debt is estimated based on bid prices obtained from an investment banking firm that regularly makes a market for these financial instruments. These fair value measurements are considered Level 2, as quoted market prices are available for low volume trading of these securities.

Debt_Long_Term_Debt_Parentheti

Debt - Long Term Debt (Parenthetical) (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Jan. 29, 2015
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Term Loans [Member]
Long term Debt [Abstract]
Debt discount	$1,639	$1,725
6.875 % Senior Unsecured Notes due 2020 [Member]
Long term Debt [Abstract]
Debt premium	$569	$590
Interest rate	6.88%	6.88%
6.125% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2022 [Member]
Long term Debt [Abstract]
Interest rate	6.13%		6.13%

Debt_Additional_Information_De

Debt - Additional Information (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	0 Months Ended		2 Months Ended	0 Months Ended	1 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Jan. 29, 2015	Jan. 30, 2015	Feb. 28, 2015	Apr. 13, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Proceeds from long-term debt	$411,950,000
6.125% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2022 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Frequency of periodic payments	semiannually
Proceeds from long-term debt		275,000,000
Interest rate	6.13%	6.13%				6.13%
Maturity date		15-Feb-22
6.875 % Senior Unsecured Notes due 2020 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	6.88%					6.88%	6.88%
Revolving loans [Member] | Mission [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of lines of credit			5,500,000
Revolving loans [Member] | Nexstar [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of lines of credit				94,900,000
Proceeds from lines of credit				134,900,000
Available borrowing capacity	63,000,000					63,000,000
Revolving loans [Member] | Nexstar [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of lines of credit					30,000,000
Revolving loans [Member] | Marshall Broadcasting Group Inc
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Proceeds from lines of credit	2,000,000
Term Loans [Member] | Mission [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Payment of contractual maturities under senior secured credit facilities						500,000
Term Loans [Member] | Nexstar [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Payment of contractual maturities under senior secured credit facilities						2,500,000
Term Loans [Member] | Marshall Broadcasting Group Inc
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Payment of contractual maturities under senior secured credit facilities						$700,000

Debt_Fair_Value_of_Debt_Detail

Debt - Fair Value of Debt (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015		Dec. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, Carrying Amount	$1,544,019		$1,236,144
Term Loans [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, Carrying Amount	701,450	[1]	705,054	[1]
Debt, Fair Value	697,180	[1]	697,420	[1]
Revolving loans [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, Carrying Amount	42,000	[1]	5,500	[1]
Debt, Fair Value	41,131	[1]	5,386	[1]
6.875 % Senior Unsecured Notes due 2020 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, Carrying Amount	525,569	[2]	525,590	[2]
Debt, Fair Value	557,813	[2]	547,313	[2]
6.125% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2022 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, Carrying Amount	275,000	[2]
Debt, Fair Value	$283,938	[2]
[1]	The fair value of senior secured credit facilities is computed based on borrowing rates currently available to the Company for bank loans with similar terms and average maturities. These fair value measurements are considered Level 3, as significant inputs to the fair value calculation are unobservable in the market.
[2]	The fair value of the Companybs fixed rate debt is estimated based on bid prices obtained from an investment banking firm that regularly makes a market for these financial instruments. These fair value measurements are considered Level 2, as quoted market prices are available for low volume trading of these securities.

Commitments_and_Contingencies_

Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Details) (Financial Guarantee [Member], USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Mission Debt [Member]
Guarantees of Mission and Marshall Debt [Abstract]
Maximum commitment under senior secured credit facility	$237.20
Commitment under senior secured credit facility at carrying value	229.2
Marshall Debt [Member]
Guarantees of Mission and Marshall Debt [Abstract]
Commitment under senior secured credit facility at carrying value	$60.40

Condensed_Consolidating_Financ2

Condensed Consolidating Financial Information - Additional Information (Details)	Mar. 31, 2015
Senior note 6.875% due 2020 [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Interest rate	6.88%
Senior note 6.125% due 2022 [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Interest rate	6.13%
Nexstar Holdings [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Controlling ownership percentage	100.00%
Nexstar Broadcasting [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Controlling ownership percentage	100.00%

Condensed_Consolidating_Financ3

Condensed Consolidating Financial Information - Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015		Dec. 31, 2014		Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$44,584		$131,912		$50,580	$40,028
Other current assets	237,054		185,752
Total current assets	281,638		317,664
Property and equipment, net	277,837		237,739
Goodwill	441,129		256,491
FCC licenses	489,698		322,040
Other intangible assets, net	347,660		194,129
Other noncurrent assets	65,189		134,162
Total assets	1,903,151	[1]	1,462,225	[1]
Current liabilities:
Current portion of debt	17,189		15,840
Other current liabilities	119,224		81,426
Total current liabilities	136,413		97,266
Debt	1,526,830		1,220,304
Other noncurrent liabilities	168,471		88,118
Total liabilities	1,831,714	[1]	1,405,688	[1]
Stockholders' equity (deficit)	71,437		56,537
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	1,903,151		1,462,225
Eliminations [Member]
Current assets:
Amounts due from consolidated entities	-28,177		-29,867
Total current assets	-28,177		-29,867
Investments in subsidiaries	-291,577		-234,910
Amounts due from consolidated entities	-15,238		-15,240
Total assets	-334,992		-280,017
Current liabilities:
Amounts due to consolidated entities	-28,177		-29,867
Total current liabilities	-28,177		-29,867
Amounts due to consolidated entities	-15,238		-15,240
Total liabilities	-43,415		-45,107
Stockholders' equity (deficit)	-291,577		-234,910
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	-334,992		-280,017
Nexstar [Member]
Current assets:
Investments in subsidiaries	118,702		109,834
Amounts due from consolidated entities	1,564		1,476
Total assets	120,266		111,310
Current liabilities:
Other noncurrent liabilities	-3		-3
Total liabilities	-3		-3
Stockholders' equity (deficit)	120,269		111,313
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	120,266		111,310
Nexstar Broadcasting [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	38,922		130,472		50,013	36,312
Other current assets	210,226		166,112
Total current assets	249,148		296,584
Investments in subsidiaries	38,931
Amounts due from consolidated entities	13,674		13,764
Property and equipment, net	245,505		211,504
Goodwill	371,048		221,183
FCC licenses	415,387		275,313
Other intangible assets, net	285,292		163,796
Other noncurrent assets	40,627		65,451
Total assets	1,659,612		1,247,595
Current liabilities:
Current portion of debt	11,628		10,703
Amounts due to consolidated entities	22,100		29,026
Other current liabilities	107,824		73,546
Total current liabilities	141,552		113,275
Debt	1,242,777		931,143
Other noncurrent liabilities	141,339		78,101
Total liabilities	1,525,668		1,122,519
Stockholders' equity (deficit)	133,944		125,076
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	1,659,612		1,247,595
Mission [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	3,137		880		567	3,716
Amounts due from consolidated entities	28,177		29,867
Other current assets	19,415		17,972
Total current assets	50,729		48,719
Property and equipment, net	23,596		24,166
Goodwill	32,489		32,489
FCC licenses	41,563		41,563
Other intangible assets, net	20,700		21,310
Other noncurrent assets	20,210		23,818
Total assets	189,287		192,065
Current liabilities:
Current portion of debt	1,961		1,837
Other current liabilities	6,431		6,713
Total current liabilities	8,392		8,550
Debt	227,288		233,357
Other noncurrent liabilities	7,764		8,667
Total liabilities	243,444		250,574
Stockholders' equity (deficit)	-54,157		-58,509
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	189,287		192,065
Non-Guarantors [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	2,525		560
Other current assets	7,413		1,668
Total current assets	9,938		2,228
Investments in subsidiaries	133,944		125,076
Property and equipment, net	8,736		2,069
Goodwill	37,592		2,819
FCC licenses	32,748		5,164
Other intangible assets, net	41,668		9,023
Other noncurrent assets	4,352		44,893
Total assets	268,978		191,272
Current liabilities:
Current portion of debt	3,600		3,300
Amounts due to consolidated entities	6,077		841
Other current liabilities	4,969		1,167
Total current liabilities	14,646		5,308
Debt	56,765		55,804
Amounts due to consolidated entities	15,238		15,240
Other noncurrent liabilities	19,371		1,353
Total liabilities	106,020		77,705
Stockholders' equity (deficit)	162,958		113,567
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$268,978		$191,272
[1]	The consolidated total assets as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 include certain assets held by consolidated VIEs of $122.9 million and $49.1 million, respectively, which are not available to be used to settle the obligations of Nexstar. The consolidated total liabilities as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 include certain liabilities of consolidated VIEs of $38.5 million and $17.9 million for which the creditors of the VIEs have no recourse to the general credit of Nexstar. See Note 2 for additional information

Condensed_Consolidating_Financ4

Condensed Consolidating Financial Information - Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS [Abstract]
Net broadcast revenue (including trade and barter)	$203,391	$133,833
Net revenue	203,391	133,833
Operating expenses:
Direct operating expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization	69,685	41,849
Selling, general, and administrative expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization	57,289	41,040
Amortization of broadcast rights	14,581	8,632
Amortization of intangible assets	13,060	6,193
Depreciation	10,872	8,419
Total operating expenses	165,487	106,133
Income from operations	37,904	27,700
Interest expense, net	-19,293	-15,170
Other expenses	-118	-128
Income before income taxes	18,493	12,402
Income tax expense	-6,581	-5,049
Net income	11,912	7,353
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	995
Net income attributable to Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.	12,907	7,353
Eliminations [Member]
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS [Abstract]
Revenue between consolidated entities	-16,949	-12,093
Net revenue	-16,949	-12,093
Operating expenses:
Local service agreement fees between consolidated entities	-16,949	-12,093
Total operating expenses	-16,949	-12,093
Equity in income of subsidiaries	-17,736	-8,098
Income before income taxes	-17,736	-8,098
Net income	-17,736
Net income attributable to Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.	-17,736	-8,098
Nexstar [Member]
Operating expenses:
Equity in income of subsidiaries	8,868	4,049
Income before income taxes	8,868	4,049
Net income	8,868
Net income attributable to Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.	8,868	4,049
Nexstar Broadcasting [Member]
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS [Abstract]
Net broadcast revenue (including trade and barter)	183,046	124,953
Revenue between consolidated entities	6,469	2,445
Net revenue	189,515	127,398
Operating expenses:
Direct operating expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization	61,527	37,483
Selling, general, and administrative expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization	55,121	40,217
Local service agreement fees between consolidated entities	10,480	9,648
Amortization of broadcast rights	11,662	7,142
Amortization of intangible assets	10,691	5,420
Depreciation	9,999	7,686
Total operating expenses	159,480	107,596
Income from operations	30,035	19,802
Interest expense, net	-16,580	-12,677
Other expenses	-118	-128
Income before income taxes	13,337	6,997
Income tax expense	-4,469	-2,948
Net income	8,868
Net income attributable to Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.	8,868	4,049
Mission [Member]
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS [Abstract]
Net broadcast revenue (including trade and barter)	12,110	8,880
Revenue between consolidated entities	8,554	9,648
Net revenue	20,664	18,528
Operating expenses:
Direct operating expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization	5,188	4,366
Selling, general, and administrative expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization	862	823
Local service agreement fees between consolidated entities	2,445	2,445
Amortization of broadcast rights	1,468	1,490
Amortization of intangible assets	610	773
Depreciation	602	733
Total operating expenses	11,175	10,630
Income from operations	9,489	7,898
Interest expense, net	-2,316	-2,493
Income before income taxes	7,173	5,405
Income tax expense	-2,821	-2,101
Net income	4,352
Net income attributable to Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.	4,352	3,304
Non-Guarantors [Member]
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS [Abstract]
Net broadcast revenue (including trade and barter)	8,235
Revenue between consolidated entities	1,926
Net revenue	10,161
Operating expenses:
Direct operating expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization	2,970
Selling, general, and administrative expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization	1,306
Local service agreement fees between consolidated entities	4,024
Amortization of broadcast rights	1,451
Amortization of intangible assets	1,759
Depreciation	271
Total operating expenses	11,781
Income from operations	-1,620
Interest expense, net	-397
Equity in income of subsidiaries	8,868	4,049
Income before income taxes	6,851	4,049
Income tax expense	709
Net income	7,560
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	995
Net income attributable to Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.	$8,555	$4,049

Condensed_Consolidating_Financ5

Condensed Consolidating Financial Information - Condensed Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS [Abstract]
Cash flows from operating activities	$49,626	$44,731
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of property and equipment	-6,401	-3,983
Deposits and payments for acquisitions	-459,979	-22,057
Proceeds from disposal of a station	26,805
Other investing activities	877	14
Net cash used in investing activities	-438,698	-26,026
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from long-term debt	411,950
Repayments of long-term debt	-104,140	-3,610
Common stock dividends paid	-5,921	-4,588
Other financing activities	-145	45
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	301,744	-8,153
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents	-87,328	10,552
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	131,912	40,028
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	44,584	50,580
Eliminations [Member]
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of property and equipment	176
Deposits and payments for acquisitions	43,300
Proceeds from disposal of a station	-43,300
Other investing activities	-176
Nexstar [Member]
Cash flows from financing activities:
Common stock dividends paid	-5,921	-4,588
Inter-company payments	4,456	4,481
Other financing activities	1,465	107
Nexstar Broadcasting [Member]
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS [Abstract]
Cash flows from operating activities	40,900	46,269
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of property and equipment	-6,545	-3,899
Deposits and payments for acquisitions	-503,200	-22,057
Proceeds from disposal of a station	70,105
Other investing activities	727	14
Net cash used in investing activities	-438,913	-25,942
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from long-term debt	409,950
Repayments of long-term debt	-97,431	-2,155
Inter-company payments	-4,456	-4,481
Other financing activities	-1,600	10
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	306,463	-6,626
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents	-91,550	13,701
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	130,472	36,312
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	38,922	50,013
Mission [Member]
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS [Abstract]
Cash flows from operating activities	8,106	-1,538
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of property and equipment	-32	-84
Other investing activities	150
Net cash used in investing activities	118	-84
Cash flows from financing activities:
Repayments of long-term debt	-5,959	-1,455
Other financing activities	-8	-72
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	-5,967	-1,527
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents	2,257	-3,149
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	880	3,716
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	3,137	567
Non-Guarantors [Member]
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS [Abstract]
Cash flows from operating activities	620
Cash flows from investing activities:
Deposits and payments for acquisitions	-79
Other investing activities	176
Net cash used in investing activities	97
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from long-term debt	2,000
Repayments of long-term debt	-750
Other financing activities	-2
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	1,248
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents	1,965
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	560
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$2,525

Subsequent_Events_Additional_I

Subsequent Events - Additional Information (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		0 Months Ended
In Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014	Apr. 24, 2015	Apr. 13, 2015
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Quarterly dividend declared per common share	$0.19	$0.15
Subsequent Event [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Quarterly dividend declared per common share			$0.19
Dividends, date declared			24-Apr-15
Dividends, date payable			29-May-15
Dividends, date of record			15-May-15
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Subsequent Event [Member] | Nexstar [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Repayments of lines of credit				$30