Bill Nardi named Nexstar VP of Station Operations

IRVING, TX (May 7, 2025) — Nexstar Media Group, Inc., today announced the appointment of Bill Nardi as Vice President of Station Operations, responsible for overseeing the day-to-day broadcast operations of the company’s more than 200 owned and partner local television stations across the country and helping to assist with projects supporting The CW Network, NewsNation, Antenna TV and Rewind TV. 

 Mr. Nardi succeeds Mark Turner, who is retiring from Nexstar on July 1, concluding a distinguished career of more than 35 years in broadcast television operations.  Mr. Nardi will begin his new duties on May 12, and report to Blake Russell, Nexstar’s Executive Vice President of Operations.

“Mark’s contributions to Nexstar over the years cannot be overstated,” said Mr. Russell.  “He was instrumental in the technical development, construction and roll out of NewsNation, as well as the hub for our Washington, D.C., bureau including NewsNation, The Hill, and our local stations in the nation’s capital.  He has helped flawlessly execute the expansion of Nexstar’s station group and broadcast operating centers and consistently delivered projects on time and on budget.  We will miss Mark.”

Mr. Nardi brings more than 20 years of executive leadership experience to his new role at Nexstar, serving most recently as Vice President, Station Operations for TEGNA Inc., where he oversaw operations and engineering for the company’s 64 television stations and its streaming platforms.  He also helped build and lead the physical safety and security program for the company, including the creation of a variety of disaster recovery plans.

“Bill is the ideal candidate to succeed Mark and will build upon everything he has done for Nexstar,” said Mr. Russell.  “Bill is talented, innovative, and tremendously experienced in managing large-scale broadcast operations, coordinating and executing live coverage of major news and sporting events, and working with national television networks.”

Prior to his work with TEGNA, Mr. Nardi served as Vice President, Broadcast Operations and Global Support for Dejero Labs Inc., in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, where he oversaw sales support, technical operations, and product development and integration.  Mr. Nardi joined Dejero after eight years as Director of Technology and Broadcast Operations for WRC-TV (NBC) in Washington, D.C.

“I’m looking forward to joining a company that is on the cutting edge of developing and utilizing new broadcast and digital technology to improve operations and enhance the viewing experience across its local TV stations, national networks, and online platforms,” said Mr. Nardi.  “Mark Turner has left me with some big shoes to fill, and I am grateful for the opportunity to succeed him.”

Mr. Nardi earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from The University of Phoenix.  He will be relocating to the Dallas area, and based at Nexstar’s corporate headquarters in Irving, Texas.

(Taken from a press release)

TV anchors broadcast from home

Houston news anchors are staying home, but still delivering the news on TV

Thanks to COVID-19, TV anchors are starting to stay home and do the news. No fancy sets or advanced lighting needed. Technology has made it possible to be deliver the news with a phone thanks to companies like LiveU and Dejero.

So far, I have seen instances of KHOU 11's evening anchor Len Cannon broadcasting from home. KHOU's Brittany Aucion also produced Cannon's show from home.

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KENS 5 San Antonio morning anchor Sarah Forgany is also broadcasting from her home. Since originally writing this post, I have heard and observed that TEGNA stations have a policy to keep one anchor broadcasting from home. Add KHOU's Brandi Smith into the mix.

Meanwhile, with a more high tech setup, FOX 26 KRIV morning anchor Sally MacDonald was using a higher end camera.

Before Houston meteorologists started broadcasting remotely, the first I saw do it was NBC 6 WTVJ Miami morning meteorologist Angie Lassman has been doing just that. She posted an Instagram story on how she did it. Her laptop remotely accessed the station's weather computer so she could forecast/design the graphics while one phone put her on camera and another dialed into IFB so she could hear the producers and on air feed.

View this post on Instagram

Live from the second floor! Changed up the home studio. @linadeflorias and I are practicing even more social distancing and showing you we can still bring you the news from home. #amnewsers #homestudio #morningtv

A post shared by Sally MacDonald (@sallymacfox26) on Mar 20, 2020 at 4:36am PDT

View this post on Instagram

First live shot from my home. #socialdistancing #khou

A post shared by Len Cannon (@len_cannon) on Mar 18, 2020 at 11:26pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

‪as everyone is being asked to stay home, we are taking social distancing seriously & minimizing the number of people in the studio. this morning I am working from home to bring you the news. Turned my living room into a mini-studio. See you at 6AM. @KENS5 #socialdistancing

A post shared by sarah forgany (@sforgany) on Mar 20, 2020 at 3:44am PDT

View this post on Instagram

Happy birthday, @kprc2justinstapleton! There’s no one I’d rather be cooped up with than you. ❤️

A post shared by Brandi Smith (@iambrandismith) on Mar 21, 2020 at 7:33pm PDT

Technology is AMAZING! Today I produced a whole newscast from home & @lencannonKHOU anchored from his home. It took a huge team @khou to pull this off... all while social distancing. #khou11 #SlowtheSpread #FactsNotFear pic.twitter.com/M5g5L6L1uK

— Brittany Aucion (@brittanyaucion) March 20, 2020

*This post has been updated

KHOU Avenida Studio in downtown Houston debuts

UPDATE OCTOBER 02, 2018
I'm not totally crazy, that is a new KHOU 11 logo we see on the new studio.


With little fanfare, channel 11 quietly debuts new KHOU Avenida Studio in downtown Houston


If you blinked Friday afternoon during channel 11's 4pm newscast, then you might have missed the debut of the TEGNA station's promised KHOU Avenida Studio in downtown Houston.

Consumer reporter Tiffany Craig performed the first live shot from the new downtown studio where she reported on the Tiger Wrench.

The new satellite studio gets its name from the fact it's located inside the George R. Brown Convention Center and overlooking the newly minted Avenida Houston district. In fact you'll probably catch a glimpse of the famous Jean Dubuffet sculpture Monument au Fantôme behind the anchors on the grounds of Discovery Green.

Complete with wooden looking floors and a nice rug where the anchor desk sits, lights, cameras with teleprompters - the studio opens directly into the GRB's lobby where you will notice a nice KHOU 11 mural. No expo will be safe from KHOU's cameras from now on.

Now this is not the station's new home after Hurricane Harvey's destruction. The new KHOU main studios will be 5718 Westheimer coming later this year. Currently the KHOU staff is working from the studios of Houston Public Media's KUHT TV8.

The KHOU Avenida Studio is a roughly 780-square-feet expansion studio the Houston CBS affiliate announced last December. It's small and only holds around eight or nine people according to Craig's Facebook Live from the scene.

In a KHOU announcement about the new studio from 2017, the station said the new studio would be used several times a week on its newscasts, Great Day Houston and other KHOU-produced programming and specials.

I have to wonder if we'll see the station's newly re-branded morning news "H-Town Rush" broadcasting from downtown just like sister station WFAA does from Victory Park in Dallas? If you see a creepy guy in the background behind the anchors being escorted away by police, that will be me. I'm going to try to convince CultureMap's Ken Hoffman to join me if the station doesn't immediately press charges the first time.

The KHOU mural inside the GRB lobby is not the only art the station has brought to its new digs. You will also find the perfect place to take a selfie for Instagram right outside on the street by three newly designed murals. One depicts Houston monuments complete with a KHOU live truck (did not see a representation of Dejero or LiveU units), another a downtown Houston skyline and a third displays a big KHOU 11 Stands for Houston image.

If you don't feel like a Kardashian at the moment, you can simply watch KHOU on an outside monitor. Heck, use that for a selfie later!

It's all conveniently located in walking distance from the Toyota Center and Minute Maid Park with BBVA Compass Stadium not too far away under I-69/HWY 59.

According to the station's original press release, the new studio was slated to open in March of 2018.

Behind the scenes tour on Facebook Live:


History in the making - the first live shot from KHOU Avenida Studio:


(Thanks Robin!)

UPDATE October 1, 2018

PRESS RELEASE: KHOU Opens New Downtown Avenida Houston Studio

HOUSTON, TX – KHOU, the TEGNA owned CBS affiliate announced today the opening of its new satellite studio on the Avenida Houston Plaza. KHOU will use the studio multiple times per week to broadcast across all dayparts, including KHOU 11 News, Great Day Houston and other KHOU-produced programming and specials.

“Thanks to our partnership with Houston First, KHOU is now the only local station with a dedicated studio in the heart of downtown Houston. Our Avenida Studio allows us to better serve our audience with original, innovative and entertaining content,” said Susan McEldoon president and GM, KHOU. “We will be right in the thick of the action when the Astros and Rockets play their home games, plus we’ll have easy access to cover all of the great programs and events at Discovery Green Park.”

At roughly 780-square-feet, the KHOU Avenida Studio is situated across from what are some of the most scenic views in the convention district. The new studio will have the flexibility to open on to the plaza, enabling anchors and reporters to directly engage with the public and be at the center of major events happening in downtown Houston.

“When Houston First developed Avenida Houston, the vision was to create an area that would serve as the center of entertainment in downtown,” said Brenda Bazan president and CEO, Houston First. “The heart of the campus is the Avenida Plaza, which in addition to dining, nightlife and inspiring art installations, is now home to KHOU’s Avenida Studio. We could not be more excited.”

KHOU’s Avenida Studio also showcases murals by local artists Lauren Luna and Jose Arredondo, aka Meenr_One. The murals can be found on the front windows of the studio and on the interior walls of the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Thank you Houston media

The power of local broadcasting shined through the dark clouds of Hurricane Harvey


As you might imagine, the blog has been slow lately because I've been helping friends with flooded homes, taking care of kids or working.

One place I helped clean was my kids' school. Seventy percent of the campus was flooded. The school is raising money to repair the campus if you want to donate.

Water has never made feel uneasy, but thanks to Harvey, it kind of has me on edge. While helping friends clean up, I heard their fountain outside. For a split second, I freaked out. No more rain please!

You realize how thankful and blessed you truly are after an incident like Harvey. I take that for granted sometimes. Maybe you do too.

All you need is a quick drive around to realize how lucky you have it.

I certainly hope you were safe.

Enough about me, this post is a big thank you to the Houston media.

What a great job they did for us.

This includes the staffs from Houston TV, radio, newspaper and online.

We've already talked about the obvious big story which was the evacuation of KHOU thanks to Harvey's raging flood waters from Buffalo Bayou. Then there was KTRK abc13 sports producer Joe Gleason who covered rising waters in his house live on TV.

While I was out and about the storm freelancing, I ran into TV crews.

Some hadn't been home in a week at that point. Other kept working while their homes were flooded.

I heard one anchor's wife and daughter were trapped on the second floor of their home, but you couldn't tell by his on air work. He stayed professional through the terrifying ordeal.

That's dedication to the welfare of Houston.

I was going to write the Bayou City, but right now, maybe that's a nick-name we don't want to use.

Not only was their personal tragedy for media members, but sleep deprivation was a big issue too.

Some TV stations put key staffers in hotel rooms. Other personnel slept at the studios on air mattresses. I would imagine others had to sleep in news trucks when they got the rare chance.

Food was another big problem. Some media members were left to their own devices. Other times the stations were able to help out.

Lack of food and sleep is not a good combination.

While flooding trapped some of us in our homes, it also kept crews from getting around the city, only making the above problems even worse.

There are many differences between Hurricane Ike (2008) and Harvey. First, these were two completely different storms. Ike certainly caused more wind damage, while Harvey was about the water.

Another difference, was today's technology and social media.

What TV stations didn't have nearly 10 years ago was the ability to go live from anywhere. Thanks to companies like LiveU, Dejero and TVU which offer cellular TV transmission capabilities, crews now carry around a little box that can send the live signal through mobile phone networks.

This is why you might sometimes see live shots start breaking up. That's caused by too many people using the cell towers nearby.

Back in the Ike times, social media was in its infancy. Not anymore. If the power went off, you probably had little problem following the news with your phone, until it ran out of juice.

There is a lot more to talk about concerning Houston media and Harvey. I've heard murmurs on which station was the most watched. We will probably be able to talk about that more later.

Then there is the return to the KHOU 11 studios. Will channel 11 ever be able to go back? Will they move to a higher location? If the station remains, how long will it take to clean/repair the building and then purchase and setup everything needed to run a TV station?

I might be heading out of town to help family that flooded near Beaumont. Waiting for the roads to dry now.

Stay tuned. We'll get to it all eventually.

KTRK 13 tests the future of live shots

You know the drill. TV stations have been going live for decades using panel trucks with big poles that extend from the roof. Not as much anymore however. Technology now makes it less expensive and way more compact. Plus, you can do a live shot wherever you can get a signal, anywhere in the world.

KTRK 13 in Houston has been testing out new ways to transmit video for years. I remember in the 1990's, the station ran a promo that touted its use of cell phones signals to transmit [crude] video from the field to the studio.

The future is here.

Today, the station uses a box by the company Dejero Labs Inc., that hooks up to a camera and can transmit taped footage, a live shot or a file upload back to the station using cell, WiFi or ethernet (SD/HD). Without getting too technical here, you can adjust the box to send under different signal conditions and strengths.

The company let me know it has lots of ways to transmit video too.

"Together with our iPhone apps, laptop solution in partnership with Panasonic, our 20/20 lightweight and ruggedized transmitter, we now have a complete platform with various tools from satellite to mobile phones," Dejero Labs Inc., Chief Technology Officer Bogdan Frusina told mikemcguff.com. "We can now give you the right tools for the right shot."

In addition to cellular, microwave and satellite, the ABC owned station is also looking to the Internet for live truck transmission. hViaSat Inc., announced KTRK and sister station WLS in Chicago have finished testing "the first high-capacity Ka-band Satellite News Gathering (SNG) vehicle built in the U.S."

The company says the service gives two-way IP connectivity between field crews and the TV station. That means reporters/photographers can use the signal to get graphics and footage from the station to edit into their stories in the field. Then the crew can use the truck to upload it to the station. It's all HD apparently too.

"High-speed Ka-band satellite transmission is very powerful in terms of the performance and cost effectiveness of this new brand of satellite news gathering,” said Jim Casabella, director Advanced Technology, ABC Owned Television Stations Group in a statement.

Back to Dejero, those ABC trials used the companies multi-rate video codec (if you have a blank stare, just remember, there are some technical types that read this blog too.)

"Let's say you are pulling up to a crash scene," Frusina explained hypothetically to me. "Before you pull up, you can have your dash cam or roof cam live over cellular with enchanted external antennas. As soon as you stop, you bring up the [hViaSat Inc.] Ka band dish. The system automatically switches to satellite high capacity up-link, as much as 10 mbps. Then, [when] you are done and want to go to the next event, you can still stream that drive live if its important."

UPDATE
KPRC 2 morning reporter Mark Boyle tweeted me that his station uses the LiveU system to send video back to the station. Here is a photo.