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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

FORM 10-K

for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004

OR

for the transition period from                      to                      .

Commission File Number: 000-50478

NEXSTAR BROADCASTING GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that it was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No ¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the Registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. x

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2). Yes x No ¨

As of June 30, 2004, the aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant was $111,883,000.

As of January 31, 2005, the Registrant had outstanding:

14,289,310 shares of Class A Common Stock;

      13,411,588 shares of Class B Common Stock; and

662,529 shares of Class C Common Stock.

Documents Incorporated By Reference

Portions of the Proxy Statement for the Registrant’s 2005 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held May 23, 2005 will be filed with the Commission within 120 days after the close of the Registrant’s fiscal year and incorporated by reference in Part III.

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General

As used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and unless the context indicates otherwise, (1) “Nexstar” refers to Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries; (2) “Nexstar Broadcasting” refers to Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc., our indirect subsidiary, (formerly known as Nexstar Finance, Inc.); (3) “Nexstar Finance Holdings” refers to Nexstar Finance Holdings, Inc., our wholly-owned subsidiary; (4) “Nexstar Group” refers to our predecessor, Nexstar Broadcasting Group, L.L.C. but not its direct or indirect subsidiaries; (5) “Mission” refers to Mission Broadcasting, Inc.; (6) “Quorum” refers to Quorum Broadcast Holdings, LLC; (7) “ABRY” refers to Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.’s principal stockholder, ABRY Partners, LLC and its affiliated funds; and (8) all references to “we,” “our,” “ours,” and “us” refer to Nexstar.

Nexstar has time brokerage agreements, shared services agreements and joint sales agreements (which we generally refer to as local service agreements) relating to the television stations owned by Mission, but does not own any of the equity interests in Mission. For a description of the relationship between Nexstar and Mission, see “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.”

On December 30, 2003, we completed the acquisition of all the direct and indirect subsidiaries of Quorum. Quorum owned and operated 11 television stations and provided management, sales or other services to an additional 5 stations, primarily in medium-sized markets. The Quorum acquisition was structured as a merger of Quorum’s direct subsidiaries with and into us. The merger constituted a tax-free reorganization and has been accounted for as a merger under common control in a manner similar to pooling of interests. Accordingly, our consolidated financial statements herein have been restated to include the financial results of all of the Quorum subsidiaries for all periods prior to 2004. Common control existed because ABRY Partners, LLC, our principal stockholder, through its various funds both before and after the merger held more than 50% of the voting ownership of both Nexstar and Quorum. This conclusion was based on the guidance in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 141 “Business Combinations” (“SFAS No. 141”) and FASB Emerging Issues Task Force Issue 02-05 “Definition of ‘Common Control’ in relation to SFAS No. 141.”

Additionally, on December 30, 2003, Mission completed a merger with VHR Broadcasting, Inc. and its subsidiaries (“VHR”) and with Mission Broadcasting of Amarillo, Inc. (“Mission of Amarillo”). Prior to December 30, 2003, Quorum provided management, sales or other services under local service agreements with VHR and Mission of Amarillo that were substantially similar to Nexstar’s local service agreements with Mission. Upon completion of the Quorum acquisition and the Mission mergers, Nexstar became a party to these local service agreements as successor to the Quorum subsidiaries and Mission became a party to such agreements as the successor to VHR and Mission of Amarillo.

In the context of describing ownership of television stations in a particular market, the term “duopoly” refers to owning or deriving the majority of the economic benefit, through local service agreements, from two or more stations in a particular market. For more information on how we derive economic benefit from a duopoly, see Item 1. “Business” and Item 13. “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.”

There are 210 generally recognized television markets, known as Designated Market Areas, or DMAs, in the United States. DMAs are ranked in size according to various factors based upon actual or potential audience. DMA rankings contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are from the Investing in Television Market Report 2004 3^rd Edition, as published by BIA Financial Network, Inc.

Unless the context indicates otherwise: (1) the term “station” or “commercial station” means a television broadcast station and does not include non-commercial television stations, cable program services or networks (for example, CNN, MTV and ESPN) or stations that do not meet the minimum Nielsen reporting standards; and (2) the term “independent” describes a commercial television station that is not affiliated with the ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, WB, PAX or UPN television networks.

Reference is made in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to the following trademarks/tradenames which are owned by the third parties referenced in parentheses: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and 24 (20th Century Fox Film Corporation); Seinfeld (Columbia Tristar Television Distribution, a unit of Sony Pictures); Entertainment Tonight (Paramount Distribution, a division of Viacom Inc.); E.R. (Warner Brothers Domestic Television Distribution, a division of Time Warner Entertainment Co. LP); Law and Order (Studios USA Television Distribution LLC); and The West Wing (Telepictures Distribution, a division of Time Warner Entertainment Co.).

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements other than statements of historical fact are “forward-looking statements” for purposes of federal and state securities laws, including: any projections or expectations of earnings, revenue, financial performance, liquidity and capital resources or other financial items; any assumptions or projections about the television broadcasting industry, any statements of our plans, strategies and objectives for our future operations, performance, liquidity and capital resources or other financial items; any statements concerning proposed new products, services or developments; any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance; any statements of belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Forward-looking statements may include the words “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” and other similar words.

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in any of our forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results could differ from a projection or assumption in any of our forward-looking statements. Our future financial position and results of operations, as well as any forward-looking statements are subject to change and inherent risks and uncertainties discussed under Item 1. “Business—Risks Related to Our Company” and “Business—Risks Related to Our Industry” elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements made in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are made only as of the date hereof, and, we do not have or undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances unless otherwise required by law.

Available Information

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any reports, statements and other information filed by us at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call (800) SEC-0330 for further information on the Public Reference Room. The SEC maintains an Internet web site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers, including us, that file electronically with the SEC. The address for the SEC’s web site is http://www.sec.gov.

We make available, free of charge, through our investor relations web site our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, statements of changes in beneficial ownership of securities, and amendments to those reports and statements as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed with the SEC. The address for our web site is www.nexstar.tv.

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PART I

Overview

We are a television broadcasting company focused exclusively on the acquisition, development and operation of television stations in medium-sized markets in the United States, primarily markets that rank from 50 to 175, as reported by A.C. Nielsen Company. As of December 31, 2004, we own and operate 28 stations, and provide management, sales or other services to an additional 17 stations that are owned by Mission or other entities. In 15 of the 27 markets that we serve, we own, operate, program or provide sales and other services to more than one station. We refer to these markets as duopoly markets. We have more than doubled the size of our portfolio over the last two years, having acquired 15 stations and begun providing services to 10 additional stations. The stations that we own, operate, program or provide sales and other services to are in markets located in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, Montana and Maryland. These stations are diverse in their network affiliations: 41 have primary affiliation agreements with one of the four major networks––12 with NBC, 12 with Fox, 9 with ABC, and 8 with CBS. Three of the remaining four stations have agreements with UPN and one is an independent station.

We believe that medium-sized markets offer significant advantages over large markets, most of which result from a lower level of competition. First, because there are fewer well-capitalized acquirers with a medium-market focus, we have been successful in purchasing stations on more favorable terms than acquirers of large market stations. Second, in many of our markets only three or four other local commercial television stations exist. As a result, we achieve lower programming costs than stations in larger markets because the supply of quality programming exceeds the demand. Lastly, we believe that the stations we own, operate, program or provide sales and other services to are better managed than many of our competitors’ stations. By providing equity incentives, we have been able to attract and retain station general managers with experience in larger markets who employ marketing and sales techniques that are not typically utilized in our markets.

We seek to grow our revenue and broadcast cash flow by increasing the audience and revenue shares of the stations we own, operate, program or provide sales and other services to. We strive to increase the audience share of the stations by creating a strong local broadcasting presence based on highly-rated local news, local sports coverage and active community sponsorship. We seek to improve revenue share by employing and supporting a high-quality local sales force that leverages the stations’ strong local brand and community presence with local advertisers. Additionally, we have further improved broadcast cash flow by maintaining strict control over operating and programming costs. The benefits achieved through these initiatives are magnified in our duopoly markets by broadcasting the programming of multiple networks, capitalizing on multiple sales forces and achieving an increased level of operational efficiency. As a result of our operational enhancements, we expect revenue from the stations we have acquired or begun providing services to in the last four years to grow faster than that of our more mature stations.

We completed our initial public offering on November 28, 2003. Concurrent with our offering, we completed a corporate reorganization whereby our predecessor, Nexstar Broadcasting Group, L.L.C., and certain direct and indirect subsidiaries of Nexstar Broadcasting Group, L.L.C. merged with and into us. Nexstar Broadcasting Group, L.L.C. was organized as a limited liability company on December 12, 1996 in the State of Delaware and commenced operations on April 15, 1997.

On December 30, 2003, we completed the acquisition of all of the direct and indirect subsidiaries of Quorum. Quorum owned and operated 11 television stations and provided management, sales or other services to an additional 5 stations, primarily in medium-sized markets. The Quorum acquisition was structured as a merger of Quorum’s direct subsidiaries with and into us. The merger constituted a tax-free reorganization and has been accounted for as a merger under common control in a manner similar to pooling of interests. Accordingly, our consolidated financial statements herein have been restated to include the financial results of all of the Quorum subsidiaries for all periods prior to 2004.

Our principal offices are at 909 Lake Carolyn Parkway, Suite 1450, Irving, TX 75039. Our telephone number is (972) 373-8800 and our website is www.nexstar.tv.

Business Strategy

We seek to generate revenue and broadcast cash flow growth through the following strategies:

Develop Leading Local Franchises. Each of the stations that we own, operate, program, or provide sales and other services to creates a highly recognizable local brand, primarily through the quality of local news programming and community presence. Based on internally generated analysis, we believe that in approximately two-thirds of our markets that feature local newscasts produced by Nexstar, we rank among the top two stations in local news viewership. Strong local news typically generates higher ratings among attractive demographic profiles and enhances audience loyalty, which may result in higher ratings for programs both preceding and following the news. High ratings and strong community identity make the stations that we own, operate, program, or provide sales and other services to more attractive to local advertisers. For the year ended December 31, 2004, we and Mission earned approximately one-third of our advertising revenue from spots aired during local news programming. Our stations and the stations we provide services to currently provide approximately 530 hours per week of local news programming. Extensive local sports coverage and active sponsorship of

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community events further differentiate us from our competitors and strengthen our community relationships and our local advertising appeal.

Emphasize Local Sales. We employ a high-quality local sales force in each of our markets to increase revenue from local advertisers by capitalizing on our investment in local programming. We believe that local advertising is attractive because our sales force is more effective with local advertisers, giving us a greater ability to influence this revenue source. Additionally, local advertising has historically been a more stable source of revenue than national advertising for television broadcasters. For the year ended December 31, 2004, the percentage of Nexstar’s and Mission’s consolidated spot revenue, excluding political revenue, from local advertising was 68.1%. In most of our markets we have increased the size and quality of our local sales force. We also invest in our sales efforts by implementing comprehensive training programs and employing a sophisticated inventory tracking system to help maximize advertising rates and the amount of inventory sold in each time period.

Operate Duopoly Markets. Owning or providing services to more than one station in a given market enables us to broaden our audience share, enhance our revenue share and achieve significant operating efficiencies. Duopoly markets broaden audience share by providing programming from multiple networks with different targeted demographics. These markets increase revenue share by capitalizing on multiple sales forces. Through various local service agreements with Mission, we program or provide sales and other services to additional television stations. Mission is 100% owned by an independent third party. We do not own Mission or its television stations. In order for both us and Mission to comply with Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) regulations, Mission maintains complete responsibility for and control over programming, finances, personnel and operations of its stations. However, as a result of our guarantee of the obligations incurred under Mission’s senior secured credit facility and our arrangements under the local service agreements and purchase option agreements with Mission, we are deemed under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) to have a controlling financial interest in Mission and therefore consolidate Mission’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows as if it were a wholly-owned entity.

Additionally, we achieve significant operating efficiencies by consolidating physical facilities, eliminating redundant management and leveraging capital expenditures between stations. We derived approximately 63% of our net broadcast revenue for the year ended December 31, 2004 from our duopoly markets.

Maintain Strict Cost Controls. We emphasize strict controls on operating and programming costs in order to increase broadcast cash flow. We continually seek to identify and implement cost savings at each of our stations and the stations we provide services to and our overall size benefits each station with respect to negotiating favorable terms with programming suppliers and other vendors. By leveraging our size and corporate management expertise, we are able to achieve economies of scale by providing programming, financial, sales and marketing support to our stations and the stations we provide services to. Due to the significant negotiating leverage afforded by limited competition in our markets, Nexstar and Mission on a combined basis reduced the cash broadcast payments as a percentage of net broadcast revenue for the year ended December 31, 2004, as compared to the previous four years. Our and Mission’s cash broadcast payments were 4.7%, 6.4%, 6.3%, 7.5% and 7.5% of net broadcast revenue for the years ended December 31, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001 and 2000, respectively.

Capitalize on Diverse Network Affiliations. We currently own, operate, program, or provide sales and other services to a balanced portfolio of television stations with diverse network affiliations, including NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox and UPN affiliated stations which represented approximately 39.1%, 28.2%, 14.9%, 17.6%, and 0.2%, respectively, of our 2004 net broadcast revenue. The networks provide these stations with quality programming and numerous sporting events such as NBA basketball, Major League Baseball, NFL football, NCAA sports, PGA golf and the Olympic Games. Because network programming and ratings change frequently, the diversity of our station portfolio’s network affiliations reduces our reliance on the quality of programming from a single network.

Attract and Retain High Quality Management. We seek to attract and retain station general managers with proven track records in larger television markets by providing equity incentives not typically offered by other station operators in our markets. Our station general managers have been granted stock options and have an average of over 20 years of experience in the television broadcasting industry.

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The Stations

The following chart sets forth general information about the stations we own, operate, program or provide sales and other services to as of December 31, 2004:

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Industry Background

Industry Overview

All television stations in the country are grouped by A.C. Nielsen Company, a national audience measuring service, into 210 generally recognized television markets, known as designated market areas (“DMAs”), that are ranked in size according to various metrics based upon actual or potential audience. Each DMA is an exclusive geographic area consisting of all counties in which the home-market commercial stations receive the greatest percentage of total viewing hours. A.C. Nielsen periodically publishes data on estimated audiences for the television stations in the various television markets throughout the country. The estimates are expressed in terms of a “rating,” which is a station’s percentage of the total potential audience in the market, or a “share,” which is the station’s percentage of the audience actually watching television. A.C. Nielsen provides these data on the basis of local television households and selected demographic groupings in the market. A.C. Nielsen uses two methods to determine a station’s ratings. In larger geographic markets, A.C. Nielsen uses a combination of meters connected directly to selected television sets and weekly diaries of television viewing, while in smaller markets A.C. Nielsen uses only weekly diaries.

Whether or not a station is affiliated with one of the four major networks (NBC, ABC, CBS or Fox) has a significant impact on the composition of the station’s revenue, expenses and operations. A typical network affiliate receives a significant part of its programming including prime-time hours from the network. This programming, along with cash payments for NBC, ABC and CBS affiliates, is provided to the affiliate by the network in exchange for a substantial majority of the advertising time during network programs. The network then sells this advertising time and retains the revenue. The affiliate retains the revenue from the remaining advertising time sold during network programs and from advertising time sold during non-network programs.

Broadcast television stations compete for advertising revenue primarily with other commercial broadcast television stations, and, to a lesser extent, with newspapers, radio stations and cable system operators serving the same market. Non-commercial, religious and Spanish-language broadcasting stations in many markets also compete with commercial stations for viewers. In addition, the Internet and other leisure activities may draw viewers away from commercial television stations.

Television Broadcasting History

Commercial television broadcasting began in the United States on a regular basis in the 1940s. There are a limited number of channels available for broadcasting in any one geographic area. Television stations can be distinguished by the frequency on which they broadcast. Television stations that broadcast over the very high frequency or VHF band (channels 2-13) of the spectrum generally have some competitive advantage over television stations which broadcast over the ultra-high frequency or UHF band (channels above 13) of the spectrum because the former usually have better signal coverage and operate at a lower transmission cost. However, the improvement of UHF transmitters and receivers, the complete elimination from the marketplace of VHF-only receivers and the expansion of cable television systems have reduced the VHF signal advantage. Any disparity between VHF and UHF is likely to diminish even further in the coming era of digital television.

Through the 1970s, network television broadcasters enjoyed virtual dominance in viewership and television advertising revenue because network-affiliated stations competed only with each other in most local markets. Beginning in the 1980s and continuing through today, however, this level of dominance changed as more local stations were authorized by the FCC and marketplace choices expanded with the growth of independent stations, new networks such as UPN, WB and PAX, and cable and satellite television services.

Cable television systems, which grew at a rapid rate beginning in the early 1970s, were initially used to retransmit broadcast television programming to paying subscribers in areas with poor broadcast signal reception. In the aggregate, cable-originated programming has emerged as a significant competitor for viewers of broadcast television programming. With the increase in cable penetration, the advertising share of cable networks has increased. Notwithstanding these increases in cable viewership and advertising, over-the-air broadcasting remains the primary distribution system for mass market television advertising. Basic cable penetration (the percentage of television households which are connected to a cable system) in our television markets ranges from 44.0% to 80.0%.

Direct broadcast satellite (“DBS”) systems have also rapidly increased their penetration rate in the last decade, reaching approximately 20% of U.S. households. DBS services provide nationwide distribution of video programming (including in some cases pay-per-view programming and programming packages unique to DBS) using small receiving dishes and digital transmission technologies. In November 2004, Congress passed the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act, which permits DBS operators to continue to distribute the signals of local television stations to subscribers in the stations’ local market areas, or local-into-local service. DirecTV currently provides satellite carriage of our and Mission’s stations in the Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Shreveport, Wilkes Barre-Scranton, Ft. Wayne, Springfield, Evansville, Peoria, Rochester, Ft. Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers and Champaign-Springfield-Decatur markets. EchoStar currently provides satellite carriage of our and Mission’s stations in the Abilene, Amarillo, Champaign-Springfield-Decatur, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Ft. Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Joplin, MO-Pittsburg, KS, Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Lubbock, Monroe, LA-El Dorado, AR, Peoria, Rochester, Rockford, Terre Haute, Wichita Falls, TX-Lawton, OK, Shreveport, Springfield and Wilkes Barre-Scranton markets.

In acquiring programming to supplement network programming, network affiliates compete with other broadcasting stations in their markets. Cable systems generally do not compete with local stations for programming. In the past, the cost of programming

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increased dramatically, primarily because of an increase in the number of new independent stations and a shortage of desirable programming. Recently, however, program prices have stabilized as a result of increases in the supply of programming.

The FCC finalized its allotment of new advanced television channels to existing broadcast stations in the first half of 1998. Advanced television is a digital television (“DTV”) transmission system that delivers improved video and audio signals including high definition television and also has substantial multiplexing and data transmission capabilities. For each licensed television station, the FCC allocated a matching DTV channel. Network affiliated stations in the top 10 markets were required to begin digital broadcasting by May 1999, and in the top 30 markets by November 1, 1999. All other commercial stations operators were required to complete construction of and begin broadcasting with their digital transmission systems no later than May 1, 2002. By a date to be determined, the FCC will require television broadcasters to cease non-digital broadcasting and return one of their channels to the U.S. government.

Advertising Sales

General

Television station revenue is primarily derived from the sale of local and national advertising. Television stations compete for advertising revenue primarily with other broadcast television stations, radio stations, cable system operators and programmers, and newspapers serving the same market.

All network-affiliated stations are required to carry advertising sold by their networks which reduces the amount of advertising time available for sale by stations. Our and Mission’s stations sell the remaining advertising to be inserted in network programming and the advertising in non-network programming, retaining all of the revenue received from these sales. A national syndicated program distributor will often retain a portion of the available advertising time for programming it supplies in exchange for no fees or reduced fees charged to the stations for such programming. These programming arrangements are referred to as barter programming.

Advertisers wishing to reach a national audience usually purchase time directly from the networks, or advertise nationwide on a case-by-case basis. National advertisers who wish to reach a particular region or local audience often buy advertising time directly from local stations through national advertising sales representative firms. Local businesses purchase advertising time directly from the stations’ local sales staff.

Advertising rates are based upon a number of factors, including:

Advertising rates are also determined by a station’s overall ability to attract viewers in its market area, as well as the station’s ability to attract viewers among particular demographic groups that an advertiser may be targeting. Advertising revenue is positively affected by strong local economies, national and regional political election campaigns, and certain events such as the Olympic Games or the Super Bowl. Because television broadcast stations rely on advertising revenue, declines in advertising budgets, particularly in recessionary periods, adversely affect the broadcast industry, and as a result may contribute to a decrease in the revenue of broadcast television stations.

Local Sales

Local advertising time is sold by each station’s local sales staff who call upon advertising agencies and local businesses, which typically include car dealerships, retail stores and restaurants. Compared to revenue from national advertising accounts, revenue from local advertising is generally more stable and more controllable. We seek to attract new advertisers to television and to increase the amount of advertising time sold to existing local advertisers by relying on experienced local sales forces with strong community ties, producing news and other programming with local advertising appeal and sponsoring or co-promoting local events and activities. We place a strong emphasis on the experience of our local sales staff and maintain an on-going training program for sales personnel.

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National Sales

National advertising time is sold through national sales representative firms which call upon advertising agencies, whose clients typically include automobile manufacturers and dealer groups, telecommunications companies, fast food franchisers, and national retailers (some of which may advertise locally).

Network Affiliations

Each station that we own and operate, program or provide sales and other services to is affiliated with its network pursuant to an affiliation agreement, as described in the following table:

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Each affiliation agreement provides the affiliated station with the right to broadcast all programs transmitted by the network with which it is affiliated. In exchange, the network has the right to sell a substantial majority of the advertising time during these broadcasts. In addition, for each hour that the station elects to broadcast network programming, the network pays the station a fee (with the exception of Fox and UPN), specified in each affiliation agreement, which varies with the time of day. Typically, prime-time programming (Monday through Saturday from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., Eastern Standard time and Sunday from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., Eastern Standard time) generates the highest hourly rates.

Competition in the Television Industry

Competition in the television industry takes place on several levels: competition for audience, competition for programming (including news) and competition for advertisers. Additional factors that are material to a television station’s competitive position include signal coverage and assigned frequency. The broadcasting industry is continually faced with technological change and innovation, the possible rise in popularity of competing entertainment and communications media, and governmental restrictions or actions of federal regulatory bodies, including the FCC and the Federal Trade Commission, any of which could have a material effect on our operations.

Audience. Stations compete for viewership generally against other leisure activities in which one could choose to engage rather than watch television. Broadcast stations compete for audience share specifically on the basis of program popularity, which has a direct effect on advertising rates. A portion of the daily programming on the NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox and UPN affiliated stations that we own or provide services to is supplied by the network with which each station is affiliated. In those periods, the stations are dependent upon the performance of the network programs in attracting viewers. Stations program non-network time periods with a combination of self-produced news, public affairs and other entertainment programming, including movies and syndicated programs purchased for cash, cash and barter, or barter only.

Through the 1970s, network television broadcasting enjoyed virtual dominance in viewership and television advertising revenue because network-affiliated stations competed only with each other in most local markets. However, the development of methods of video transmission other than over-the-air broadcasting, and in particular the growth of cable television, has significantly altered competition for audience share in the television industry. In addition, DBS providers, such as DirecTV and EchoStar, offer nationwide distribution of video programming (including, in some cases, pay-per-view programming and programming packages unique to DBS) using small receiving dishes and digital transmission technology. These other transmission methods can increase competition for a broadcasting station by bringing into its market distant broadcasting signals not otherwise available to the station’s audience. Other sources of competition include home entertainment systems, such as VCRs, DVDs and television game devices. Transmission of video programming over broadband Internet may be a future source of competition to television broadcasters.

Although cable television systems were initially used to retransmit broadcast television programming to subscribers in areas with poor broadcast signal reception, significant increases in cable television penetration and cable programming services occurred throughout the 1970s and 1980s in areas that did not have signal reception problems. As the technology of satellite program delivery to cable systems advanced in the late 1970s, development of programming for cable television accelerated dramatically, resulting in the emergence of multiple, national-scale program alternatives and the rapid expansion of cable television and higher subscriber growth rates. Historically, cable operators have not sought to compete with broadcast stations for a share of the local news audience. Recently, however, certain cable operators have elected to compete for these audiences and the increased competition could have an adverse effect on our advertising revenue.

Further advances in technology may increase competition for household audiences and advertisers. The increased use of digital technology by cable systems and DBS, along with video compression techniques, will reduce the bandwidth required for television signal transmission. These technological developments are applicable to all video delivery systems, including over-the-air broadcasting, and have the potential to provide vastly expanded programming to highly targeted audiences. Reductions in the cost of creating additional channel capacity could lower entry barriers for new channels and encourage the development of increasingly specialized “niche” programming. This ability to reach very narrowly defined audiences is expected to alter the competitive dynamics for advertising expenditures. We are unable to predict the effect that these or other technological changes will have on the broadcast television industry or on the future results of our operations or the operations of the stations we provide services to.

Programming. Competition for programming involves negotiating with national program distributors or syndicators that sell first-run and rerun packages of programming. Stations compete against in-market broadcast station operators for exclusive access to off-network reruns (such as Seinfeld) and first-run product (such as Entertainment Tonight) in their respective markets. In addition, stations are competing against other networks with respect to first-run programming. The broadcast networks are rerunning the same episode of a network program on affiliated cable or broadcast networks, often in the same week that it aired on a local station. Cable systems generally do not compete with local stations for programming, although various national cable networks from time to time have acquired programs that would have otherwise been offered to local television stations. AOL Time Warner, Inc., General Electric Company, Viacom Inc., The News Corporation Limited and the Walt Disney Company each owns a television network and also owns or controls major production studios, which are the primary source of programming for the networks. It is uncertain whether in the future such programming, which is generally subject to short-term agreements between the studios and the networks, will be moved to the networks. Television broadcasters also compete for non-network programming unique to the markets they serve. As such, stations strive to provide exclusive news stories, unique features such as investigative reporting and coverage of community events and to secure broadcast rights for regional and local sporting events.

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Advertising.   In addition to competing with other media outlets for audience share, stations compete for advertising revenue with:

Competition for advertising dollars in the broadcasting industry occurs primarily within individual markets. Generally, a television broadcasting station in a particular market does not compete with stations in other market areas.

Federal Regulation of Television Broadcasting

The following is a brief discussion of certain provisions of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (“Communications Act”), and the FCC’s regulations and policies that affect the business operations of television broadcasting stations. For more information about the nature and extent of the FCC regulation of television broadcasting stations you should refer to the Communications Act and FCC’s rules, public notices, and rulings. Over the years, Congress and the FCC have added, amended and deleted statutory and regulatory requirements to which station owners are subject. Some of these changes have a minimal business impact whereas others may significantly affect the business or operation of individual stations or the broadcast industry as a whole. The following discussion summarizes statutory and regulatory rules and policies currently in effect.

License Grant and Renewal. Television broadcast licenses are granted for a maximum term of eight years and are subject to renewal upon application to the FCC. The FCC is required to grant an application for license renewal if during the preceding term the station served the public interest, the licensee did not commit any serious violations of the Communications Act or the FCC’s rules, and the licensee committed no other violations of the Communications Act or the FCC’s rules which, taken together, would constitute a pattern of abuse. The vast majority of renewal applications are routinely granted under this standard. If a licensee fails to meet this standard the FCC may still grant renewal on terms and conditions that it deems appropriate, including a monetary forfeiture or renewal for a term less than the normal eight-year period.

During certain limited periods after a renewal application is filed, interested parties, including members of the public, may file petitions to deny a renewal application, to which the licensee/renewal applicant is entitled to respond. After reviewing the pleadings, if the FCC determines that there is a substantial and material question of fact whether grant of the renewal application would serve the public interest, the FCC is required to hold a trial-type hearing on the issues presented. If, after the hearing, the FCC determines that the renewal applicant has met the renewal standard the FCC must grant the renewal application. If the licensee/renewal applicant fails to meet the renewal standard or show that there are mitigating factors entitling it to renewal subject to appropriate sanctions, the FCC can deny the renewal application. In the vast majority of cases where a petition to deny is filed against a renewal application, the FCC ultimately grants the renewal without a hearing.

No competing application for authority to operate a station and replace the incumbent licensee may be filed against a renewal application.

The Nexstar and Mission stations began to submit renewal of license applications beginning in June 2004 and will continue to do so through April 2007.

In addition to considering rule violations in connection with a license renewal application, the FCC may sanction a station operator for failing to observe FCC rules and policies during the license term, including the imposition of a monetary forfeiture.

The FCC prohibits the assignment or the transfer of control of a broadcast license without prior FCC approval.

Foreign Ownership. The Communications Act limits the extent of non-U.S. ownership of companies that own U.S. broadcast stations. Under this restriction, a U.S. broadcast company such as ours may have no more than 25% non-U.S. ownership. Because our majority shareholder, ABRY Partners, LLC and its affiliated funds (“ABRY”), has a substantial level of foreign investment, the amount of additional foreign investment that may be made in us is limited to approximately 10.3% of the total shares outstanding.

Other Ownership Restrictions. The FCC has rules which establish limits on the ownership of broadcast stations. These ownership limits apply to attributable interests in a station licensee held by an individual, corporation, partnership or other entity. In the case of corporations, officers, directors and voting stock interests of 5% or more (20% or more in the case of qualified investment companies, such as insurance companies and bank trust departments) are considered attributable interests. For partnerships, all general partners and non-insulated limited partners are attributable. Limited liability companies are treated the same as partnerships. The FCC also considers attributable the holder of more than 33% of a licensee’s total assets (defined as total debt plus total equity), if that person or entity also provides over 15% of the station’s total weekly broadcast programming or has an attributable interest in another media entity in the same market which is subject to the FCC’s ownership rules, such as a radio or television station, cable television system or daily newspaper.

Local Ownership (Duopoly Rule). On June 2, 2003, the FCC modified its local television (duopoly) ownership rule to provide greater opportunities for television duopolies in certain circumstances. The modified rule allows common ownership of two television stations in markets (defined using A.C. Nielsen Company’s DMAs) with 17 or fewer television stations, and ownership of up to three stations in markets with 18 or more television stations; provided, however, a single entity may not acquire an attributable interest in

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more than one station that is ranked among the top-four stations in the market based on audience share. Therefore, these rules prohibit same market combinations in markets with fewer than five stations. In determining how many television stations are in a market, the FCC counts commercial and noncommercial stations.

The modified rule allows the FCC to consider waivers of the duopoly rule. The FCC will consider waivers to allow common ownership for failed, failing and unbuilt stations. In addition, the FCC will consider waivers to allow common ownership of two top-four ranked stations in markets with 11 or fewer television stations. The FCC will consider a wavier of the top-four station prohibition if a merger between stations will reduce a significant competitive disparity between the merging stations and a more dominant station; if the merger will assist the merging stations with their transition to digital operations; if the merger will significantly increase news and local programming; if one or both of the stations to be merged are UHF stations; and if the merger will produce significant public interest benefits.

The FCC’s June 2, 2003 decision was to become effective on September 4, 2003. However, on September 3, 2003, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit stayed the effectiveness of the new rule and on June 24, 2004, the Court remanded this proceeding back to the FCC for further consideration. On January 31, 2005, the National Association of Broadcasters and several industry parties requested the United States Supreme Court to review the Third Circuit’s decision. The new rule is also subject to petitions for reconsideration filed with the FCC. In addition, Congress may consider modification of this rule as part of its planned revisions to the Communications Act during the current term. The current duopoly rule, adopted in 1999, continues to govern local television ownership pending the outcome of the court proceedings and any further FCC proceedings.

Under the 1999 duopoly rule, a single entity is allowed to own or have attributable interests in two television stations in a market if (1) the two stations do not have overlapping service areas, or (2) after the combination there are a least eight independently owned and operating full-power television stations and one of the combining stations is not ranked among the top four stations in the DMA. The 1999 rule allows the FCC to consider waivers to permit the ownership of a second station only in cases where the second station has failed or is failing or unbuilt.

Under the 2003 modified rule and the 1999 rule, the FCC attributes toward the local television ownership limits another in-market station when one station owner programs a second in-market station pursuant to a time brokerage or local marketing agreement, if the programmer provides more than 15 percent of the second station’s weekly broadcast programming. However, local marketing agreements entered into prior to November 5, 1996 are exempt attributable interests until at least some time in 2005. This “grandfathered” period likely will be reviewed in either 2005 or 2006 and is subject to possible extension or termination.

In certain markets, we and Mission own and operate both full power and low power television broadcast stations (in Utica, Nexstar owns and operates WFXV and WPNY-LP; in Wichita Falls, Mission owns and operates KJTL and KJBO-LP; and in Amarillo, Mission owns and operates KCIT and KCPN-LP). The FCC’s duopoly rules and policies regarding ownership of television stations in the same market apply only to full power television stations and not low power television stations such as WPNY-LP, KJBO-LP and KCPN-LP.

The only market in which we currently operate stations that meet the modified local duopoly rule (and the 1999 rule) that allows us to own two stations in the market is Champaign-Springfield-Decatur, Illinois. In addition, we provide services to two stations under common ownership in the Fort Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers market pursuant to a waiver under the FCC’s rules permitting common ownership of a “satellite” television station in a market where a licensee also owns the “primary” station. In all of the markets where we have entered into LSAs, except for two, we do not provide programming other than news (comprising less than 15 percent of the second station’s programming) to the second station and, therefore, we are not attributed with ownership of the second station. In the two markets where we provide more programming to the second station—WFXP in Erie, Pennsylvania and KHMT in Billings, Montana—the local marketing agreements were entered into prior to November 5, 1996. Therefore, we may continue to operate under the terms of these agreements until the rule is reviewed.

National Ownership. There is no nationwide limit on the number of television stations which a party may own. However, the FCC’s rules limit the percentage of U.S. television households which a party may reach through its attributable interests in television stations. This rule provides that when calculating a party’s nationwide aggregate audience coverage, the ownership of a UHF station is counted as 50 percent of a market’s percentage of total national audience. In 2004, Congress determined that one party may have an attributable interest in television stations which reach, in the aggregate, 39 percent of all U.S. television households; and the FCC thereafter modified its corresponding rule. The FCC currently is considering whether this act has any impact on the FCC’s authority to examine and modify the UHF discount.

The stations Nexstar owns have a combined national audience reach of 5.2 percent of television households with the UHF discount.

Cross Media Ownership. On June 2, 2003, the FCC voted to eliminate its Radio/Television Cross-Ownership Rule and its Local/Television Newspaper Cross-Ownership Rule, replacing both with a new single cross media ownership rule. Under this new cross media ownership rule, in markets with three or fewer television stations, no cross-ownership is permitted among TV, radio and newspapers. In markets with four through eight television stations, one entity may own or have attributable interests in (1) a daily newspaper, one TV station and up to one-half of the radio station limit for the market under the local radio rules; or (2) a daily newspaper and up to the radio station limit for the market; or (3) two TV stations (if permissible under the duopoly rule) and up to the radio station limit for that market. In markets with nine or more television stations, there are no cross media limits.

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The new cross media ownership rule adopted on June 2, 2003 was to become effective on September 4, 2003. However, on September 3, 2003, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit stayed the effectiveness of the new rule and on June 24, 2004, the Court remanded this rule back to the FCC for further consideration. On January 31, 2005, the National Association of Broadcasters and several industry parties requested the United States Supreme Court to review the Third Circuit’s decision. The new rule is also subject to petitions for reconsideration at the FCC and to Congressional review and potential modification. So long as the new cross media ownership rule is stayed, or in the event that it is repealed or vacated, the current Radio/Television Cross-Ownership Rule and Local Television/Newspaper Cross-Ownership Rule continue to govern cross media ownership.

Radio/Television Cross-Ownership Rule (One-to-a-Market Rule). The FCC voted to eliminate this rule when it adopted its new cross media ownership rule on June 2, 2003. However, so long as the new cross media ownership rule is stayed, or in the event that it is repealed or vacated, the one-to-a-market rule continues to govern common ownership of radio and television stations in the same market. In markets with at least 20 independently owned media outlets, ownership of one television station and up to seven radio stations, or two television stations (if allowed under the television duopoly rule) and six radio stations is permitted. If the number of independently owned media outlets is fewer than 20 but greater than or equal to 10, ownership of one television station (or two if allowed) and four radio stations is permitted. In markets with fewer than 10 independent media voices, ownership of one television station (or two if allowed) and one radio station is permitted. In calculating the number of independent media voices in a market, the FCC includes all radio and television stations, independently owned cable systems (counted as one voice), and independently owned daily newspapers which have circulation that exceeds five percent of the households in the market.

Local Television/Newspaper Cross-Ownership Rule. The FCC voted to eliminate this rule when it adopted its new cross media ownership rule on June 2, 2003. However, so long as the new cross media ownership rule is stayed, or in the event that it is repealed or vacated, the local television/newspaper cross-ownership rule continues to govern common ownership of newspapers and television stations in the same market. Under this rule, a party is prohibited from having an attributable interest in a television station and a daily newspaper if the television station’s Grade A analog (NTSC) signal contour encompasses the entire community in which the newspaper is published.

Local Television/Cable Cross-Ownership. There is no longer any FCC rule prohibiting co-ownership of a cable television system and a television broadcast station in the same area.

Cable “Must-Carry” or Retransmission Consent Rights. Every three years television broadcasters are required to make an election between “must-carry” or retransmission consent in connection with the carriage of their analog signal on cable television systems within their DMA. For a majority of our stations the most recent election was made October 1, 2002, and is effective for the three-year period that began January 1, 2003. The next election date is October 1, 2005, for the three-year period beginning January 1, 2006.

If a broadcaster chooses to exercise must-carry rights, it may request cable system carriage on the station’s over-the-air channel or another channel on which it was carried on the cable system as of a specified date. A cable system generally must carry a station’s signal in compliance with the broadcaster’s carriage request, and in a manner that makes the signal available to all cable subscribers. However, must-carry rights are not absolute, and whether a cable system is required to carry the station on its system, or in the specific manner requested, depends on variables such as the location, size and number of activated channels of the cable system and whether the station’s programming duplicates, or substantially duplicates the programming of another station carried on the cable system. If certain conditions are met, a cable system may decline to carry a television station that has elected must-carry status, although it is unusual for all the required conditions to exist.

If a broadcaster chooses to exercise retransmission consent rights, a cable television system which is subject to that election may not carry a station’s signal without the broadcoasters consent. This generally requires the cable system and television broadcaster to negotiate the terms under which the broadcaster will consent to the cable system’s carriage of its station’s signal.

In most instances, we have elected to exercise our retransmission consent rights rather than electing must-carry status, and have negotiated retransmission consent agreements with cable television systems in our markets. The terms of these agreements generally range from three to ten years or are interim agreements for a shorter period of time, and provide for the carriage of our stations’ signals. Of Mission’s stations, some stations have elected to exercise their retransmission consent rights; other stations have opted for must-carry status; one station has both retransmission consent agreements and must-carry status; and the majority of stations have elected retransmission consent rather than must-carry status in most instances and have either negotiated carriage agreements or interim carriage agreements which provide for the carriage of the stations’ signals.

On December 31, 2004, our retransmission consent agreements with subsidiaries of Cox Communications, Inc. (“Cox”) for television stations KLST (San Angelo) and Mission’s retransmission consent agreements for KRBC (Abilene) expired. Also on December 31, 2004, our and Mission’s retransmission consent agreements with Cable One, Inc. (“Cable One”) for KSNF (Joplin), KTAL (Texarkana - Shreveport) and KODE (Joplin) expired. On February 1, 2005, our retransmission consent agreement with Cox for KTAL expired. Therefore, Cox and Cable One are no longer permitted by law to carry these stations’ signals.

We and Mission have requested that Cox and Cable One pay a cash per subscriber fee in exchange for their right to carry the stations’ signals. Cox and Cable One have informed us and Mission that they will not pay any cash fees for the carriage of the stations on

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their systems. On January 19, 2005, Cox submitted a Complaint for Enforcement to the FCC requesting that the FCC instruct us and Mission to negotiate in good faith for retransmission consent agreements for KLST and KRBC. On February 8, 2005, we and Mission submitted a joint response to the Complaint. On February 24, 2005, Cox filed a response to the filing made by us and Mission. This matter remains pending before the FCC.

Direct-to-Home Satellite Services and Carriage Rights. In November 2004, Congress enacted the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act (“SHVERA”) allowing direct broadcast satellite providers to continue carrying local channels and extending the requirement that direct broadcast satellite services such as DirecTV and EchoStar carry, upon request, the signals of all local television stations in a DMA in which the satellite service provider is carrying at least one local television station’s signal. In addition, satellite providers also may carry “significantly viewed” out-of-market stations and may continue to provide network service from a station outside a local market to subscribers in the market who are “unserved” by a local station affiliated with the same network under certain circumstances. Unserved generally refers to a satellite subscriber who is unable, using a conventional outdoor rooftop antenna, to receive a “Grade B” signal of a local network affiliated station. If a subscriber is able to receive a Grade B quality signal from a local network affiliate then, subject to certain exceptions, the subscriber is not eligible to receive that network’s programming from an out-of-market affiliate carried on the satellite service. SHVERA also allows subscribers who were not receiving a digital signal as of December 8, 2004 to receive distant signals for digital television programming if the subscriber is receiving the local analog signal and the subscriber cannot receive a local digital signal over-the-air.

Satellite carriers that provide any local-into-local service in a market must carry, upon request, all stations in that market that have elected mandatory carriage, and DBS operators are now carrying other local stations in local-into-local markets, including some noncommercial, independent and foreign language stations. SHVERA also now permits satellite providers to carry “significantly viewed” out-of-market stations in certain circumstances when local-into-local service is provided.

Commercial television stations were required to make initial elections for retransmission consent or must-carry status with DBS operators in July 2001, for a four-year period. Beginning in 2006, the cable and satellite election periods will coincide and occur every three years. Satellite market areas are based on A.C. Nielsen’s DMAs. Satellite carriers are not required to carry duplicative network signals from a local market unless the stations are licensed to different communities in different states. Satellite carriers are required to carry all local television stations in a contiguous manner on their channel line-up and may not discriminate in their carriage of stations. DirecTV currently provides satellite carriage of our and Mission’s stations in the Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Shreveport, Wilkes Barre-Scranton, Ft. Wayne, Springfield, Evansville, Peoria, Rochester, Ft. Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers and Champaign-Springfield-Decatur markets. EchoStar currently provides satellite carriage of our and Mission’s stations in the Abilene, Amarillo, Champaign-Springfield-Decatur, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Ft. Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Joplin, MO-Pittsburg, KS, Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Lubbock, Monroe, LA-El Dorado, AR, Peoria, Rochester, Rockford, Terre Haute, Wichita Falls, TX-Lawton, OK, Shreveport, Springfield and Wilkes Barre-Scranton markets. Nexstar and Mission have long-term carriage agreements with both DirecTV and EchoStar that provided for the carriage of the currently carried stations, as well as those subsequently added in new local-to-local markets, or those added by acquisition or other means.

Digital Television. Advanced television is a DTV transmission system that delivers video and audio signals of higher quality (including high definition television) than the existing analog transmission system. DTV also has substantial capabilities for multiplexing (the broadcast of several programs concurrently) and data transmission. The FCC assigned new channels for advanced television to existing broadcast stations in the first half of 1997. For each licensed television station the FCC allocated a DTV channel which is different from the station’s analog channel. In general, the DTV channels assigned to television stations are intended to provide stations with DTV coverage areas that replicate their analog coverage areas. However, there are a number of variables which will ultimately determine the extent to which a station’s DTV operation will provide such replication. Under certain circumstances, a station’s DTV operation may cover less geographic area than the station’s current analog signal. The introduction of digital television will require consumers to purchase new televisions that are capable of receiving and displaying DTV signals, or adapters to receive DTV signals and convert them to an analog signal for display on their existing receivers.

Stations affiliated with the four largest networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) in the top 10 markets were required to begin digital broadcasting by May 1, 1999, and in the top 30 markets by November 1, 1999. The FCC required all remaining commercial television stations in the United States to start broadcasting with at least a low-power digital signal by May 1, 2002, unless the FCC granted an extension of time. Stations may broadcast both analog and DTV signals until at least December 31, 2006. After December 31, 2006, subject to certain conditions described below, the FCC expects to reclaim one of the channels and each broadcaster will operate a single DTV channel. Beginning April 1, 2005, a station must simulcast 100% of its analog programming on its DTV channel.

Channels now used for analog broadcasts range from 2 through 69. The FCC designated Channels 2 through 51 as the “core” channels which will be used for DTV broadcasts. However, because of the limited number of available core DTV channels currently available, the FCC assigned many stations DTV channels above Channel 51 (Channels 52 through 69) for use during the transition from simultaneous digital and analog transmission to DTV-only operations. At the end of the transition these stations will have to change their DTV operation to one of the DTV core channels. This has created three categories of television stations with respect to analog and DTV channel assignments: (1) stations with both their analog and DTV channels within the core channels; (2) stations with either an analog or DTV channel inside the core and the other outside the core; and (3) stations with both their analog and DTV channels outside the core. All of our stations and the stations we provide services to fall within the first or second group. Five stations have their DTV

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assignments outside the core. We do not operate or provide services to any stations for which both the analog and DTV channels are outside the core.

Television station operators may use their DTV signals to provide ancillary services, such as computer software distribution, internet, interactive materials, e-commerce, paging services, audio signals, subscription video, or data transmission services. To the extent a station provides such ancillary services it is subject to the same regulations as are applicable to other analogous services under the FCC’s rules and policies. Commercial television stations also are required to pay the FCC 5% of the gross revenue derived from all ancillary services provided over their DTV signals for which a station received a fee in exchange for the service or received compensation from a third party in exchange for transmission of material from that third party, not including commercial advertisements used to support broadcasting.

On August 4, 2004, the FCC adopted rules setting the dates by which all television stations must be broadcasting a full-power DTV signal. Under these rules, stations affiliated with the four largest networks in the top-100 markets are required to construct full-power DTV facilities by July 1, 2005; provided that if the permanent DTV channel elected is different from the DTV channel on which the station currently is operating, then the station need only construct DTV facilities that serve 100 percent of the population (based on the 2000 census) that their 1997 DTV allocation would serve. All other stations are required to construct full-power DTV facilities by July 1, 2006; provided that the remaining stations whose final elected DTV channel will be different from the DTV channel on which the station currently is operating need only construct DTV facilities that serve 80 percent of the population (based on the 2000 census) that their 1997 DTV allocation would serve. Stations that fail to meet these build-out deadlines will lose interference protection for their signals outside the low-power coverage area.

The Communications Act provides that under certain conditions the DTV transition period may be extended beyond December 31, 2006. The transition is to be extended in any market in which one of the following conditions is met: (1) a station licensed to one of the four largest networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) is not broadcasting a digital signal and that station has qualified for an extension of the FCC’s DTV construction deadline; (2) digital-to-analog converter technology is not generally available in the market; or (3) 15% or more of the television households in the market do not subscribe to a multichannel video programming distributor (cable, direct broadcast satellite) that carries the digital channel of each of the television stations in the market broadcasting a DTV signal, and do not have at least one television receiver capable of receiving the stations’ DTV broadcasts or an analog television receiver equipped with a digital-to-analog converter capable of receiving the stations’ DTV broadcasts. The FCC is working to establish a date certain for the end of the transition. In addition, Congress is currently considering whether to revise this criteria or set a date certain.

DTV Channel Election. On August 4, 2004, the FCC adopted a multi-step channel election process to determine the final DTV channel allotment for every television station. This channel election process will encompass three selection rounds. On February 10, 2005, station operators with both their analog and DTV channels inside the core were required to select which of their assigned channels they intend to use for permanent DTV operations. Stations with only one channel in the 2-51 range (Nexstar’s KQTV, WCFN, WFFT, WHAG, WJET and Mission’s WFXP and KOLR) were required to select a permanent channel or defer a permanent channel selection until the second round, which the FCC tentatively has scheduled for the summer of 2005. All of our stations and the stations we provide services to made a permanent channel election in the first round except for KQTV, for which we have deferred election until the second round.

DTV MVPD Carriage. With respect to cable system carriage of television stations that are broadcasting both analog and DTV signals, such stations may choose must-carry status or retransmission consent for their analog signals, but only retransmission consent for their digital signals. Such stations do not have the right to assert must-carry rights for both their analog and DTV signals or to assert must-carry rights for their DTV signals in lieu of analog carriage. If a television station operates only as a DTV station, or returns its analog channel to the FCC and converts to digital-only operations, it may assert must-carry rights for its DTV signal. Digital television signals carried on a cable system must be available to subscribers on the system’s basic service tier.

With respect to direct-to-the-home satellite service providers, the FCC will address the DTV carriage issue at a later time.

The exercise of must-carry rights by a digital-only television station for its DTV signal applies only to a single programming stream and other program-related content. If a television station is concurrently broadcasting more than one program stream on its DTV signal it may select which program stream is subject to its must-carry election. Cable systems and DBS providers are not required to carry internet, e-commerce or other ancillary services provided over DTV signals if those services are not related to the station’s primary video programming carried on the cable system and if they are not provided to viewers for free.

Other New DTV Requirements. The FCC also adopted new Program System and Information Protocol (“PSIP”) requirements. All DTV stations were required to comply with the new PSIP requirements, which required the installation of new equipment, by February 1, 2005. We and Mission requested a short extension of time to comply with the new PSIP requirements from the FCC due to vendor delivery issues. The installation of the equipment necessary to meet the new PSIP requirements cost approximately $1.3 million in total for our stations and the stations to which we provide services to. These expenditures were funded in 2005 through available cash on hand and cash generated from operations.

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Programming and Operation. The Communications Act requires broadcasters to serve “the public interest.” Since the late 1970s, the FCC gradually has relaxed or eliminated many of the more formalized procedures it had developed to promote the broadcast of certain types of programming responsive to the needs of a station’s community of license. However, television station licensees are still required to present programming that is responsive to community problems, needs and interests and to maintain certain records demonstrating such responsiveness. The FCC may consider complaints from viewers concerning programming when it evaluates a station’s license renewal application, although viewer complaints also may be filed and considered by the FCC at any time. Stations also must follow various rules promulgated under the Communications Act that regulate, among other things:

The FCC’s EEO rules, which became effective on March 10, 2003, require broadcasters to provide broad outreach for all full-time (greater than 30 hours per week) job vacancies. In addition, broadcasters with five or more full-time employees must engage in two long-term recruitment initiatives over each two-year period, and broadcasters in larger markets with more than ten full-time employees must engage in four long-term recruitment initiatives every two years.

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 directed the FCC to establish, if the broadcast industry did not do so on a voluntary basis, guidelines and procedures for rating programming that contains sexual, violent, or other indecent material. A multi-industry task force developed a ratings plan which the FCC has ratified. The FCC also has issued rules that require television manufacturers to install appropriate technology, such as a “V-Chip” that can block programming based on an electronically encoded rating, to facilitate the implementation of the ratings guidelines. Congress currently is holding hearings on other measures to strengthen the FCC’s indecency regulations. These new measures may impact our stations due to our agreements with the networks.

The FCC imposes restrictions on the terms of network affiliation agreements. Among other things, these rules prohibit a television station from entering into any affiliation agreement that: (i) requires the station to clear time for network programming that the station previously scheduled for other use; and (ii) precludes the preemption of network programs that the station determines are unsuitable for its audience and the substitution of network programming with a program the station believes is of greater local or national importance. The FCC is currently reviewing several of its rules governing the relationship between networks and their affiliates. We are unable to predict the outcome of this review.

Proposed Legislation and Regulations. The FCC’s ongoing rule making proceeding concerning implementation of the transition from analog to digital television broadcasts is likely to have a significant impact on the television industry and the operation of our stations and the stations we provide services to. The FCC also has initiated proceedings to determine whether to make TV joint sales agreements attributable interests under its ownership rules and to determine whether it should establish formal rules under which broadcasters will be required to serve the local public interest. In addition, the FCC may decide to initiate other new rule making proceedings, on its own or in response to requests from outside parties, any of which might have such an impact. Congress also may act to amend the Communications Act in a manner that could impact our stations and the stations we provide services to or the television broadcast industry generally.

Employees

As of December 31, 2004, we had a total of 2,072 employees, comprised of 1,810 full-time and 262 part-time or temporary employees. As of December 31, 2004, 191 of our employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements. We believe that our employee relations are satisfactory, and we have not experienced any work stoppages at any of our facilities. However, we cannot assure you that our collective bargaining agreements will be renewed in the future, or that we will not experience a prolonged labor dispute, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

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Risks Related to Our Company

Our substantial debt could limit our ability to grow and compete.

As of December 31, 2004, Nexstar and Mission had $629.9 million of debt, which represented 102.8% of Nexstar and Mission’s total combined capitalization. The companies’ high level of debt could have important consequences to our business. For example, it could:

Refer to Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, “Contractual Obligations” for disclosure of approximate aggregate amount of principal indebtedness scheduled to mature.

In addition, our and Mission’s high level of debt requires us and Mission to dedicate a substantial portion of cash flow to pay principal and interest on debt which will reduce the funds available for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes. We and Mission could also incur additional debt in the future. The terms of our and Mission’s senior credit facilities, as well as the indentures governing our publicly-held notes, limit, but do not prohibit us or Mission from incurring substantial amounts of additional debt. To the extent we or Mission incur additional debt, we would become even more susceptible to the leverage-related risks described above.

The agreements governing our debt contain various covenants that limit our management’s discretion in the operation of our business.

Our senior credit facility and the indentures governing our publicly-held notes contain various covenants that restrict our ability to, among other things:

In addition, our senior credit facility requires us to maintain or meet certain financial ratios, including consolidated leverage ratios and interest coverage ratios. Future financing agreements may contain similar, or even more restrictive, provisions and covenants. As a result of these restrictions and covenants, our management’s ability to operate our business at its discretion is limited, and we may be unable to compete effectively, pursue acquisitions or take advantage of new business opportunities, any of which could harm our business. Mission’s senior credit facility contains similar terms and restrictions.

If we fail to comply with the restrictions in present or future financing agreements, a default may occur. A default could allow creditors to accelerate the related debt as well as any other debt to which a cross-acceleration or cross-default provision applies. A default could also allow creditors to foreclose on any collateral securing such debt.

Mission may make decisions regarding the operation of its stations that could reduce the amount of cash we receive under our local service agreements.

Mission is 100% owned by an independent third party. Mission owns and operates the following television stations: WYOU, WFXP, KJTL, KJBO-LP, KODE, KRBC, KSAN (formerly KACB), KOLR, KHMT, KAMC, KCIT, KCPN-LP, WUTR, WBAK and WTVO (the acquisition of WTVO by Mission closed on January 4, 2005). We have entered into various local service agreements with Mission pursuant to which we provide services to Mission’s stations. In return for the services we provide, we receive substantially all of the available cash, after payment of debt service costs, generated by Mission’s stations. We also guarantee all of the obligations incurred under Mission’s senior credit facility, which were incurred primarily in connection with Mission’s acquisition of its stations. In addition, the sole shareholder of Mission has granted us a purchase option to acquire the assets and liabilities of each Mission station, subject to FCC consent, for consideration equal to the greater of (1) seven times the station’s broadcast cash flow as defined in the option agreement less the amount of its indebtedness as defined in the option agreement or (2) the amount of its indebtedness.

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We do not own Mission or Mission’s television stations. However, we are deemed to have a controlling financial interest in them under U.S. GAAP. In order for our arrangements with Mission under the local service agreements to comply with FCC regulations, Mission maintains complete responsibility for and control over programming, finances, personnel and operations of its stations. As a result, Mission’s sole shareholder and officers can make decisions with which we disagree and which could reduce the cash flow generated by these stations and, as a consequence, the amounts we receive under our local service agreements with Mission. For instance, we may disagree with Mission’s programming decisions, which programming may prove unpopular and/or may generate less advertising revenue. Furthermore, subject to Mission’s agreement with its lenders, Mission’s sole shareholder could choose to pay himself a dividend.

The revenue generated by stations we operate or provide services to could decline substantially if they fail to maintain or renew their network affiliation agreements on favorable terms, or at all.

Due to the quality of the programming provided by the networks, stations that are affiliated with a network generally have higher ratings than unaffiliated independent stations in the same market. As a result, it is important for stations to maintain their network affiliations. Except for Mission-owned KCPN-LP, all of the stations we operate or provide services to have affiliation agreements with a network––twelve stations have primary affiliation agreements with NBC, eight with CBS, nine with ABC, twelve with Fox and three with UPN. Each of NBC, CBS and ABC generally provides affiliated stations with up to 22 hours of prime time programming per week, while each of Fox and UPN provides affiliated stations with up to 15 hours of prime time programming per week. In return, affiliated stations broadcast the respective network’s commercials during the network programming. Under the affiliation agreements with NBC, CBS and ABC, affiliated stations also receive cash compensation from these networks.

All of the network affiliation agreements of the stations that we own, operate, program or provide sales and other services to are scheduled to expire at various times beginning in June 2005 through January 2013, except for one network affiliation agreement which can be terminated upon 30 days prior written notice by the network. We are currently in negotiation with ABC regarding the network affiliation agreement for three of our stations, all of which expired in January 2005. Mission is currently in similar discussion with ABC regarding the network affiliation agreement for one of its stations. ABC has granted short-term extensions of the existing agreements as renewal discussions continue. Network affiliation agreements are also subject to earlier termination by the networks under limited circumstances. For more information regarding these network affiliation agreements, see “Business––Network Affiliations.”

The loss of the services of our chief executive officer could disrupt management of our business and impair the execution of our business strategies.

We believe that our success depends upon our ability to retain the services of Perry A. Sook, our founder, President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Sook has been instrumental in determining our strategic direction and focus. The loss of Mr. Sook’s services could adversely affect our ability to manage effectively our overall operations and successfully execute current or future business strategies.

Our growth may be limited if we are unable to implement our acquisition strategy.

We intend to continue our growth by selectively pursuing acquisitions of television stations. The television broadcast industry is undergoing consolidation, which may reduce the number of acquisition targets and increase the purchase price of future acquisitions. Some of our competitors may have greater financial or management resources with which to pursue acquisition targets. Therefore, even if we are successful in identifying attractive acquisition targets, we may face considerable competition and our acquisition strategy may not be successful.

FCC rules and policies may also make it more difficult for us to acquire or enter into local service agreements with additional television stations. Television station acquisitions are subject to the approval of the FCC and, potentially, other regulatory authorities. The need for FCC and other regulatory approvals could restrict our ability to consummate future transactions if, for example, the FCC or other government agencies believe that a proposed transaction would result in excessive concentration in a market, even if the proposed combinations may otherwise comply with FCC ownership limitations.

Growing our business through acquisitions involves risks and if we are unable to manage effectively our rapid growth, our operating results will suffer.

We have experienced rapid growth. Since January 1, 2003, we have more than doubled the number of stations that we own, operate, program or provide sales and other services to, having acquired 15 stations and contracted to provide service to 10 additional stations. We will continue to actively pursue additional acquisition opportunities. To manage effectively our growth and address the increased reporting requirements and administrative demands that will result from future acquisitions, we will need, among other things, to continue to develop our financial and management controls and management information systems. We will also need to continue to identify, attract and retain highly skilled finance and management personnel. Failure to do any of these tasks in an efficient and timely manner could seriously harm our business.

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There are other risks associated with growing our business through acquisitions. For example, with any past or future acquisition, there is the possibility that:

The occurrence of any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, particularly during the period immediately following any acquisition.

FCC actions may restrict our ability to create duopolies under local service agreements, which would harm our existing operations and impair our acquisition strategy.

We have created duopolies in some of our markets by entering into what we refer to as local service agreements. While these agreements take varying forms, a typical local service agreement is an agreement between two separately-owned television stations serving the same market, whereby the owner of one station provides operational assistance to the other station, subject to ultimate editorial and other controls being exercised by the latter station’s owner. By operating or entering into local service agreements with more than one station in a market, we achieve significant operational efficiencies, broaden our audience reach and enhance our ability to capture more advertising spending in a given market.

While our existing local service agreements comply with FCC rules and policies, we cannot assure you that the FCC will continue to permit local service agreements as a means of creating duopoly-type opportunities, or that the FCC will not challenge our existing arrangements with Mission or Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. in the future. On August 2, 2004, the FCC initiated a rule making proceeding to determine whether to make TV joint sales agreements attributable under its ownership rules. Comments and reply comments were filed in this proceeding in the fourth quarter of 2004. The FCC has not yet issued a decision in this proceeding. However, if the FCC adopts a JSA attribution rule for TV stations we will be required to comply with the rule. In addition, if in response to a third party complaint, the FCC challenges our existing arrangements with Mission or Sinclair and determines that such arrangements violate the FCC’s rules or policies, we may be required to terminate such arrangements and we could be subject to sanctions, fines and/or other penalties.

The FCC may decide to terminate “grandfathered” time brokerage agreements.

The FCC attributes toward the local television ownership limits in-market stations when one station owner programs a second in-market station pursuant to a time brokerage agreement (“TBA”) or local marketing agreement, if the programmer provides more than 15 percent of the second station’s weekly broadcast programming. However, local marketing agreements entered into prior to November 5, 1996 are exempt attributable interests for now.

The FCC likely will review these “grandfathered” TBAs during 2005 or 2006. During this review, the FCC may determine to terminate the “grandfathered” period and make all TBAs fully attributable to the programmer. If the FCC does so, Nexstar and Mission will be required to terminate the TBAs for stations WFXP and KHMT, unless the FCC simultaneously changes its duopoly rules to allow ownership of two stations in the applicable markets.

Failure to construct full-power DTV facilities may lead to a loss of station coverage area or other FCC sanctions.

FCC regulations required all commercial television stations in the United States to commence digital operations by May 1, 2002, in addition to continuing their analog operations, unless an extension of time was granted. Except for WFXV, WQRF and KNWA (formerly KFAA), all of the television stations we and Mission own and operate or provide services to are broadcasting at least a low power digital television signal. WQRF received its DTV construction permit on November 2004 and has until November 2005 to construct DTV facilities. WFXV received its DTV construction permit on January 14, 2005 and has until January 14, 2006 to construct its DTV facilities. J.D.G. Television, Inc. (“JDG TV”), the former licensee of KNWA, had until March 4, 2004 to construct DTV facilities for the station. On February 20, 2004, JDG TV filed a request for extension of time to construct the DTV facilities; the FCC has not yet acted on this request. On August 3, 2004, JDG TV requested FCC consent to modify KNWA’s proposed DTV facilities. The FCC granted KNWA a modified DTV construction permit, establishing a construction deadline of March 3, 2005. On January 21, 2005, we filed a request with the FCC to extend KNWA’s modified construction permit deadline. When the FCC acts on our extension request, we will have six months to complete construction of KNWA’s DTV facilities. If KNWA is not broadcasting a digital signal by the end of this six-month period we could be subject to further sanctions, including, eventually, loss of the DTV construction permit.

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The digital transmissions may initially be low-power, but full-power transmission will be required by July 1, 2005 for stations affiliated with the four largest networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) affiliates in the top-100 markets and by July 1, 2006 for all other stations. Stations that fail to meet these build-out deadlines will lose interference protection for their signals outside the low-power coverage area.

The FCC stated it plans to establish a limited waiver process for stations that cannot meet the full-power DTV deadlines due to severe financial constraints or circumstances beyond licensee control (such as zoning issues). For each of the stations we and Mission own and operate or provide services to that do not obtain a waiver and are not broadcasting a full-power digital signal by the deadlines set by the FCC, such station may lose its interference protection, which could have a material adverse effect on the station.

The interest of our principal stockholder, ABRY Partners, LLC and its affiliated funds (“ABRY”), in other media may limit our ability to acquire television stations in particular markets, restricting our ability to execute our acquisition strategy.

The number of television stations we may acquire in any market is limited by FCC rules and may vary depending upon whether the interests in other television stations or other media properties of persons affiliated with us are attributable under FCC rules. The broadcast or other media interest of our officers, directors and stockholders with 5% or greater voting power are generally attributable under the FCC’s rules, which may limit us from acquiring or owning television stations in particular markets while those officers, directors or stockholders are associated with us. In addition, the holder of otherwise non-attributable equity and/or debt in a licensee in excess of 33% of the total debt and equity of the licensee will be attributable where the holder is either a major program supplier to that licensee or the holder has an attributable interest in another broadcast station, cable system or daily newspaper in the same market.

ABRY, our principal stockholder, is one of the largest private firms specializing in media and broadcasting investments. As a result of ABRY’s interest in us, we could be prevented from acquiring broadcast companies in markets where ABRY has an attributable interest in television stations or other media, which could impair our ability to execute our acquisition strategy. Our certificate of incorporation allows ABRY and its affiliates to identify, pursue and consummate additional acquisitions of television stations or other broadcast related businesses that may be complementary to our business and therefore such acquisitions opportunities may not be available to us.

We are controlled by one principal stockholder, ABRY, and its interests may differ from your interests.

As a result of ABRY’s controlling interest in us, ABRY is able to exercise a controlling influence over our business and affairs. ABRY is able to unilaterally determine the outcome of any matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, including the election and removal of directors and the approval of any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. In addition, five of our directors are or were affiliated with ABRY. ABRY’s interests may differ from the interests of other securityholders and ABRY could take actions or make decisions that are not in the best interests of our securityholders. Furthermore, this concentration of ownership by ABRY may have the effect of impeding a merger, consolidation, takeover or other business combination involving us or discouraging a potential acquirer from making a tender offer for our shares.

Our certification of incorporation, bylaws, debt instruments and Delaware law contain anti-takeover protections that may discourage or prevent a takeover of us, even if an acquisition would be beneficial to our stockholders.

Provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, as well as provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law, could delay or make it more difficult to remove incumbent directors or for a third party to acquire us, even if a takeover would benefit our stockholders. The provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws:

The Delaware General Corporation Law prohibits us from engaging in “business combinations” with “interested shareholders” (with some exceptions) unless such transaction is approved in a prescribed manner. The existence of this provision could have an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions not approved in advance by the board of directors, including discouraging attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for our common stock.

In addition, a change in control would be an event of default under our senior credit facility and trigger the rights of holders of our publicly-traded notes to cause us to repurchase such notes. These events would add to the cost of an acquisition, which could deter a third party from acquiring us.

Nexstar and Mission have a history of net losses and a substantial accumulated deficit.

Nexstar and Mission had consolidated net losses of $20.5 million, $71.8 million and $99.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively, primarily as a result of amortization of intangible assets and debt service obligations. In addition, as of December 31, 2004, Nexstar and Mission had a combined accumulated deficit of $410.0 million. Nexstar and Mission may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability.

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Nexstar and Mission have a material amount of goodwill and intangible assets, and if Nexstar and Mission are required to write down goodwill and intangible assets in future periods in compliance with prevailing accounting standards, it would reduce Nexstar and Mission’s net income, which in turn could materially and adversely affect Nexstar and Mission’s results of operations.

Approximately $519.6 million, or 70.7%, of Nexstar and Mission’s combined total assets as of December 31, 2004, consist of goodwill and unamortized intangible assets. Intangible assets principally include network affiliation agreements and FCC licenses. In July 2001, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets” (“SFAS No. 142”) which became effective on January 1, 2002. SFAS No. 142 requires, among other things, the discontinuance of the amortization of goodwill and FCC licenses, and the introduction of impairment testing in its place. SFAS No. 142 also required Nexstar and Mission to complete a transitional test of goodwill and FCC licenses for impairment and, as a result, Nexstar and Mission recorded goodwill impairment loss of $43.5 million, net of taxes, which has been accounted for as a cumulative effect of change in accounting principle in the first quarter of 2002. We and Mission completed our annual tests for impairment of goodwill and FCC licenses as of December 31, 2004 and 2003 with $0 impairment being recognized in 2004 and 2003 from this testing.

Risks Related to Our Industry

Nexstar’s operating results are dependent on advertising revenue and as a result, Nexstar may be more vulnerable to economic downturns and other factors beyond Nexstar’s control than businesses not dependent on advertising.

Nexstar derives revenue primarily from the sale of advertising time. Nexstar’s ability to sell advertising time depends on numerous factors that may be beyond Nexstar’s control, including:

Because businesses generally reduce their advertising budgets during economic recessions or downturns, the reliance upon advertising revenue makes Nexstar’s operating results particularly susceptible to prevailing economic conditions. In general, advertising revenue declined substantially in 2001 due in large part to the economic recession and the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. We cannot assure you that our programming will attract sufficient targeted viewership or that we will achieve favorable ratings. Our ratings depend partly upon unpredictable and volatile factors beyond our control, such as viewer preferences, competing programming and the availability of other entertainment activities. A shift in viewer preferences could cause our programming not to gain popularity or to decline in popularity, which could cause our advertising revenue to decline. In addition, we and the programming providers upon which we rely may not be able to anticipate, and effectively react to, shifts in viewer tastes and interests in our markets.

Because a high percentage of our operating expenses are fixed, a relatively small decrease in advertising revenue could have a significant negative impact on our financial results.

Our business is characterized generally by high fixed costs, primarily for debt service, broadcast rights and personnel. Other than commissions paid to our sales staff and outside sales agencies, our expenses do not vary significantly with the increase or decrease in advertising revenue. As a result, a relatively small change in advertising prices could have a disproportionate effect on our financial results. Accordingly, a minor shortfall in expected revenue could have a significant negative impact on our financial results.

Foreign hostilities and further terrorist attacks may affect our revenue and results of operations.

Nexstar may experience a loss of advertising revenue and incur additional broadcasting expenses in the event the United States of America engages in foreign hostilities or in the event there is a terrorist attack against the United States of America. A significant news event like a war or terrorist attack will likely result in the preemption of regularly scheduled programming by network news coverage of the event. As a result, advertising may not be aired and the revenue for such advertising may be lost unless the broadcast station is able to run the advertising at agreed-upon times in the future. There can be no assurance that advertisers will agree to run such advertising in future time periods or that space will be available for such advertising. We cannot predict the duration of such preemption of local programming if it occurs. In addition, our broadcasting stations may incur additional expenses as a result of expanded news coverage of the local impact of a war or terrorist attack. The loss of revenue and increased expenses could negatively affect Nexstar’s results of operations.

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The industry-wide mandatory conversion to digital television will require us to make significant capital expenditures for which we might not see a return on our investment.

It will be expensive to convert from the current analog format to digital format. This conversion required an average initial capital expenditure of approximately $0.2 million per station for low-power transmission of digital signal programming, and we estimate that it will require an average additional capital expenditure of approximately $1.5 million per station (for 40 stations) to modify our and Mission’s stations’ DTV transmitters for full-power digital signal transmission, including costs for the transmitter, transmission line, antenna and installation, and estimated costs for tower upgrades and/or modifications. Digital conversion expenditures were $0.3 million and $3.4 million, respectively, for the years ended December 31, 2004 and 2003.

The transition to DTV eventually will require consumers to purchase new televisions that are capable of receiving and displaying DTV signals, or adapters to receive DTV signals and convert them to analog signals for display on their existing receivers. Currently, very few households have either a digital television or an adapter. It is possible that most households will never make the switch to digital television. Such households would not be able to view our stations’ signals over-the-air if the FCC requires us to cease broadcasting analog signals. If this happens our investment in upgrading our stations to broadcast digitally will have been largely wasted with respect to such households.

In addition, digital technology could expose us to additional competition since digital technology allows broadcasting of multiple channels within the additional allocated spectrum, compared to only one channel today using analog technology. We do not know what effect this will have on the competitive landscape in our industry.

If direct broadcast satellite companies do not carry the stations that we own and operate or provide services to, we could lose revenue and audience share.

The Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act allows direct broadcast satellite television companies to continue transmitting local broadcast television signals to subscribers in local markets provided that they offer to carry all local stations in that market. However, satellite providers have limited satellite capacity to deliver local station signals in local markets. Satellite providers, such as DirecTV and EchoStar, carry our and Mission’s stations in only some of our markets and may choose not to carry local stations in any of our other markets. DirecTV currently provides satellite carriage of our and Mission’s stations only in the Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Shreveport, Wilkes Barre-Scranton, Ft. Wayne, Springfield, Evansville, Peoria, Rochester, Ft. Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers and Champaign-Springfield-Decatur markets. EchoStar currently provides satellite carriage of our and Mission’s stations only in the Abilene, Amarillo, Abilene, Champaign-Springfield-Decatur, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Ft. Smith-Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Joplin, MO-Pittsburg, KS, Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Lubbock, Monroe, LA-El Dorado, AR, Peoria, Rochester, Rockford, Terre Haute, Wichita Falls, TX-Lawton, OK, Shreveport, Springfield and Wilkes Barre-Scranton markets. In those markets in which the satellite providers do not carry local station signals, subscribers to those satellite services are unable to view local stations without making further arrangements, such as installing antennas and switches. Furthermore, when direct broadcast satellite companies do carry local television stations in a market, they are permitted to charge subscribers extra for such service. Some subscribers may choose not to pay extra to receive local television stations. In the event subscribers to satellite services do not receive the stations that we own and operate or provide services to, we could lose audience share which would adversely affect our revenue and earnings.

If we are unable to reach retransmission consent agreements with cable companies for the carriage of our stations’ signals, we could lose audience share and revenue.

The Communications Act permits stations to elect between retransmission consent and mandatory carriage (must-carry) in connection with the carriage of their stations’ signals by cable companies. Nexstar’s stations have elected to exercise their retransmission consent rights and have negotiated agreements with cable companies for the carriage of its stations’ signals. Some of Mission’s stations also have elected retransmission consent and have negotiated agreements with cable companies for the carriage of these stations’ signals.

On December 31, 2004, our and Mission’s retransmission consent agreements with Cox Communications, Inc. for the carriage of stations KLST and KRBC expired. Also on December 31, 2004, our and Mission’s retransmission consent agreements with Cable One, Inc. for KSNF, KTAL and KODE expired. On February 1, 2005, our retransmission consent agreement with Cox for KTAL expired. We and Mission have been unable to reach new agreements with Cox or Cable One for the carriage of these stations. If new agreements with Cox or Cable One are not reached, we and Mission could lose audience share which would affect our revenue. We are currently unable to determine the ultimate outcome of these matters, but do not believe they will have a material effect on our consolidated financial condition or results of operations.

The FCC can sanction us for programming on our stations which it finds to be indecent.

In 2004, the FCC imposed substantial fines on television broadcasters for the broadcast of indecent material in violation of the Communications Act and its rules. The FCC also revised its indecency review analysis to more strictly prohibit the use of certain language on broadcast television. Because our and Mission’s stations’ programming is in large-part comprised of programming provided by the networks with which the stations are affiliated, we and Mission do not have full control over what is broadcast on our stations, and we and Mission may be subject to the imposition of fines if the FCC finds such programming to be indecent.

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In addition, Congress currently is considering legislation that will substantially increase the maximum amount the FCC can fine broadcasters for the broadcast of indecent programming and may consider permitting the FCC to institute license revocation proceedings against any station which repeatedly violates the indecency regulations.

Intense competition in the television industry could limit our growth and impair our ability to become profitable.

As a television broadcasting company, we face a significant level of competition, both directly and indirectly. Generally we compete for our audience against all the other leisure activities in which one could choose to engage in rather than watch television. Specifically, stations we own or provide services to compete for audience share, programming and advertising revenue with other television stations in their respective markets and with other advertising media, including newspapers, radio stations, cable television and the Internet.

The entertainment industry, and particularly the television industry, is highly competitive and is undergoing a period of consolidation. Many of our current and potential competitors have greater financial, marketing, programming and broadcasting resources than we do. The markets in which we operate are also in a constant state of change arising from, among other things, technological improvements and economic and regulatory developments. Technological innovation and the resulting proliferation of television entertainment, such as cable television, wireless cable, satellite-to-home distribution services, pay-per-view and home video and entertainment systems, have fractionalized television viewing audiences and have subjected free over-the-air television broadcast stations to increased competition. We may not be able to compete effectively or adjust our business plans to meet changing market conditions. We are unable to predict what form of competition will develop in the future, the extent of the competition or its possible effects on our businesses.

In addition, on February 19, 2002, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit directed the FCC to repeal in its entirety the local television/cable cross-ownership rule, which prohibited any cable television system from carrying the signal of any television broadcast station with a predicted service area that overlaps, in whole or in part, the cable system’s service area, if the cable system (or any of its attributable principals) had an attributable interest in the television station. As a result of such repeal, cable systems and co-located television stations now may be commonly-owned. This means that the operator of a cable system that carries one of the stations we own or provide services to can be the owner of a competing station in the market.

On June 2, 2003, the FCC eliminated its radio/television cross-ownership rule and its local television/newspaper cross-ownership rule, replacing both with a new single cross media ownership rule. Under this new rule, a daily newspaper, under certain circumstances, may be able to own a television station in the same market. This means that the owner of a local newspaper could become the owner of a competing station in the market. This rule was to become effective on September 4, 2003. However, on September 3, 2003, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit stayed the effectiveness of the new rule and on June 24, 2004, the Court remanded the rule back to the FCC for further consideration. On January 31, 2005, the National Association of Broadcasters and other industry parties requested the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Third Circuit’s decision. For more information about this rule, which also remains subject to petitions for reconsideration at the FCC and Congressional review and modification, see “Business—Federal Regulation of Television Broadcasting—Cross Media Ownership.”

We lease our primary corporate headquarters, which are located at 909 Lake Carolyn Parkway, Irving, Texas 75039 and occupy approximately 8,749 square feet.

Nexstar and Mission own and lease facilities in the following locations:

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From time to time, Nexstar and Mission are involved in litigation that arises from the ordinary operations of business, such as contractual or employment disputes or other general actions. In the event of an adverse outcome of these proceedings, Nexstar and Mission believe the resulting liabilities would not have a material adverse effect on Nexstar’s and Mission’s financial condition or results of operations.

We did not submit any matter to a vote of our shareholders during the fourth quarter of 2004.

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PART II

Market Prices; Record Holders and Dividends

Our Class A Common Stock trades on The Nasdaq Stock Market’s National Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “NXST”.

The following table sets forth the high and low sales prices for our Class A Common Stock for the periods indicated, as reported by Nasdaq:

The following table summarizes the outstanding shares of common stock held by shareholders of record as of January 31, 2005:

We have not paid and do not expect to pay any dividends or distribution on our common stock for the foreseeable future. We currently expect to retain future earnings, if any, for use in the operation and expansion of our business. Our subsidiaries’ senior credit facilities and the indentures governing our subsidiaries’ publicly-held notes restrict our ability to pay cash dividends.

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

For an overview of our option plans and grants, we refer you to Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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The selected historical consolidated financial data presented below for the years ended December 31, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001 and 2000 have been derived from our consolidated financial statements. The following financial data should be read in conjunction with Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

On December 30, 2003, we completed the acquisition of all the direct and indirect subsidiaries of Quorum Broadcast Holdings, LLC (“Quorum”). Quorum owned and operated 11 television stations and provided management, sales or other services to an additional 5 stations. The Quorum acquisition was structured as a merger of Quorum’s direct subsidiaries with and into us. The merger constituted a tax-free reorganization and has been accounted for as a merger under common control in a manner similar to pooling of interests. Accordingly, our consolidated financial statements herein have been restated to include the financial results of all of the Quorum subsidiaries for all periods prior to 2004.