UNITED STATES


SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION


Washington, DC 20549





FORM 10-K




x
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934




For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010




OR




 ̈
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934




For the transition period from              to             .




Commission File Number: 333-62916-02







MISSION BROADCASTING, INC.


(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)





Delaware
51-0388022(State of Organization or Incorporation)
(IRS Employer Identification No.)30400 Detroit Road, Suite 304

Westlake, Ohio
44145(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
(Zip Code)(440) 526-2227(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)








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




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


Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes   ̈    No  x




Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    Yes  x    No   ̈




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 checkmark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes   ̈    No   ̈




Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405) 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 a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act (check one):





Large accelerated filer   ̈
Accelerated filer   ̈
Non-accelerated filer  x
Smaller reporting company   ̈(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)


Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes  ̈    No x




As of June 30, 2010, Mission Broadcasting, Inc. had one shareholder, David S. Smith. Mr. Smith held all 1,000 shares of the outstanding common stock of Mission Broadcasting, Inc. at June 30, 2010. As of March 1, 2011, Mission Broadcasting, Inc. had 1,000 shares of common stock outstanding.





TABLE OF CONTENTS





PagePART IITEM 1.
Business
2ITEM 1A.
Risk Factors
10ITEM 1B.
Unresolved Staff Comments
16ITEM 2.
Properties
17ITEM 3.
Legal Proceedings
17ITEM 4.
Reserved
17PART IIITEM 5.
Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
17ITEM 6.
Selected Financial Data
18ITEM 7.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
19ITEM 7A.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
29ITEM 8.
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
29ITEM 9.
Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
29ITEM 9A.
Controls and Procedures
30ITEM 9B.
Other Information
30PART IIIITEM 10.
Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
31ITEM 11.
Executive Compensation
31ITEM 12.
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
32ITEM 13.
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
33ITEM 14.
Principal Accountant Fees and Services
35PART IVITEM 15.
Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
35Index to Financial Statements
F-1Index to Exhibits
E-1








i


General




As used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and unless the context indicates otherwise, “Mission,” “we,” “our,” “ours”, “us” and the “Company” refer to Mission Broadcasting, Inc., “Nexstar Broadcasting Group” refers to Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries and “Nexstar” refers to Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc., an indirect subsidiary of Nexstar Broadcasting Group. Mission has entered into time brokerage, shared services and joint sales agreements (which we generally refer to as local service agreements) with certain television stations owned by Nexstar, but Mission does not own any equity interests in Nexstar and Nexstar does not own any equity interests in Mission. For a description of the relationship between Mission and Nexstar, see Item 13. “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.”




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 Investing in Television Market Report 2010 4thEdition, as published by BIA Financial Network, Inc.




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:  Seinfeld (Columbia Tristar Televisions Distribution, a unit of Sony Pictures) and Entertainment Tonight (Paramount Distribution, a division of Viacom Inc.).




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 1A. “Risk Factors” elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). 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.




1


PART I




Item 1.                      Business




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 out of the 210 generally recognized television markets, as reported by A.C. Nielsen Company.




As of December 31, 2010, we owned and operated 16 stations and one digital multicast (“DM”) channel. The stations are in markets located in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Louisiana, Texas and Montana. Our stations have primary network affiliations with NBC (3 stations), Fox (5 stations), ABC (4 stations), CBS (2 stations) and MyNetworkTV (2 stations). Additionally, one of our stations has a secondary network affiliation with MyNetworkTV, broadcast over a DM.




We believe that medium-sized markets offer significant advantages over large-sized 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 four or five 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.




Our stations provide free over-the-air programming to our markets’ television viewing audiences. This programming includes (a) programs produced by networks with which the stations are affiliated; (b) programs that the stations produce; and (c) first-run and rerun syndicated programs that the stations acquire. Our primary source of revenue is indirectly derived from the sale of commercial air time to local and national advertisers that is paid to us by Nexstar under local service agreements.




Our principal offices are located at 30400 Detroit Road, Suite 304, Westlake, Ohio 44145. Our telephone number is (440) 526-2227.




Local Service Agreements and Purchase Options




The following table summarizes the various local service agreements our stations had in effect as of December 31, 2010 with Nexstar-owned stations:





Service Agreements
StationsTBA Only(1)
WFXP and KHMTSSA & JSA(2)
KJTL, KJBO-LP, KOLR, KCIT, KCPN-LP, KAMC, KRBC, KSAN, WUTR, WFXW, WYOU, KODE, KTVE and WTVO





(1)
Mission has a time brokerage agreement (“TBA”) for each of these stations which allows Nexstar to program most of each station’s broadcast time, sell each station’s advertising time and retain the advertising revenue generated in exchange for monthly payments to Mission.


(2)
Mission has both a shared services agreement (“SSA”) and a joint sales agreement (“JSA”) for each of these stations. The SSA allows the sharing of services including news production, technical maintenance and security, in exchange for Nexstar’s right to receive certain payments from Mission as described in the SSAs. The JSAs permit Nexstar to sell and retain a percentage of the net revenue from the station’s advertising time in return for monthly payments to Mission of the remaining percentage of net revenue, as described in the JSAs.




Under these agreements, we are responsible for certain operating expenses of our stations and therefore may have unlimited exposure to any potential operating losses. We will continue to operate our stations under the SSAs and JSAs or TBAs until the termination of such agreements. The SSAs and JSAs generally have terms of ten years. Nexstar indemnifies Mission for Nexstar’s activities pursuant to the local service agreements.




The arrangements under the SSAs and JSAs have had the effect of Nexstar receiving substantially all of the available cash, after debt service costs, generated by the stations listed above. The arrangements under the TBAs have also had the effect of Nexstar receiving substantially all of the available cash generated by the TBA stations listed above. We anticipate that, through these local service agreements, Nexstar will continue to receive substantially all of our available cash, after payments for debt service costs, generated by the stations listed above.


2


Nexstar Broadcasting Group guarantees all obligations incurred under our senior secured credit facility. We are a guarantor of the senior secured credit facility entered into by Nexstar and the senior subordinated notes issued by Nexstar. In consideration of Nexstar Broadcasting Group’s guarantee of our senior secured credit facility, our sole shareholder has granted Nexstar purchase options to acquire the assets and assume the liabilities of each Mission television station, subject to FCC consent, for consideration equal to the greater of (1) seven times the station’s 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. These option agreements (which expire on various dates between 2011 and 2018) are freely exercisable or assignable by Nexstar without consent or approval by our sole shareholder. We expect these option agreements to be renewed upon expiration.




Refer to Part III, Item 13. “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence” for a more complete disclosure of the local service and option agreements our stations had in effect as of December 31, 2010.




Business Strategy




The operating revenue of our stations is derived primarily from broadcast advertising revenue sold and collected by Nexstar and paid to us under the JSAs. Broadcast advertising revenue is affected by a number of factors, including the economic conditions of the markets in which we operate, the demographic makeup of those markets and the marketing strategy employed in each market. Our primary operating expense consists of fixed monthly SSA fees paid to Nexstar for news production and technical and other services. To a lesser extent, our operating expenses include employee compensation and related benefits. A large percentage of the costs involved in the operation of our stations remain fixed.




The Stations




The following chart sets forth general information about the stations that we owned and operated as of December 31, 2010:





Market

Rank(1)

Market

Station

Affiliation

Commercial Stations

inMarket (2)

FCCLicense

ExpirationDate54

Wilkes Barre-Scranton, PA

WYOU

CBS

7

(3)74

Springfield, MO

KOLR

CBS

6

(3)131

Amarillo, TX

KCIT

Fox

5

(3)KCPN-LP

MyNetworkTV



(3)134

Rockford, IL

WTVO/WTVO-D-2

ABC/MyNetworkTV

4

(3)138

Monroe, LA-El Dorado, AR

KTVE

NBC

6

6/1/13142

Lubbock, TX

KAMC

ABC

5

(3)144

Erie, PA

WFXP

Fox

4

(3)146

Wichita Falls, TX- Lawton, OK

KJTL

Fox

5

(3)KJBO-LP

MyNetworkTV



(3)148

Joplin, MO-Pittsburg, KS

KODE

ABC

4

(3)152

Terre Haute, IN

WFXW

Fox

3

(3)165

Abilene-Sweetwater, TX

KRBC

NBC

4

(3)170

Billings, MT

KHMT

Fox

4

(3)171

Utica, NY

WUTR

ABC

4

(3)196

San Angelo, TX

KSAN

NBC

4

(3)





(1)
Market rank refers to ranking the size of the Designated Market Area (“DMA”) in which the station is located in relation to other DMAs. Source: Investing in Television Market Report 2010 4thEdition, as published by BIA Financial Network, Inc.


(2)
The term “commercial station” means a television broadcast station and excludes non-commercial stations, religious and Spanish-language stations, cable program services or networks. Source: Investing in Television Market Report 2010 4thEdition, as published by BIA Financial Network, Inc.


(3)
Application for renewal of license timely was submitted to the FCC. Under the FCC’s rules, a license expiration date automatically is extended pending review of and action on the renewal application by the FCC.





3





Industry Background





Commercial television broadcasting began in the United States on a regular basis in the 1940s. Currently a limited number of channels are available for over-the-air broadcasting in any one geographic area and a license to operate a television station must be granted by the FCC. 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 DMA. 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 station’s rating in a market can be a factor in determining advertising rates.




Most television stations are affiliated with networks and receive a significant part of their programming, including prime-time hours, from networks. 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. Network programming, along with cash payments for some NBC, ABC and CBS affiliates, is provided to the affiliate by the network in exchange for the network’s retention of 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 it sells during network programs and from advertising time it sells during non-network programs.




Broadcast television stations compete for advertising revenue primarily with other commercial broadcast television stations, cable and satellite television systems and, to a lesser extent, with newspapers, radio stations and internet advertising 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.




Network Affiliations




Each of our stations is affiliated with a network pursuant to an affiliation agreement, as described below:





Station

Market

Affiliation

ExpirationKCIT

Amarillo, TX

Fox

June 2010(1)KHMT

Billings, MT

Fox

June 2010(1)KJTL

Wichita Falls, TX-Lawton, OK

Fox

June 2010(1)WFXP

Erie, PA

Fox

June 2010(1)WFXW

Terre Haute, IN

Fox

June 2010(1)WUTR

Utica, NY

ABC

December 2010(1)WTVO

Rockford, IL

ABC

December 2010(1)KAMC

Lubbock, TX

ABC

December 2010(1)KTVE

Monroe, LA-El Dorado, AR

NBC

December 2011KSAN

San Angelo, TX

NBC

December 2011KRBC

Abilene-Sweetwater, TX

NBC

December 2011KODE

Joplin, MO-Pittsburg, KS

ABC

December 2012KOLR

Springfield, MO

CBS

June 2013KCPN-LP

Amarillo, TX

MyNetworkTV

August 2014KJBO-LP

Wichita Falls, TX-Lawton, OK

MyNetworkTV

August 2014WTVO-D-2

Rockford, IL

MyNetworkTV

August 2014WYOU

Wilkes Barre-Scranton, PA

CBS

June 2015





(1)
These arrangements have continued under their previous agreements during renewal negotiations with the networks.




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, some stations receive compensation from the network based on the hours of network programming they broadcast.




We expect all of the network affiliation agreements listed above to be renewed upon expiration.


4


Competition




Competition in the television industry takes place on several levels: competition for audience, competition for programming and competition for advertising.




Audience. Our stations compete for audience share specifically on the basis of program popularity. The popularity of a station’s programming has a direct effect on the advertising rates it can charge its advertisers. A portion of the daily programming on the stations that we own 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. The major television networks have also begun to sell their programming directly to the consumer via portable digital devices such as video iPods and cell phones, which presents an additional source of competition for television broadcaster audience share. Other sources of competition for audiences include home entertainment systems (such as VCRs, DVDs, and DVRs), video-on-demand and pay-per-view, the Internet (including network distribution of programming through websites) and gaming devices.




Although the commercial television broadcast industry historically has been dominated by the ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox television networks, other newer television networks and the growth in popularity of subscription systems, such as local cable and direct broadcast satellite (“DBS”) systems which air exclusive programming not otherwise available in a market, have become significant competitors for the over-the-air television audience.




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. 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. Time Warner Inc., Comcast Corporation, Viacom Inc., News Corporation 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.




Advertising. Stations compete for advertising revenue with other television stations in their respective markets; and other advertising media such as newspapers, radio stations, magazines, outdoor advertising, transit advertising, yellow page directories, direct mail, local cable systems, DBS systems and the Internet. Competition for advertising dollars in the broadcasting industry occurs primarily within individual markets. Generally, a television broadcast station in a particular market does not compete with stations in other market areas.




Additional Competitive Factors. The broadcasting industry is continually faced with technological change and innovation which increase the popularity of competing entertainment and communications media. 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.


5


Federal Regulation




Television broadcasting is subject to the jurisdiction of the FCC under the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the “Communications Act”). The following is a brief discussion of certain provisions of the Communications Act and the FCC’s regulations and policies that affect the business operations of television broadcasting stations. 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 some of the statutory and regulatory rules and policies currently in effect. For more information about the nature and extent of FCC regulation of television broadcast stations you should refer to the Communications Act and the FCC’s rules, public notices, and policies.




License Grant and Renewal. The Communications Act prohibits the operation of broadcast stations except under licenses issued by the FCC. 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. A 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.




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 will 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.




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




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




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 or daily newspaper.




Local Ownership (Duopoly Rule). Under the current 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 at least eight independently owned and operating full-power television stations in the DMA with overlapping service contours and one of the combining stations is not ranked among the top four stations in the DMA. The duopoly 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.


6


Under the duopoly 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% of the second station’s weekly broadcast programming. However, local marketing agreements entered into prior to November 5, 1996 are exempt attributable interests until the FCC determines otherwise. This “grandfathered” period, when reviewed by the FCC, is subject to possible extension or termination.




In certain of our markets, we own and operate both full-power and low-power television broadcast stations (in Wichita Falls, we own and operate KJTL and KJBO-LP; and in Amarillo, we own and operate 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 KJBO-LP and KCPN-LP.




We currently do not operate two full-power stations in any market.




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% 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% 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 that Mission owns have a combined national audience reach of 1.2% of television households with the UHF discount.




Radio/Television Cross-Ownership Rule (One-to-a-Market Rule).In markets with at least 20 independently owned media “voices”, 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 “voices” 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 5% of the households in the market.




Local Television/Newspaper Cross-Ownership Rule.Under this rule, a party is prohibited from having an attributable interest in a television station and a daily newspaper except in cases where the market at issue is one of the 20 largest DMAs, and subject to other criteria and limitations.




As a result of the FCC’s 2006 rulemaking proceeding, which provided a comprehensive review of all of its media ownership rules, in February 2008, the FCC made modest changes to its newspaper cross-ownership rule, while retaining the rest of its rules as then currently in effect. Multiple court appeals of this proceeding were filed and remain pending.




The FCC is required to review its media ownership rules every four years and to eliminate those rules it finds no longer serve the “public interest, convenience and necessity”. During 2009, the FCC held a series of hearings designed to evaluate possible changes to its rules. In May 2010, the FCC formally initiated its 2010 review of its media ownership rules with the issuance of a Notice of Inquiry (NOI). The NOI is intended to assist the Commission in establishing a framework within which to analyze whether its media ownership rules remain “necessary in the public interest as a result of competition,” due to the dramatic changes occurring in the media marketplace. Numerous parties have filed comments and reply comments in response to the NOI. In June 2010, the FCC issued a Request for Proposal with respect to nine economic studies related to its media ownership rules. These studies have not yet been provided to the general public for review and comment. We believe that upon completion of the studies the next step will be for the FCC to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to seek comment on specific proposed changes to its ownership rules. We cannot predict when the FCC will issue this NPRM but anticipate it will be sometime in 2011.




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


7


Cable and Satellite Carriage of Local Television Signals.Broadcasters may obtain carriage of their stations’ signals on cable, satellite and other multichannel video programming distributors (“MVPDs”) through either mandatory carriage or through “retransmission consent.” Every three years all stations must formally elect either mandatory carriage (“must-carry” for cable distributors and “carry one-carry all” for satellite television providers) or retransmission consent. The next election must be made by October 1, 2011, and will be effective January 1, 2012. Must-carry elections require that the MVPD carry one station programming stream and related data in the station’s local market. However, MVPDs may decline a must-carry election in certain circumstances. MVPDs do not pay a fee to stations that elect mandatory carriage.




A broadcaster that elects retransmission consent waives its mandatory carriage rights, and the broadcaster and the MVPD must negotiate in good faith for carriage of the station’s signal. Negotiated terms may include channel position, service tier carriage, carriage of multiple program streams, compensation and other consideration. If a broadcaster elects to negotiate retransmission terms, it is possible that the broadcaster and the MVPD will not reach agreement and that the MVPD will not carry the station’s signal.




MVPD operators are actively seeking to change the regulations under which retransmission consent is negotiated before both the U.S. Congress and the FCC in order to increase their bargaining leverage with television stations. On March 3, 2011, the FCC initiated a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to reexamine its rules (i) governing the requirements for good faith negotiations between MPVDs and broadcasters, including implementing a prohibition on one station negotiating retransmission consent terms for another station under a local service agreement; (ii) for providing advance notice to consumers in the event of dispute; and (iii) to extend certain cable-only obligations to all MVPDs. The FCC has also asked for comment on eliminating the network non-duplication and syndicated exclusivity protection rules, which may permit MVPDs to import out-of-market television stations during a retransmission consent dispute.




The FCC’s rules also govern which local television signals a satellite subscriber may receive. Congress and the FCC have also imposed certain requirements relating to satellite distribution of local television signals to “unserved” households that do not receive a useable signal from a local network-affiliated station and to cable and satellite carriage of out-of-market signals.




We elected to exercise retransmission consent rights for all of our stations where we have a legal right to do so. We have negotiated retransmission consent agreements with substantially all of the MVPDs which carry the stations’ signals.




Programming and Operation. The Communications Act requires broadcasters to serve “the public interest.” Television station licensees are 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:




•
political advertising (its price and availability);




•
sponsorship identification;




•
contest and lottery advertising;




•
obscene and indecent broadcasts;




•
technical operations, including limits on radio frequency radiation;




•
discrimination and equal employment opportunities;




•
closed captioning (and, under recently proposed rules, video description);




•
children’s programming;




•
program ratings guidelines; and




•
network affiliation agreements.




Technical Regulation. FCC rules govern the technical operating parameters of television stations, including permissible operating channel, power and antenna height and interference protections between stations. Under various FCC rules and procedures, substantially all full power television stations have completed the transition from analog to digital television (DTV) broadcasting. The FCC has initiated a proceeding with respect to the conversion of existing low power and television translator stations to digital operation. The FCC has asked for comment on whether to adopt a date in 2012 by which analog low power and television translator stations must cease analog operation.


8


Employees




As of December 31, 2010, we had a total of 33 employees, all of which were full-time. As of December 31, 2010, none of our employees were covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We believe that our employee relations are satisfactory, and we have not experienced any work stoppages at any of our facilities.




Available Information




We file annual, quarterly and current reports, 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 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549-0102. Please call (800) SEC-0330 for further information on the Public Reference Room. The SEC maintains an Internet website 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 website is http://www.sec.gov.


9


Item 1A.                      Risk Factors




You should carefully consider the following risk factors, which we believe are the most significant risks related to our business, as well as the other information contained in this document.




Risks Related to Our Operations





Economic slowdowns in the United States could adversely affect the demand for television advertising. In addition, general trends in the television industry could adversely affect demand for television advertising as consumers flock to alternative media, including the Internet, for entertainment.




Any economic slowdown in the United States could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows by, among other things, reducing demand for local and national television advertising and making it more difficult for customers to pay their accounts. Moreover, television viewing among consumers has been negatively impacted by the increasing availability of alternative media, including the Internet. As a result, in recent years demand for television advertising has been declining and demand for advertising in alternative media has been increasing, and we expect this trend to continue.




In recent years, the networks have streamed their programming on the Internet and other distribution platforms in close proximity to network programming broadcast on local television stations, including those we own. These and other practices by the networks dilute the exclusivity and value of network programming originally broadcast by the local stations and could adversely affect the business, financial conditions and results of operations of our stations.




We have a history of net losses.




We had net losses of $4.6 million, $2.6 million and $7.5 million, respectively, for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008. We may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability.




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




As of December 31, 2010, we had $356.2 million of debt, including $317.4 million of debt co-issued with Nexstar, which represented 612.5% of our total capitalization. Our high level of debt could have important consequences to our business. For example, it could:




•
limit our ability to borrow additional funds or obtain additional financing in the future;




•
limit our ability to pursue acquisition opportunities;




•
expose us to greater interest rate risk since the interest rate on borrowings under our senior secured credit facility is variable;




•
limit our flexibility to plan for and react to changes in our business and our industry; and




•
impair our ability to withstand a general downturn in our business and place us at a disadvantage compared to our competitors that are less leveraged.




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




We could also incur additional debt in the future. The terms of our senior secured credit facility limit, but do not prohibit, us from incurring substantial amounts of additional debt. To the extent we incur additional debt, we would become even more susceptible to the leverage-related risks described above.


10


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




Our senior secured credit facility contains various covenants that restrict our ability to, among other things:




•
incur additional debt and issue preferred stock;




•
pay dividends and make other distributions;




•
make investments and other restricted payments;




•
make acquisitions;




•
merge, consolidate or transfer all or substantially all of our assets;




•
enter into sale and leaseback transactions;




•
create liens;




•
sell assets or stock of our subsidiaries; and




•
enter into transactions with affiliates.




Our bank credit facility agreement does not contain financial covenant ratio requirements, but does provide for default in the event Nexstar does not comply with all covenants contained in its credit agreement. Future financing agreements may contain financial covenants which could limit our management’s ability to operate our business at its discretion, and consequently we may be unable to compete effectively, pursue acquisitions or take advantage of new business opportunities, any of which could harm our business.




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.




Our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on Nexstar’s pledge to continue the local services agreements described in a letter of support dated March 4, 2011. Nexstar’s senior secured credit facility agreement contains covenants which require them to comply with certain financial ratios, including maximum total and first lien ratios and a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio. The covenants, which are calculated on a quarterly basis, include the combined results of Nexstar and us. Our senior secured credit facility agreement does not contain financial covenant ratio requirements; however it does include an event of default if Nexstar does not comply with all covenants contained in its credit agreement. As of December 31, 2010, Nexstar was in compliance with all covenants contained in the credit agreements governing their senior secured credit facility and the indentures governing their publicly-held notes.




We guarantee the aggregate principal amount of $45.4 million of 7% senior subordinated notes, $136.8 million of 7% senior subordinated PIK notes and the aggregate principal amount of $60.7 million of outstanding bank facility term and revolving loans issued or drawn by Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.




If Nexstar, which is highly leveraged with debt, is unable to meet its obligations under the indentures governing its senior subordinated notes or its senior secured credit facility agreement, we can be held liable for those obligations under guarantees. Additionally, Nexstar has $65.0 million of unused revolver commitments available under its senior secured credit facility, which is also guaranteed by us.




Our broadcast operations could be adversely affected if our stations 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. All of the stations that we operate have network affiliation agreements – 3 stations have primary affiliation agreements with NBC, 2 with CBS, 4 with ABC, 5 with Fox and 2 with MyNetworkTV. 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 MyNetworkTV 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.





11


All of the network affiliation agreements of our stations are scheduled to expire at various times through June 2015. Our Fox network agreements for five stations expired in June 2010 and our ABC agreements for three stations expired in December 2010. These agreements have continued under the same terms during our renewal negotiations. However, in order to renew certain of our affiliation agreements we may be required to make cash payments to the network, and to accept other material modifications of existing affiliation agreements. If any of our stations cease to maintain affiliation agreements with networks for any reason, we would need to find alternative sources of programming, which may be less attractive and more expensive. Further, some of our network affiliation agreements are subject to earlier termination by the networks under specified circumstances. For more information regarding these network affiliation agreements, see Item 1. “Business––Network Affiliations.”




The loss of or material reduction in retransmission consent revenues could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.




Mission’s retransmission consent agreements with cable operators, direct broadcast satellite operators, and others permit the operators to carry our stations’ signals in exchange for the payment of compensation to us from the system operators as consideration. The television networks have recently asserted to their local television station affiliates the networks’ position that they, as the owners or licensees of programming we broadcast and provide for retransmission, are entitled to a portion of the compensation under the retransmission consent agreements. Networks have proposed to include these provisions in their network affiliation agreements. In addition, our affiliation agreements with some broadcast networks include certain terms that may affect our ability to allow MVPDs to retransmit network programming, and in some cases, we may lose the right to grant retransmission consent to such providers. Inclusion of these or similar provisions in our network affiliation agreements could materially reduce this revenue source to Mission and could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.




In addition, system operators are actively seeking to change the regulations under which retransmission consent is negotiated before both the U.S. Congress and the FCC in order to increase their bargaining leverage with television stations. On March 3, 2011, the FCC initiated a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to reexamine its rules (i) governing the requirements for good faith negotiations between MPVDs and broadcasters, including implementing a prohibition on one station negotiating retransmission consent terms for another station under a local service agreement; (ii) for providing advance notice to consumers in the event of dispute; and (iii) to extend certain cable-only obligations to all MVPDs. The FCC has also asked for comment on eliminating the network non-duplication and syndicated exclusivity protection rules to permit MVPDs to import out-of-market television stations during a retransmission consent dispute. If the FCC prohibits joint negotiations or modifies the network non-duplication and syndicated exclusivity protection rules, such changes could materially reduce this revenue source and could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.




The FCC could decide not to grant renewal of the FCC license of any of the stations we operate which would require that station to cease operations.




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. A 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.




On January 3, 2006, Cable America Corporation (“Cable America”) submitted a petition to deny the applications for renewal of license for Nexstar’s station, KSFX, and our station, KOLR, both licensed to Springfield, Missouri. Cable America alleged that Nexstar’s local service agreement arrangements with us give Nexstar improper control over our operations. We and Nexstar submitted a joint opposition to this petition to deny and Cable America submitted a reply. Cable America subsequently requested that the FCC dismiss its petition. However, the petition remains pending with the FCC.




We filed renewal of license applications for our stations between April 2005 and April 2008. The majority of these applications, including the KOLR application discussed above, remain pending with the FCC. Once a renewal application is timely filed, a station may continue to operate under its license even if its expiration date has passed. We expect the FCC to renew the licenses for our stations in due course but cannot provide any assurances that the FCC will do so.


12


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 additional television stations. Television station acquisitions are subject to the approval of the FCC and, potentially, other regulatory authorities. FCC rules limit the number of television stations a company may own, and those rules are subject to change. 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 growth, our operating results will suffer.




Since January 1, 2003, we have tripled the number of stations that we operate, having acquired 10 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.




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




•
we may not be able to successfully reduce costs, increase advertising revenue or audience share or realize anticipated synergies and economies of scale with respect to any acquired station;




•
an acquisition may increase our leverage and debt service requirements or may result in our assuming unexpected liabilities;




•
our management may be reassigned from overseeing existing operations by the need to integrate the acquired business;




•
we may experience difficulties integrating operations and systems, as well as, company policies and cultures;




•
we may fail to retain and assimilate employees of the acquired business; and




•
problems may arise in entering new markets in which we have little or no experience.




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.




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




The FCC attributes time brokerage agreements and local marketing agreements (“TBAs”) to the programmer under its ownership limits if the programmer provides more than 15% of a station’s weekly broadcast programming. However, TBAs entered into prior to November 5, 1996 are exempt attributable interests for now. Our TBAs with Nexstar were entered into prior to November 2006 and are grandfathered.




The FCC will review these “grandfathered” TBAs in the future. 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, we will be required to terminate the TBAs with Nexstar for stations WFXP and KHMT unless the FCC simultaneously changes its duopoly rules to allow ownership of two stations in the applicable markets


13


FCC actions may restrict our ability to enter into local service agreements with Nexstar, which would harm our operations.




We have entered into local service agreements with Nexstar for our stations. While all of 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 substantial operating efficiencies, and the FCC may challenge our existing arrangements with Nexstar in the future.




On August 2, 2004, the FCC initiated a rule making proceeding to determine whether to make television 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 television stations we will be required to comply with the rule.




Cable America has alleged that our local service agreements with Nexstar give Nexstar improper control over our operations. If the FCC challenges our existing arrangements with Nexstar and determines that our arrangements violate the FCC’s rules and policies, we may be required to terminate such arrangements and we could be subject to sanctions, fines and/or other penalties.







We have a material amount of goodwill and intangible assets, and therefore we could suffer losses due to future asset impairment charges.




As of December 31, 2010, approximately $59.8 million, or 62.9%, of our total assets consisted of goodwill and intangible assets, including FCC licenses and network affiliation agreements. We recorded an impairment charge of $2.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2009 that included an impairment to the carrying values of FCC licenses of $2.0 million, related to eight of our stations, and an impairment to the carrying value of goodwill of $0.3 million, related to one reporting unit consisting of one of our stations. We test goodwill and FCC licenses annually, and on an interim date if factors or indicators become apparent that would require an interim test of these assets, in accordance with accounting and disclosure requirements for goodwill and other intangible assets. We test network affiliation agreements whenever circumstances or indicators become apparent the asset may not be recoverable through expected future cash flows. The methods used to evaluate the impairment of our goodwill and intangible assets would be affected by a significant reduction in operating results or cash flows at one or more of our television stations, or a forecast of such reductions, a significant adverse change in the advertising marketplaces in which our television stations operate, the loss of network affiliations, or by adverse changes to FCC ownership rules, among others, which may be beyond our control. If the carrying amount of goodwill and intangible assets is revised downward due to impairment, such non-cash charge could materially affect our financial position and results of operations.




Risks Related to Our Industry




Preemption of regularly scheduled programming by network news coverage may affect our revenue and results of operations.




We may experience a loss of advertising revenue and incur additional broadcasting expenses due to preemption of our regularly scheduled programming by network coverage of a major global news event such as a war or terrorist attack. As a result, advertising may not be aired and the revenue for such advertising may be lost unless the station is able to run the advertising at agreed-upon times in the future. Advertisers may not agree to run such advertising in future time periods, and space may not be available for such advertising. The duration of such preemption of local programming cannot be predicted if it occurs. In addition, our stations may incur additional expenses as a result of expanded news coverage of a war or terrorist attack. The loss of revenue and increased expenses could negatively affect our results of operations.


14


If we are unable to respond to changes in technology and evolving industry trends, our television businesses may not be able to compete effectively.




New technologies could also adversely affect our television stations. Information delivery and programming alternatives such as cable, direct satellite-to-home services, pay-per-view, the Internet, telephone company services, mobile devices, digital video recorders and home video and entertainment systems have fractionalized television viewing audiences and expanded the numbers and types of distribution channels for advertisers to access. Over the past decade, cable television programming services, other emerging video distribution platforms and the Internet have captured an increasing market share, while the aggregate viewership of the major television networks has declined. In addition, the expansion of cable and satellite television, the Internet and other technological changes have increased, and may continue to increase, the competitive demand for programming. Such increased demand, together with rising production costs, may increase our programming costs or impair our ability to acquire or develop desired programming.




In addition, video compression techniques, now in use with direct broadcast satellites, cable and wireless cable, are expected to permit greater numbers of channels to be carried within existing bandwidth. These compression techniques as well as other technological developments are applicable to all video delivery systems, including over-the-air broadcasting, and have the potential to provide vastly expanded programming to targeted audiences. Reduction in the cost of creating additional channel capacity could lower entry barriers for new channels and encourage the development of increasingly specialized niche programming, resulting in more audience fractionalization. This ability to reach very narrowly defined audiences may alter the competitive dynamics for advertising expenditures. We are unable to predict the effect that these and other technological changes will have on the television industry or on our results of operations.




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




In 2004, the FCC began to impose 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. In one of several judicial appeals of FCC enforcement actions, a Federal court in July 2010 held the FCC’s indecency standards to be unconstitutionally vague under the First Amendment. That discussion is subject to further appeal. Because our stations’ programming is in large part comprised of programming provided by the networks with which the stations are affiliated, we do not have full control over what is broadcast on our stations, and we may be subject to the imposition of fines if the FCC finds such programming to be indecent. Fines may be imposed on a television broadcaster for an indecency violation to a maximum of $325 thousand per violation.




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 rather than watch television. Specifically, stations we own 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, DBS systems and the Internet.




The entertainment and television industries are highly competitive and are 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 business.




The FCC could implement regulations or Congress could adopt legislation that might have a significant impact on the operations of the stations we own and operate or the television broadcasting industry as a whole.




The FCC has initiated proceedings to determine whether to make TV joint sales agreements attributable interests under its ownership rules; to determine whether it should establish formal rules under which broadcasters will be required to serve the local public interest; and to determine whether to modify or eliminate certain of its broadcast ownership rules, including the radio-television cross-ownership rule and the newspaper-television cross-ownership rule. A change to any of these rules may have a significant impact on us.


15




In addition, the FCC has sought comment on whether there are alternatives to the use of DMAs to define local markets such that certain viewers whose current DMAs straddle multiple states would be provided with more in-state broadcast programming. If the FCC determines to modify the use of existing DMAs to determine a station’s local market, such change might materially alter current station operations and could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.




The FCC may also 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 in general.




The FCC may reallocate some portion of the spectrum available for use by television broadcasters to wireless broadband use which alteration could substantially impact our future operations and may reduce viewer access to our programming.




The FCC has initiated a proceeding to assess the availability of spectrum to meet future wireless broadband needs pursuant to which the FCC is examining whether 120 megahertz of the spectrum currently used for commercial broadcast television can be made available for wireless broadband use. The FCC has requested comment on, among other things, whether to implement a proposal to require each broadcast station to share its 6 megahertz of spectrum with one or more other stations located in the same market, reducing television station service areas and distance separations, conducting voluntary incentive auctions and other voluntary and involuntary mechanisms. If the FCC determines to move forward with this proposal, it may be to the detriment of our investment in digital facilities, could require substantial additional investment to continue our operations, and may require viewers to invest in additional equipment or subscription services to continue receiving broadcast television signals.




Item 1B.
Unresolved Staff Comments




None


16


Item 2.                      Properties




We own and lease facilities in the following locations:





Station Metropolitan Area and Use
Owned orLeased
Approximate Size
Expirationof LeaseWYOU—Wilkes Barre-Scranton, PAOffice-Studio(1)
—
—
—Tower/Transmitter Site—Penobscot Mountain
100% Owned
120.33 Acres
—Tower/Transmitter Site—Bald Mountain
100% Owned
7.2 Acres
—Tower/Transmitter Site—Williamsport
33% Owned
1.35 Acres
—Tower/Transmitter Site—Sharp Mountain
33% Owned
0.23 Acres
—Tower/Transmitter Site—Stroudsburg
Leased
10,000 Sq. Ft.
Month to MonthWFXW—Terre Haute, INOffice-Studio(2)
—
—
—Tower/Transmitter Site (3)
100% Owned
1 Acre
—WFXP—Erie, PAOffice-Studio(3)
—
—
—Tower/Transmitter Site(3)
—
—
—KJTL—Wichita Falls, TX—Lawton, OKOffice-Studio(4)
—
—
—Tower/Transmitter Site
Leased
40 Acres
1/30/15KJBO-LP—Wichita Falls, TX-Lawton, OKOffice-Studio(4)
—
—
—Tower/Transmitter Site
Leased
5 Acres
Year to YearKODE—Joplin, MO-Pittsburg, KSOffice-Studio
100% Owned
2.74 Acres
—Tower/Transmitter Site
Leased
215 Sq. Ft.
5/1/27KRBC—Abilene-Sweetwater, TXOffice-Studio
100% Owned
5.42 Acres
—Office-Studio
100% Owned
19,312 Sq. Ft.
—Tower/Transmitter Site(10)
—
—
—KSAN—San Angelo, TXOffice-Studio(5)
—
—
—Tower/Transmitter Site
Leased
10 Acres
5/15/15KOLR—Springfield, MOOffice-Studio
100% Owned
30,000 Sq. Ft.
—Office-Studio
100% Owned
7 Acres
—Tower/Transmitter Site
Leased
0.5 Acres
5/12/21KCIT/KCPN-LP—Amarillo, TXOffice-Studio(6)
—
—
—Tower/Transmitter Site
Leased
100 Acres
5/12/21Tower/Transmitter Site—Parmer County, TX
Leased
80 Sq. Ft.
Month to MonthTower/Transmitter Site—Guyman, OK
Leased
80 Sq. Ft.
Month to MonthTower/Transmitter Site—Curry County, NM
Leased
6 Acres
Month to MonthKTVE—Monroe, LA-El Dorado, AROffice-Studio(9)
—
—
—Tower/Transmitter Site
Leased
2 Acres
4/30/32Tower/Transmitter Site – El Dorado
Leased
3 Acres
4/30/32Tower/Transmitter Site – Union Parrish
Leased
2.7 Acres
4/30/32Tower/Transmitter Site – Bolding
Leased
11.5 Acres
4/30/32KAMC—Lubbock, TXOffice-Studio(7)
—
—
—Tower/Transmitter Site
Leased
40 Acres
5/12/21Tower/Transmitter Site
Leased
1,200 Sq. Ft.
Month to MonthKHMT—Billings, MTOffice-Studio(8)
—
—
—Tower/Transmitter Site
Leased
4 Acres
5/12/21WUTR—Utica, NYOffice-Studio
100% Owned
12,100 Sq. Ft.
—Tower/Transmitter Site
100% Owned
21 Acres
—Tower/Transmitter Site-Mohawk
Leased
48 Sq. Ft
Month to MonthWTVO—Rockford, ILOffice-Studio-Tower/Transmitter Site
100% Owned
20,000 Sq. Ft.
—Corporate Office—Westlake, OH
Leased
640 Sq. Ft.
12/31/13





(1)
The office space and studio used by WYOU are owned by Nexstar.


(2)
The office space and studio used by WFXW are owned by Nexstar.


(3)
The office space, studio and tower used by WFXP are owned by Nexstar.


(4)
The office space and studio used by KJTL and KJBO-LP are owned by Nexstar.


(5)
The office space and studio used by KSAN are owned by Nexstar.


(6)
The office space and studio used by KCIT/KCPN-LP are owned by Nexstar.


(7)
The office space and studio used by KAMC are owned by Nexstar.


(8)
The office space and studio used by KHMT are owned by Nexstar.


(9)
The office space and studio used by KTVE are owned by Nexstar.


(10)
The tower/transmitter used by KRBC is owned by Nexstar.




Item 3.                      Legal Proceedings




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




Item 4.                      Reserved




PART II




Item 5.                      Market For Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities Market Information




As of December 31, 2010, Mission’s common stock was not traded on any market and David S. Smith, the sole shareholder of Mission, held 1,000 shares of common stock. Mission has never paid any dividends.







17


Item 6.                      Selected Financial Data




We have derived the following statements of operations and cash flows data for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 and balance sheet data as of December 31, 2010 and 2009 from our Financial Statements included herein. We have derived the following statement of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2006 and balance sheet data as of December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006 from our Financial Statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007. This information should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our Financial Statements and related Notes, included herein. Amounts below are presented in thousands.





2010


2009


2008


2007


2006Statement of Operations Data,for the years ended December 31:Net broadcast revenue (1)

$
9,433


$
8,388


$
6,635


$
6,726


$
5,757Revenue from Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. (2)


29,878



25,435



35,283



30,556



32,556Net revenue


39,311



33,823



41,918



37,282



38,313Operating expenses (income):Direct operating expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization


5,504



5,810



6,405



5,148



4,710Selling, general and administrative expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization


2,455



2,790



2,595



2,280



2,390Fees incurred pursuant to local service agreements with Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.(3)


7,160



7,425



8,090



7,860



7,820Impairment of goodwill


—



261



1,289



—



—Impairment of other intangible assets


—



1,997



10,149



—



—Loss (gain) on asset exchange


11



(2,385
)


(869
)


(317
)


—Loss (gain) on asset disposal, net


160



28



(352
)


92



12Amortization of broadcast rights


3,816



4,681



4,729



4,269



3,939Depreciation and amortization


8,059



8,806



8,740



8,603



8,682Income from operations


12,146



4,410



1,142



9,347



10,760Interest expense


(12,998
)


(6,056
)


(9,472
)


(12,344
)


(12,315
)Loss on extinguishment of debt


(2,432
)


—



—



—



(269
)Interest income


—



5



53



92



60Loss before income taxes


(3,284
)


(1,641
)


(8,277
)


(2,905
)


(1,764
)Income tax (expense) benefit


(1,349
)


(986
)


737



(1,135
)


(1,172
)Net loss

$
(4,633
)

$
(2,627
)

$
(7,540
)

$
(4,040
)

$
(2,936
)Balance Sheet Data,as of December 31:Cash and cash equivalents

$
1,249


$
903


$
1,426


$
9,916


$
3,577Working capital deficit


(13,491
)


(14,700
)


(18,141
)


(11,995
)


(20,024
)Net intangible assets and goodwill


59,796



64,944



71,995



82,226



87,588Total assets


94,998



103,031



110,078



118,955



117,726Total debt


356,241



172,360



174,087



175,814



170,541Total shareholder’s deficit


(298,077
)


(104,654
)


(102,027
)


(94,487
)


(91,947
)Statement of Cash Flows Data,for the years ended December 31:Net cash provided by (used in):Operating activities

$
4,220


$
4,196


$
8,768


$
3,908


$
6,516Investing activities


(146
)


(1,171
)


(15,531
)


(2,842
)


(2,616
)Financing activities


(3,728
)


(3,548
)


(1,727
)


5,273



(1,727
)Capital expenditures, net of proceeds from asset sales


146



1,171



8,102



2,455



2,616Cash payments for broadcast rights


1,897



1,866



1,773



1,678



1,726





(1)
Net broadcast revenue is defined as revenue, excluding revenue from Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.


(2)
We have joint sales agreements with Nexstar, which permits Nexstar to sell and retain a percentage of the net revenue from the advertising time on our stations in return for monthly payments to us of the remaining percentage of the net revenue. We also have time brokerage agreements with Nexstar that allow Nexstar to program most of the broadcast time for us, sell the advertising time and retain the advertising revenue generated in exchange for monthly payments to us.


(3)
We have shared services agreements with Nexstar, which allows the sharing of services including news production, technical maintenance and security, in exchange for Nexstar’s right to receive certain payments from us.





18


Item 7.                      Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations




The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with Item 6. “Selected Financial Data” and the Financial Statements and related Notes included in Part IV, Item 15(a) of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. As used in this discussion, unless the context indicates otherwise, “Mission” refers to Mission Broadcasting, Inc., and all references to “we”, “our”, “us” and the “Company” refer to Mission.




Overview of Operations




As of December 31, 2010, we owned and operated 16 television stations and one digital multicast channel. We have local service agreements with certain television stations owned by Nexstar, through which Nexstar provides various programming, sales or other services to our television stations. In compliance with Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) regulations for both Nexstar and us, we maintain complete responsibility for and control over programming, finances, personnel and operations of our stations.




The following table summarizes the various local service agreements our stations had in effect as of December 31, 2010 with Nexstar:





Service Agreements
StationsTBA Only (1)
WFXP and KHMTSSA & JSA (2)
KJTL, KJBO-LP, KOLR, KCIT, KCPN-LP, KAMC, KRBC, KSAN, WUTR, WFXW, WYOU, KODE, KTVE and WTVO





(1)
We have a time brokerage agreement (“TBA”) for each of these stations which allows Nexstar to program most of each station’s broadcast time, sell each station’s advertising time and retain the advertising revenue generated in exchange for monthly payments to us.


(2)
We have both a shared services agreement (“SSA”) and a joint services agreement (“JSA”) for each of these stations. The SSA allows the sharing of services including news production, technical maintenance and security, in exchange for Nexstar’s right to receive certain payments from us as described in the SSAs. The JSAs permit Nexstar to sell the station’s advertising time and retain a percentage of the net revenue from the station’s advertising time in return for monthly payments to us of the remaining percentage of the net revenue, as described in the JSAs.




The arrangements under the local service agreements each Mission station has entered into with Nexstar have had the effect of Nexstar receiving substantially all of the available cash generated by our stations, after our payments of operating costs and debt service. We anticipate that Nexstar will continue to receive substantially all of our available cash, after payments for operating costs and debt service, generated by our stations. For more information about our local service agreements with Nexstar, refer to Note 5 of our Financial Statements in Part IV, Item 15(a) of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.




The operating revenue of our stations is derived primarily from broadcast advertising revenue sold and collected by Nexstar and paid to us under the JSAs. Broadcast advertising revenue is affected by a number of factors, including the economic conditions of the markets in which we operate, the demographic makeup of those markets and the marketing strategy employed in each market. 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. The stations’ advertising revenue is generally highest in the second and fourth quarters of each year, due in part to increases in consumer advertising in the spring and retail advertising in the period leading up to, and including, the holiday season. In addition, advertising revenue is generally higher during even-numbered years resulting from political advertising and advertising aired during the Olympic Games.




Each of our stations has a network affiliation agreement pursuant to which the network provides programming to the station during specified time periods, including prime time. NBC, CBS and ABC compensate some of our affiliated stations for distributing the network’s programming over the air and for allowing the network to keep a portion of advertising inventory during those time periods. The affiliation agreements with Fox and MyNetworkTV do not provide for compensation. In recent years, in conjunction with the renewal of affiliation agreements with NBC, CBS and ABC, the amount of network compensation has been declining from year to year. We expect this trend to continue in the future. Therefore, revenue associated with network compensation is being eliminated and many of the networks are now seeking cash payments from their affiliates.


19


Each station acquires licenses to broadcast programming in non-news and non-network time periods. The licenses are either purchased from a program distributor for cash or the program distributor is allowed to sell some of the advertising inventory as compensation to eliminate or reduce the cash cost for the license. The latter practice is referred to as barter broadcast rights. The station records the estimated fair market value of the licenses, including any advertising inventory given to the program distributor, as a broadcast right asset and liability. Barter broadcast rights are recorded at management’s estimate of the value of the advertising time exchanged using historical advertising rates, which approximates the fair value of the program material received. The assets are amortized as a component of amortization of broadcast rights. Amortization is computed using the straight-line method over the license period or period of usage, whichever ends earlier. The cash broadcast rights liabilities are reduced by monthly payments while the barter liability is amortized over the life of the contract as barter revenue.




Our primary operating expense consists of fixed monthly SSA fees paid to Nexstar for news production and technical and other services. To a lesser extent our operating expenses include employee compensation and related benefits. A large percentage of the costs involved in the operation of our stations remains fixed.




Issuance of 8.875% Senior Second Lien Notes Due 2017




In April 2010, Nexstar and Mission, as co-issuers, completed the issuance and sale of $325.0 million of 8.875% senior secured second lien notes due 2017 (the “8.875% Notes”). We used our net proceeds of $131.9 million from the offering, together with borrowings under our amended senior secured credit facilities and cash on hand, to refinance our existing senior secured credit facility and pay related fees and expenses. As co-issuers, Nexstar and Mission are jointly and severably liable for the principal and interest on the 8.875% Notes. The accounting for the 8.875% Notes is described in Note 8 to our Financial Statements.




Amendment to Credit Agreement




In April 2010, the Second Amendment to Mission’s Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (“Credit Agreement”) became effective among Mission and the several financial institutions from time to time parties thereto and Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent and syndication agent. Under the terms of the Credit Agreement, the principal amount available under the revolving credit facility was reduced to $10.0 million, and the Term Loan B was reduced to $39.0 million. Repayments of our senior secured credit facility totaled $133.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2010.




Nexstar Broadcasting Group guarantees all obligations incurred under our senior secured credit facility. We are a guarantor of the senior secured credit facility entered into by Nexstar and the 7% PIK senior subordinated notes and the 7% senior subordinated notes issued by Nexstar. In consideration of Nexstar Broadcasting Group’s guarantee of our senior secured credit facility, our sole shareholder has granted Nexstar purchase options to acquire the assets and assume the liabilities of each of our television stations, subject to FCC consent. These option agreements (which expire on various dates between 2011 and 2018) are freely exercisable or assignable by Nexstar without consent or approval by our sole shareholder. We expect to renew these option agreements upon expiration.




Historical Performance




Revenue




The following table sets forth the principal types of revenue earned by our stations for the years ended December 31 and each type of revenue (other than barter revenue and revenue from Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.) as a percentage of total gross revenue (dollars in thousands):





2010


2009


2008Amount


%


Amount


%


Amount


%Retransmission compensation

$
6,060



84.9


$
4,883



81.8


$
2,982



72.8Network compensation


986



13.8



1,000



16.7



1,013



24.7Other


94



1.3



87



1.5



101



2.5Net broadcast revenue before barter revenue


7,140



100.0



5,970



100.0



4,096



100.0Barter revenue


2,293







2,418







2,539Revenue from Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.


29,878







25,435







35,283Net revenue

$
39,311






$
33,823






$
41,918







20




Results of Operations




The following table sets forth a summary of our operations for the years ended December 31 and the components as a percentage of net revenue (dollars in thousands):





2010


2009


2008Amount


%


Amount


%


Amount


%Net revenue

$
39,311



100.0


$
33,823



100.0


$
41,918



100.0Operating expenses (income):Corporate expenses


1,089



2.8



1,263



3.7



908



2.2Station direct operating expenses


5,504



14.0



5,810



17.2



6,405



15.3Selling, general and administrative expenses


1,366



3.5



1,527



4.5



1,687



4.0Fees incurred pursuant to local service agreements with Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.


7,160



18.2



7,425



22.0



8,090



19.3Loss (gain) on asset exchange


11



—



(2,385
)


(7.1
)


(869
)


(2.1
)(Gain) loss on asset disposal, net


160



0.4



28



0.1



(352
)


(0.8
)Barter expense


2,293



5.8



2,418



7.1



2,539



6.1Depreciation and amortization


8,059



20.5



8,806



26.0



8,740



20.9Impairment of goodwill


—



—



261



0.8



1,289



3.1Impairment of other intangible assets


—



—



1,997



5.9



10,149



24.2Amortization of broadcast rights, excluding barter


1,523



3.9



2,263



6.7



2,190



5.2Income from operations

$
12,146






$
4,410






$
1,142




Year Ended December 31, 2010 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2009




Revenue




Net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2010, increased by $5.5 million, or 16.2%, from the same period in 2009. This increase was primarily attributed to the increase in revenue from Nexstar, supplemented by an increase in retransmission compensation, as discussed below.




Revenue from Nexstar was $29.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2010, compared to $25.4 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of $4.4 million, or 17.5%. The increase was primarily attributed to increases in the local, national and political revenue that Nexstar generated from selling all of the advertising of our stations, which in turn increased the revenue we earned from Nexstar through the JSAs.




Compensation from retransmission consent and network affiliation agreements was $7.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2010, compared to $5.9 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of $1.2 million, or 19.8%. The increase was primarily due to renegotiated cable agreements providing for higher rates per subscriber during the year.




Operating Expenses




Corporate expenses were $1.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to $1.3 million for the same period in 2009, a decrease of $0.2 million or 13.8%. The decrease was primarily due to the elimination of 2009 legal fees associated with the amendment of the credit facility. Corporate expenses relate to costs associated with the centralized management of our stations.




Station direct operating expenses, consisting primarily of news, engineering and programming, and selling, general and administrative expenses decreased by $0.5 million, or 6.4% for the year ended December 31, 2010, compared to the same period in 2009. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in utility usage as a result of switching from analog to digital broadcasts.




Local service agreement fees associated with Nexstar relate to services provided by Nexstar in the production of newscasts, technical maintenance, promotional and administrative support under the SSAs. SSA fees decreased by $0.3 million, or 3.6%, for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to the same period in 2009. These fees decreased due to the elimination of the newscast in Wilkes-Barre in the first quarter of 2009.


21




Amortization of broadcast rights, excluding barter, decreased by $0.7 million, or 32.7%, for the year ended December 31, 2010, compared to the same period in 2009. The decrease was primarily due to a lower amount of write-downs of broadcast rights to net realizable value during the year and the elimination of the TBA agreement with KFTA.




Depreciation of property and equipment decreased by $0.7 million, or 20.4%, for the year ended December 31, 2010, compared to the same period in 2009. The decrease was primarily due to write-offs incurred in 2009 for obsolete analog equipment and studio and equipment at one station.




During the year ended December 31, 2009, we recognized a gain of $2.4 million from the exchange of equipment under an arrangement with Sprint Nextel Corporation. The exchange program was substantially complete at the end of 2009. During 2009, we recognized impairment on our goodwill and intangibles. See Note 7 to our Financial Statements for further information on the impairment.




Interest Expense




Interest expense, including amortization of debt financing costs and debt discount, increased by $6.9 million, or 114.6%, for the year ended December 31, 2010, compared to the same period in 2009. The increase in interest expense was primarily related to the higher interest rates and accretion of discount on the 8.875% Notes compared to the bank debt.




Income Taxes




Income tax expense was $1.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2010, compared to $1.0 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of $0.4 million or 36.8%. The increase was primarily due to the tax benefit recognized in 2009 as a result of the impairment charge on indefinite-lived assets. Our provision for income taxes is primarily created by an increase in the deferred tax liabilities position during the year arising from the amortizing of goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets for income tax purposes which are not amortized for financial reporting purposes. The 2009 impairment charge reduced the book value and therefore decreased the deferred tax liability position. No tax benefit was recorded with respect to the taxable losses for 2010 and 2009, as the utilization of such losses is not more likely than not to be realized in the foreseeable future.




Year Ended December 31, 2009 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2008




Revenue




Net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2009, decreased by $8.1 million, or 19.3%, from the same period in 2008. This decrease was primarily attributed to the decrease in revenue from Nexstar, partially offset by an increase in retransmission compensation, as discussed below.




Revenue from Nexstar was $25.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2009, compared to $35.3 million for the same period in 2008, a decrease of $9.9 million, or 27.9%. The decrease was primarily attributed to a decrease in the local, national and political revenue that Nexstar generated from selling all of the advertising of our stations, which in turn decreased the revenue we earned from Nexstar through the JSAs.




Compensation from retransmission consent and network affiliation agreements was $5.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2009, compared to $4.0 million for the same period in 2008, an increase of $1.9 million, or 47.3%. The increase was primarily due to an increase in the compensation we receive under retransmission consent agreements which resulted from cable agreements being renegotiated at higher rates at the end of 2008.




Operating Expenses




Corporate expenses were $1.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2009 compared to $0.9 million for the same period in 2008, an increase of $0.4 million or 39.1%.  The increase was primarily due to legal fees associated with the amendment of the credit facility in 2009, combined with a reduction in employee bonuses in 2008.  Corporate expense relates to costs associated with the centralized management of our stations.




Station direct operating expenses, consisting primarily of news, engineering and programming, and selling, general and administrative expenses decreased by $0.8 million, or 9.3% for the year ended December 31, 2009, compared to the same period in 2008. The decrease was primarily due to a reduction in network fees, a decrease in utilities expense as a result of switching to DTV and a reduction in medical health claims.


22




Local service agreement fees associated with Nexstar relate to services provided by Nexstar in the production of newscasts, technical maintenance, promotional and administrative support under the SSAs. SSA fees decreased by $0.7 million, or 8.2%, for the year ended December 31, 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. These fees decreased due to the elimination of the newscast in Wilkes-Barre in the first quarter of 2009.





In 2009, we recorded an impairment charge of $2.3 million that included an impairment to the carrying values of FCC licenses of $2.0 million, related to eight of our stations and an impairment to the carrying values of goodwill of $0.3 million, related to one reporting unit consisting of one of our television stations.  We recorded impairment charges of $11.4 million during 2008 that included an impairment to the carrying values of FCC licenses of $8.7 million, related to 9 of our television stations; an impairment to the carrying value of network affiliation agreements of $1.4 million, related to 2 of our television stations; and an impairment to the carrying values of goodwill of $1.3 million, related to 3 of our television stations. As required by the authoritative guidance for goodwill and other intangible assets, we tested our FCC licenses and goodwill for impairment at September 30, 2009, between the required annual tests, because we believed events had occurred and circumstances changed that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of our reporting units below their carrying amounts and that our FCC licenses might be impaired.  These events and circumstances include the overall economic recession and a continued decline in demand for advertising at several of our stations.  See Note 7 in the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8 of this document.




Amortization of broadcast rights, excluding barter, increased by $0.1 million, or 3.3%, for the year ended December 31, 2009, compared to the same period in 2008. The increase was primarily due to the write-down of broadcast rights related to a program at one of the stations.




Amortization of intangible assets decreased by $0.3 million or 4.7% for the year ended December 31, 2009, compared to the same period in 2008.  The decrease was due to the 2008 impairment of network affiliation agreements at two stations.




Depreciation of property and equipment increased by $0.3 million, or 9.6%, for the year ended December 31, 2009, compared to the same period in 2008.  The increase was primarily due to new additions relating to the exchange of equipment with Sprint Nextel.




For the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008, we recognized gains of $2.4 million and $0.9 million, respectively from the exchange of equipment under an arrangement with Sprint Nextel Corporation. During 2008, we recognized a gain of $0.5 million related to an insurance recovery of a casualty loss, partially offset by a loss on disposal of assets of $0.1 million.




Interest Expense




Interest expense, including amortization of debt financing costs, decreased by $3.4 million, or 36.1%, for the year ended December 31, 2009, compared to the same period in 2008. The decrease in interest expense was primarily attributed to lower average interest rates incurred during the year ended December 31, 2009 compared to the same period in 2008.




Income Taxes




Income tax expense was $1.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2009, compared to income tax benefit of $0.7 million for the same period in 2008, an increase of $1.7 million or 233.8%. The increase was primarily due to the tax benefit recognized in 2008 as a result of the impairment charge on indefinite-lived assets. Our provision for income taxes is primarily created by an increase in the deferred tax liabilities position during the year arising from the amortizing of goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets for income tax purposes which are not amortized for financial reporting purposes. The 2008 impairment charge reduced the book value and therefore decreased the deferred tax liability position. No tax benefit was recorded with respect to the losses for 2009 and 2008, as the utilization of such losses is not more likely than not to be realized in the foreseeable future.


23


Liquidity and Capital Resources




We are highly leveraged, which makes us vulnerable to changes in general economic conditions. Our ability to meet the future cash requirements described below depends on our ability to generate cash in the future, which is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other conditions, many of which are beyond our control. Our ability to meet future cash requirements is also dependent upon the local service agreements we have entered into with Nexstar. Under our local service agreements, Nexstar sells our advertising time and pays us a percentage of the amount collected. The payments we receive from Nexstar under the local service agreements are a significant component of our cash flows. On March 4, 2011, Nexstar represented to us that it will continue the various local service agreements under which it provides sales and other services to our television stations thereby providing financial support to enable us to continue to operate as a going concern. We believe that with Nexstar’s pledge to continue the local service agreements, our available cash, anticipated cash flow from operations and available borrowings under our senior secured credit facility should be sufficient to fund working capital, capital expenditure requirements, interest payments and scheduled debt principal payments for at least the next twelve months from December 31, 2010. In order to meet future cash needs we may, from time to time, borrow under our available credit facility. We will continue to evaluate the best use of our operating cash flow among capital expenditures, acquisitions and debt reduction.







Overview




The following tables present summarized financial information management believes is helpful in evaluating the Company’s liquidity and capital resources (in thousands):





Years Ended December 31,2010


2009


2008Net cash provided by operating activities

$
4,220


$
4,196


$
8,768Net cash used in investing activities


(146
)


(1,171
)


(15,531
)Net cash used in financing activities


(3,728
)


(3,548
)


(1,727
)Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

$
346


$
(523
)

$
(8,490
)Cash paid for interest

$
9,956


$
5,848


$
9,441Cash paid for income taxes, net

$
61


$
80


$
75





As of December 31,2010


2009Cash and cash equivalents

$
1,249


$
903Long-term debt including current portion(2)

$
356,241


$
172,360Unused commitments under senior secured credit facility(1)

$
10,000


$
8,000





(1)
As of December 31, 2010, all $10.0 million of total unused commitments under our credit facility were available for borrowing.


(2)
We co-issued $325.0 million of 8.875% Notes during the year ended December 31, 2010, of which we received $131.9 million of the net proceeds and $184.9 million was received by Nexstar, as discussed in Note 8 of our Financial Statements. Debt repayment will be split based on the same ratio as the proceeds were received.




Cash Flows – Operating Activities




Net cash provided by operating activities remained consistent at $4.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2010, compared to the same period in 2009. Net revenue increased $5.5 million for the year, but was offset by an increase in cash paid for interest of $4.1 million and a decrease in cash provided from the timing of payments of operating expenses of $1.4 million. The increase in cash paid for interest was due to the higher interest rates on the 8.875% Notes compared to the bank debt.




Net cash provided by operating activities decreased by $4.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. The decrease was primarily due to the overall decrease in net revenue of $8.1 million, partially offset by the decrease in cash paid for interest of $3.6 million. The decrease in cash paid for interest was due to lower average interest rates incurred in 2009 compared to 2008.


24


Due to our recent history of net operating losses, we currently do not pay any federal income taxes. These net operating losses may be carried forward, subject to expiration and certain limitations, and used to reduce taxable earnings in future years. Through the use of available loss carryforwards, it is possible that we may not pay significant amounts of federal income taxes in the foreseeable future.




Cash Flows – Investing Activities




Net cash used in investing activities decreased by $1.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to the same period in 2009. Cash flows from investing activities consisted of cash used for capital additions. Capital expenditures were $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2010, compared to $1.2 million for the same period in 2009. The decrease was primarily attributed to the completion of the conversion of stations from analog to digital broadcasting in 2009.




Net cash used in investing activities decreased by $14.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. Cash flows from investing activities consisted of cash used for capital additions in 2009. Capital expenditures were $1.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2009, compared to $8.2 million for the same period in 2008. The decrease was primarily attributed to the conversion of more stations to DTV in 2008. Acquisition related payments for the year ended December 31, 2008 were $7.9 million, related to the acquisition of KTVE.




Cash Flows – Financing Activities




Net cash used in financing activities increased by $0.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2010 compared to the same period in 2009. In April 2010, we received $131.9 million of proceeds from issuance of the 8.875% Notes. We paid $133.6 million on our senior secured credit facility, $0.6 of which were scheduled term loan maturities and $133.0 of which were paid in April 2010 in connection with the amendment of our senior secured credit facility. We also paid $1.1 million of debt financing costs and $1.0 million in fees to creditors connected to the issuance of the 8.875% Notes and the amendment of our senior secured credit facility.




Net cash used in financing activities decreased by $1.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2009 compared to the same period in 2008 due to payments for debt finance costs related to the October 2009 amendment of our senior secured credit facility. Scheduled term loan maturities under our senior secured credit facility were $1.7 million for both the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008.




Although our senior secured credit facility allows for the payment of cash dividends, we do not currently intend to declare or pay a cash dividend.




Future Sources of Financing and Debt Service Requirements




As of December 31, 2010, we had debt of $356.2 million, including $317.4 million of debt co-issued with Nexstar, which represented 612.5% of our total capitalization. Our high level of debt requires that a substantial portion of cash flow be dedicated to pay principal and interest on debt which will reduce the funds available for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes.




The total amount of borrowings available to us under the revolving loan commitment of our senior secured credit facility is based on covenant calculations contained in Nexstar’s credit agreement. As of December 31, 2010, $10.0 million of total unused commitments under our credit facility were available for borrowing.




The following table summarizes the aggregate amount of principal indebtedness scheduled to mature in the following years as of December 31, 2010 (in thousands):





Total


2011



2012-2013



2014-2015


ThereafterSenior secured credit facility

$
38,805


$
390


$
780


$
780


$
36,8558.875% senior secured second lien notes due 2017(1)


325,000



—



—



—



325,000$
363,805


$
390


$
780


$
780


$
361,855





(1)
As co-issuers, we received $131.9 million of the net proceeds and $184.9 million was received by Nexstar, as discussed in Note 8 of our Financial Statements. Debt repayment will be split based on the same ratio as the proceeds were received.




We make semi-annual interest payments on our 8.875% Notes in April and October. Interest payments on our senior secured credit facility are generally paid every one to three months and are payable based on the type of interest rate selected.


25


The terms of our senior secured credit facility limit, but do not prohibit, us from incurring substantial amounts of additional debt in the future.




We do not have any rating downgrade triggers that would accelerate the maturity dates of our debt. However, a downgrade in our credit rating could adversely affect our ability to renew existing, or obtain access to new, credit facilities in the future and could increase the cost of such facilities.




Collateralization and Guarantees of Debt




Nexstar Broadcasting Group guarantees full payment of all obligations under our senior secured credit facility in the event of our default. Similarly, we are a guarantor of Nexstar’s senior secured credit facility, the 7% senior subordinated notes due 2014 and the 7% senior subordinated PIK notes due 2014 issued by Nexstar. The senior secured credit facilities are collateralized by a security interest in substantially all the combined assets, excluding FCC licenses, of Nexstar and Mission. As of December 31, 2010, Nexstar had a maximum commitment of $125.7 million under its senior secured credit facility, of which $60.7 million of debt was outstanding, and had $45.4 million of 7% senior subordinated notes and $136.8 million of 7% PIK senior subordinated notes outstanding.




Debt Covenants


Our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on Nexstar’s pledge to continue the local services agreements described in a letter of support dated March 4, 2011. Our senior secured credit facility agreement does not contain financial covenant ratio requirements; however it does include an event of default if Nexstar does not comply with all covenants contained in its credit agreement. Nexstar’s senior secured credit facility agreement contains covenants which require them to comply with certain financial ratios, including: (a) a maximum consolidated total leverage ratio, (b) a maximum consolidated first lien indebtedness ratio, and (c) a minimum consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio. The covenants, which are calculated on a quarterly basis, include the combined results of Nexstar and us. The senior secured second lien notes contain restrictive covenants customary for borrowing arrangements of this type. As of December 31, 2010, Nexstar was in compliance with all covenants contained in the credit agreements governing their senior secured credit facility and Nexstar and we were in compliance with all covenants contained in the indentures governing our respective publicly-held notes. Nexstar has informed us that it believes it will be able to maintain compliance with all covenants contained in the credit agreements governing its senior secured credit facility and its indentures governing publicly held notes for a period of at least the next twelve months from December 31, 2010.







No Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements




At December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, we did not have any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or variable interest entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or other contractually narrow or limited purposes. We are, therefore, not materially exposed to any financing, liquidity, market or credit risk that could arise if we had engaged in such relationships.




Contractual Obligations




The following summarizes our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2010, and the effect such obligations are expected to have on our liquidity and cash flow in future periods (in thousands):





Total


2011



2012-2013



2014-2015


ThereafterSenior secured credit facility

$
38,805


$
390


$
780


$
780


$
36,8558.875% senior secured second lien notes due 2017(1)


325,000



—



—



—



325,000Cash interest on debt(1)


198,549



30,849



61,640



61,412



44,648Broadcast rights current cash commitments(2)


2,683



1,452



1,197



28



6Broadcast rights future cash commitments


602



107



391



97



7Operating lease obligations


22,954



1,218



2,609



2,806



16,321Total contractual cash obligations

$
588,593


$
34,016


$
66,617


$
65,123


$
422,837





(1)
As co-issuers, we received $131.9 million of the net proceeds and $184.9 million was received by Nexstar as discussed in Note 8 of our Financial Statements. Principal and interest will be paid based on the ratio of the proceeds received. The full amounts are disclosed above as we are jointly and severally liable on these amounts as a co-issuer of the notes.


(2)
Excludes broadcast rights barter payable commitments recorded on the Financial Statements at December 31, 2010 in the amount of $3.3 million.


26


As of December 31, 2010, we had $3.7 million of unrecognized tax benefits. This liability represents an estimate of tax positions that the corporation has taken in its tax returns which may ultimately not be sustained upon examination by the tax authorities. The resolution of these tax positions may not require cash settlement due to the existence of net operating loss carryforwards.




Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates




Our Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) which requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the Financial Statements and reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the period. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to goodwill and intangible assets, bad debts, broadcast rights, barter, income taxes, commitments and contingencies. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from those estimates.




For an overview of our significant accounting policies, we refer you to Note 2 to the Financial Statements in Part IV, Item 15(a) of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We believe the following critical accounting policies are those that are the most important to the presentation of our Financial Statements, affect our more significant estimates and assumptions, and require the most subjective of complex judgments by management.




Valuation of Goodwill and Intangible Assets




Approximately $59.8 million, or 62.9%, of our total assets as of December 31, 2010 consisted of intangible assets. Intangible assets principally include FCC licenses, goodwill and network affiliation agreements. If the fair value of these assets is less than the carrying value, we may be required to record an impairment charge.




As required by authoritative guidance, we test the impairment of our FCC licenses annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that such assets might be impaired. The impairment test consists of a comparison of the fair value of FCC licenses with their carrying amount on a station-by-station basis using a discounted cash flow valuation method, assuming a hypothetical startup scenario.




Also as required by authoritative guidance, we test the impairment of our goodwill annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that goodwill might be impaired. The first step of the goodwill impairment test compares the fair value of the station (“reporting unit”) to its carrying amount, including goodwill. The fair value of a reporting unit is determined through the use of a discounted cash flow analysis. The valuation assumptions used in the discounted cash flow model reflect historical performance of the reporting unit and the prevailing values in the markets for broadcasters. If the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, goodwill is not considered impaired. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the second step of the goodwill impairment test is performed to measure the amount of impairment loss, if any. The second step of the goodwill impairment test compares the implied fair value of goodwill with the carrying amount of that goodwill. The implied fair value of goodwill is determined by performing an assumed purchase price allocation, using the reporting unit’s fair value (as determined in the first step described above) as the purchase price. If the carrying amount of goodwill exceeds the implied fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess but not more than the carrying value of goodwill.




In accordance with authoritative guidance for accounting for the impairment or disposal of long-lived assets, the Company tests network affiliation agreements whenever events or circumstances indicate that their carrying amount may not be recoverable, relying on a number of factors including operating results, business plans, economic projections and anticipated future cash flows. Impairment in the carrying amount of a network affiliation agreement is recognized when the expected future operating cash flow derived from the operations to which the asset relates is less than its carrying value.




We completed our annual test for impairment of goodwill and FCC licenses as of December 31, 2010 which resulted in no impairment charge. None of our reporting units failed the first step of our impairment testing.


27


We tested our FCC licenses and goodwill for impairment at September 30, 2009, between the required annual tests, because we believed events had occurred and circumstances changed that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of our reporting units below their carrying amounts and that our FCC licenses might be impaired. These events and circumstances included the overall economic recession and a continued decline in demand for advertising at several of our stations. We recorded an impairment charge of $2.3 million as a result of that test, including an impairment to the carrying values of FCC licenses of $2.0 million, related to eight of our stations, and an impairment to the carrying values of goodwill of $0.3 million, related to one reporting unit consisting of one of our stations. Our annual impairment test in 2009 resulted in no additional impairment charge.




Further deterioration in the advertising marketplaces in which Nexstar and Mission operate could lead to further impairment and reduction of the carrying value of the Company’s goodwill and intangible assets, including FCC licenses and network affiliation agreements. If such a condition were to occur, the resulting non-cash charge could have a material adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations.




The assumptions used in the valuation testing have certain subjective components including anticipated future operating results and cash flows based on our own internal business plans as well as future expectations about general economic and local market conditions.




We utilized the following assumptions in our impairment testing for the years ended December 31:





2010
2009Market growth rates
(0.2) – 3.6%
0 – 4.1%Operating profit margins – FCC licenses
11.5 – 24.0%
11.5 – 24.3%Operating profit margins – goodwill and network affiliation agreements
21.6 – 34.7%
20 – 30.8%Discount rate
10.0%
10.5%Tax rate
35.2 – 40.6%
35.2 – 40.6%Capitalization rate
7.3 – 8.0%
7.8 – 8.5%




Broadcast Rights Carrying Amount




Broadcast rights are stated at the lower of unamortized cost or net realizable value. Cash broadcast rights are initially recorded at the amount paid or payable to program distributors for the limited right to broadcast the distributors’ programming. Barter broadcast rights are recorded at our estimate of the fair value of the advertising time exchanged, which approximates the fair value of the programming received. The fair value of the advertising time exchanged is estimated by applying average historical rates for specific time periods. Amortization of broadcast rights is computed using the straight-line method based on the license period or programming usage, whichever period yields the shorter life. The current portion of broadcast rights represents those rights available for broadcast which will be amortized in the succeeding year. When projected future net revenue associated with a program is less than the current carrying amount of the program broadcast rights, for example, due to poor ratings, we write-down the unamortized cost of the broadcast rights to equal the amount of projected future net revenue. If the expected broadcast period was shortened or cancelled , we would be required to write-off the remaining value of the related broadcast rights to operations on an accelerated basis or possibly immediately. As of December 31, 2010, the carrying amounts of our current broadcast rights were $3.2 million and non-current broadcast rights were $1.9 million.





Characterization of SSA Fees


We present the fees incurred pursuant to SSAs with Nexstar as an operating expense in our Financial Statements. Our decision to characterize the SSA fees in this manner is based on our conclusion that (a) the benefit our stations receive from these local service agreements is sufficiently separate from the consideration paid to us from Nexstar under JSAs, (b) we can reasonably estimate the fair values of the benefits our stations receive under the SSA agreements, and (c) the SSA fees we pay to Nexstar do not exceed the estimated fair values of the benefits our stations receive.




Barter Transactions




We barter advertising time for certain program material. These transactions, except those involving exchange of advertising time for network programming, are recorded at management’s estimate of the fair value of the advertising time exchanged, which approximates the fair value of the program material received. The fair value of advertising time exchanged is estimated by applying average historical advertising rates for specific time periods. We recorded both barter revenue and barter expense of $2.3 million, $2.4 million and $2.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.


28


Income Taxes




We account for income taxes under the asset and liability method which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts and tax basis of assets and liabilities. A valuation allowance is applied against net deferred tax assets if, based on the weight of available evidence, it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. While we have considered future taxable income and feasible tax planning strategies in assessing the need for a valuation allowance, in the event that we were to determine that we would not be able to realize all or part of our deferred tax assets in the future, an adjustment to the valuation allowance would be charged to income in the period such a determination was made.




We recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities. The determination is based on the technical merits of the position and presumes that each uncertain tax position will be examined by the relevant taxing authority that has full knowledge of all relevant information. We recognize interest and penalties relating to income taxes as components of income tax expense.




Recent Accounting Pronouncements




Refer to Note 2 of our Financial Statements in Part IV, Item 15(a) of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of recently issued accounting pronouncements, including our expected date of adoption and effects on results of operations and financial position.




Item 7A.                      Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk




Interest Rate Risk




Our exposure to market risk for changes in interest rates relates primarily to our long-term debt obligations.




All term loan borrowings under our senior secured credit facility bear interest at 5.0% as of December 31, 2010, which represented the base rate, or LIBOR, plus the applicable margin, as defined. Interest is payable in accordance with the credit agreement.




If LIBOR were to increase by 100 basis points, or one percentage point, from its December 31, 2010 level, our annual interest expense would increase and cash flow from operations would decrease by approximately $0.1 million, based on the outstanding balance of our credit facility as of December 31, 2010. Due to the LIBOR floor on our term loan, an increase of 50 basis points in LIBOR or any decrease in LIBOR would have no impact on our operations or cash flows. Our 8.875% Notes are fixed rate debt obligations and therefore are not exposed to market interest rate changes. As of December 31, 2010, we have no financial instruments in place to hedge against changes in the benchmark interest rates on our senior secured credit facility.




Impact of Inflation




We believe that our results of operations are not affected by moderate changes in the inflation rate.




Item 8.
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data




Our Financial Statements are filed with this report. The Financial Statements and supplementary data are included in Part IV, Item 15(a) of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.




Item 9.
Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure




None.





29




Item 9A.
Controls and Procedures




Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures




Our management, with the participation of our President and Treasurer (our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer), conducted an evaluation as of the end of the period covered by this report of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.




Based upon that evaluation, our President and Treasurer concluded that as of the end of the period covered by this report our disclosure controls and procedures were effective in ensuring that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports we file or submit under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (i) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and (ii) is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our President and Treasurer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.




Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting




During the quarterly period as of the end of the period covered by this report, there have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.




Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting




Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.




Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2010 based upon the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control – Integrated Framework. Based on management’s assessment, we have concluded that, as of December 31, 2010, our internal control over financial reporting was effective based on those criteria.




This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm regarding the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by our independent registered public accounting firm pursuant to rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission that permit us to provide only management’s report in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.




Item 9B.
Other Information




None.


30


PART III




Item 10.
Directors, Executive Officers of the Registrant and Corporate Governance




The table below sets forth information about our Director and executive officers:





Name
Age
Position With CompanyDavid S. Smith
56
President, Treasurer and DirectorNancie J. Smith
58
Vice President and SecretaryDennis Thatcher
64
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer




David S. Smith has served as our President and Treasurer since December 1997. Prior to that, Mr. Smith was the General Manager of WSTR television in Cincinnati, Ohio from 1990 to 1995. He is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.




Mr. Smith’s qualifications for being a Director of the Company include his years of experience in the television broadcast industry.  He is also our sole shareholder.




Nancie J. Smith has served as our Vice President and Secretary since December 1997. Nancie J. Smith is married to David S. Smith.




Dennis Thatcherhas served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since October 2004. From November 2003 to March 2004, Mr. Thatcher served as Regional Market Manager for United Media Partners. From November 2002 to October 2003, Mr. Thatcher served as General Sales Manager of KZTV for Eagle Creek Broadcasting. From July 2000 to October 2002, Mr. Thatcher pursued personal interests. From April 1998 to June 2000, Mr. Thatcher served as Senior Vice President and Central Regional Manager for Paxson Communications.




Code of Ethics




Our sole Director adopted a code of ethics that applies to our President and Treasurer, Vice President and Secretary, and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. The purpose of the code of ethics is to promote honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships, to promote full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in periodic reports required to be filed by us, and to promote compliance with all applicable rules and regulations that apply to us and our officers and Director. The code of ethics is filed hereby as Exhibit 14.1 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Any amendments to or waivers from a provision of this code of ethics will be filed on a Current Report on Form 8-K.




Item 11.
Executive Compensation




David S. Smith, as the sole Director of our Board of Directors, has submitted the following report and has recommended that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis set forth below be included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 for filing with the SEC.




Compensation Discussion and Analysis




The Company has entered into a management services agreement with its President which provides for compensation in exchange for performing certain services in connection with the ownership and operations of the Company’s television stations. Under the agreement, our President, David S. Smith, is compensated $0.4 million per year, adjusted by a $25 thousand per station increase for any acquired stations and $25 thousand decrease for any stations sold.




Our Chief Operating Officer is compensated based on his scope of responsibilities, taking into account competitive market compensation paid by other similarly situated companies for this position. The Chief Operating Officer’s salary is reviewed annually, and adjusted to ensure its alignment with market levels and taking into account individual accomplishments and overall performance in the past year.




At this time, no other form of compensation is provided to the Company’s executive officers.


31


The following table sets forth the compensation earned or awarded for services rendered to the Company by our executive officers for the fiscal years ended December 31.




Summary Compensation Table


Year
Salary

Bonus

Stock

Awards

Option

Awards
Non-Equity

Incentive Plan

Compensation

Change inPension Valueand

Non-Qualified

DeferredCompensation

Earnings

All Other

Compensation

TotalDavid S. Smith

President, Treasurer and Director
2010
$
388,654

$
—

$
—

$
—
$
—

$
—

$
—

$
388,6542009

405,000


—


—


—

—


—


—


405,0002008

305,000


—


—


—

—


—


—


305,000Nancie J. Smith

Vice President and Secretary
2010

—


—


—


—

—


—


—


—2009

—


—


—


—

—


—


—


—2008

3,120


—


—


—

—


—


—


3,120Dennis Thatcher

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
2010

142,200


—


—


—

—


—


—


142,2002009

142,120


—


—


—

—


—


—


142,1202008

139,600


—


—


—

—


—


—


139,600




Employment Agreements




We are a party to a management services agreement with David S. Smith and Nancie J. Smith. Under this agreement, David S. Smith is paid $0.4 million per year, adjusted by a $25 thousand per station increase for any acquired stations and $25 thousand decrease for any stations sold, for certain management services and Nancie J. Smith is paid by the hour for certain management services. Effective July 1, 2008, Nancie J. Smith is no longer an employee of the Company.




Item 12.
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters




David S. Smith owns 100% of the equity interests in Mission, which is comprised of 1,000 shares of common stock.





32




Item 13.
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence




The following table summarizes the various local service agreements Mission-owned stations had in effect with Nexstar as of December 31, 2010:





Station
Market
Affiliation
Type of

Agreement
Expiration
Consideration received from or paid to NexstarWFXP
Erie, PA
Fox
TBA
8/16/11
Monthly payments received from Nexstar(1)KJTL and

KJBO-LP
Wichita Falls, TX-Lawton, OK
Fox

MyNetworkTV
SSA

JSA
5/31/19

5/31/19
$60 thousand per month paid to Nexstar

70% of the KJTL/KJBO-LP net revenue collected each month received from NexstarWYOU
Wilkes Barre-Scranton, PA
CBS
SSA

JSA
1/4/18

9/30/14
$35 thousand per month paid to Nexstar

70% of the WYOU net revenue collected each month received from NexstarKODE
Joplin, MO-Pittsburg, KS
ABC
SSA

JSA
3/31/12

9/30/14
$75 thousand per month paid to Nexstar

70% of the KODE net revenue collected each month received from NexstarKRBC
Abilene-Sweetwater, TX
NBC
SSA

JSA
6/12/13

6/30/14
$25 thousand per month paid to Nexstar

70% of the KRBC net revenue collected each month received from NexstarKSAN
San Angelo, TX
NBC
SSA

JSA
5/31/14

5/31/14
$10 thousand per month paid to Nexstar

70% of the KSAN net revenue collected each month received from NexstarWFXW
Terre Haute, IN
Fox
SSA

JSA
5/8/13

5/8/13
$10 thousand per month paid to Nexstar

70% of the WFXW net revenue collected each month received from NexstarKCIT and

KCPN-LP
Amarillo, TX
Fox

MyNetworkTV
SSA

JSA
4/30/19

4/30/19
$50 thousand per month paid to Nexstar

70% of the KCIT/KCPN-LP net revenue collected each month received from NexstarKHMT
Billings, MT
Fox
TBA
12/13/17
Monthly payments received from Nexstar(1)KAMC
Lubbock, TX
ABC
SSA

JSA
2/15/19

2/15/19
$75 thousand per month paid to Nexstar

70% of the KAMC net revenue collected each month received from NexstarKOLR
Springfield, MO
CBS
SSA

JSA
2/15/19

2/15/19
$150 thousand per month paid to Nexstar

70% of the KOLR net revenue collected each month received from NexstarWUTR
Utica, NY
ABC
SSA

JSA
3/31/14

3/31/14
$10 thousand per month paid to Nexstar

70% of the WUTR net revenue collected each month received from NexstarWTVO
Rockford, IL
ABC/

MyNetworkTV
SSA

JSA
10/31/14

10/31/14
$75 thousand per month paid to Nexstar

70% of the WTVO net revenue collected each month received from NexstarKTVE
Monroe, LA-El Dorado, AR
NBC
SSA

JSA
1/16/18

1/16/18
$20 thousand per month paid to Nexstar

70% of the KTVE net revenue collected each month received from Nexstar





(1)
Payments are variable based on station’s monthly operating expenses.


33


Under these agreements, we are responsible for certain operating expenses of our stations and therefore may have unlimited exposure to any potential operating losses. We will continue to operate our stations under the SSAs and JSAs or TBAs until the termination of such agreements. The SSAs and JSAs generally have a term of ten years. Nexstar indemnifies us for Nexstar’s activities pursuant to the local service agreements.




For disclosure of the amounts of revenue associated with and the fees incurred by Mission pursuant to the local service agreements our stations have with Nexstar, we refer you to Note 5 to the Financial Statements included in Part IV, Item 15(a) of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.




Option Agreements




In consideration of Nexstar Broadcasting Group’s guarantee of our indebtedness, Nexstar has options to purchase the assets of all of our stations, subject to prior FCC approval. Our owner, David S. Smith, is a party to these option agreements.




The following table summarizes the option agreements we and David S. Smith have in effect with Nexstar as of December 31, 2010:





Station
Market
Affiliation
Date ofExecution
ExpirationDateWFXP
Erie, PA
Fox
12/01/05
12/01/14KJTL and
Wichita Falls, TX-Lawton, OK
Fox
06/01/99
06/01/18KJBO-LP

MyNetworkTV
06/01/99
06/01/18WYOU
Wilkes Barre-Scranton, PA
CBS
05/19/98
05/19/18KODE
Joplin, MO-Pittsburg, KS
ABC
04/24/02
04/24/11KRBC
Abilene-Sweetwater, TX
NBC
06/13/03
06/13/12KSAN
San Angelo, TX
NBC
06/13/03
06/13/12WFXW
Terre Haute, IN
Fox
05/09/03
05/09/12KCIT and
Amarillo, TX
Fox
03/17/09
05/01/18KCPN-LP

MyNetworkTV
03/17/09
05/01/18KHMT
Billings, MT
Fox
12/30/03
12/30/12KAMC
Lubbock, TX
ABC
12/30/03
12/30/12KTVE
Monroe, LA-El Dorado, AR
NBC
1/16/08
1/16/17KOLR
Springfield, MO
CBS
12/30/03
12/30/12WUTR
Utica, NY
ABC
04/01/04
04/01/13WTVO
Rockford, IL
ABC/MyNetworkTV
11/01/04
11/01/13




Under the terms of these option agreements, Nexstar may exercise its option upon written notice to us and David S. Smith. In each option agreement, the exercise price is the greater of (1) seven times the station’s 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. We and/or David S. Smith may terminate each option agreement by written notice any time after the seventh anniversary date of the relevant option agreement.




Management Services Agreement




Mission, David S. Smith and Nancie J. Smith, the wife of David S. Smith, are parties to a management services agreement. Under this agreement, Mission pays David S. Smith $0.4 million per year, adjusted by a $25 thousand per station increase for any acquired stations and $25 thousand decrease for any stations sold, for certain management services and pays Nancie J. Smith by the hour for certain management services. Effective July 1, 2008, Nancie J. Smith is no longer an employee of the Company.


34




Item 14.
Principal Accountant Fees and Services




We retained PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP to audit the Financial Statements of Mission Broadcasting, Inc. for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, and review the Financial Statements included in each of its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q during such years and for tax compliance matters. The aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 for these various services were:





2010


2009Audit Fees (1)

$
176,000


$
193,000Audit Related Fees (2)


—



—Tax Fees (3)


56,850



53,000All Other Fees (4)


—



—Total

$
232,850


$
246,000





(1)
“Audit Fees” are fees billed by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP for professional services for the audit of the Financial Statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and review of Financial Statements included in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, or for services that are normally provided by the auditors in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements.


(2)
“Audit Related Fees” are fees billed by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our Financial Statements.


(3)
“Tax Fees” are fees billed by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning.


(4)
“All Other Fees” are fees billed by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP for any services not included in the first three categories.










PART IV




Item 15.
Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules




(a) Documents filed as part of this report:




(1) Financial Statements. The Financial Statements of Mission Broadcasting, Inc. listed on the index on page F-1 have been included beginning on page F-3 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:




(2)Financial Statement Schedules. The schedule of Valuation and Qualifying Accounts appears in Note 15 to the Financial Statements filed as a part of this report.




(3)Exhibits. The exhibits filed in response to Item 601 of Regulation S-K are listed in the Exhibit Index beginning on page E-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.





35


SIGNATURES




Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.





Mission Broadcasting, Inc.By:
/s/ DAVID S. SMITHDavid S. SmithPresident and Treasurer

(Principal Executive Officer and

Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)




Dated: March 16, 2011




Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed by the following person on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities indicated on March 16, 2011.







/s/ DAVID S. SMITHDavid S. SmithPresident, Treasurer and Director

(Principal Executive Officer and

Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)





36


MISSION BROADCASTING, INC.


INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS








Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
F-2Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2010 and 2009
F-3Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008
F-4Statement of Changes in Shareholder’s Deficit for the three years ended December 31, 2010
F-5Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008
F-6Notes to Financial Statements
F-7





F-1


Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm





To the Shareholder of Mission Broadcasting Inc:





In our opinion, the financial statements listed in the accompanying index present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Mission Broadcasting, Inc. at December 31, 2010 and 2009, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2010 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.





The Company has a significant relationship with Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. that is discussed in Notes 1, 2, 4, 5, 8 and 13 to the financial statements.











/s/PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP


Dallas, Texas


March 15, 2011










F-2


MISSION BROADCASTING, INC.


BALANCE SHEETS


(in thousands, except share information)





December 31,2010


2009ASSETSCurrent assets:Cash and cash equivalents

$
1,249


$
903Accounts receivable


1,609



1,430Current portion of broadcast rights


3,208



3,014Prepaid expenses and other current assets


120



216Deferred tax asset


8



8Total current assets


6,194



5,571Property and equipment, net


25,668



28,610Broadcast rights


1,888



1,785Goodwill


18,729



18,729FCC licenses


20,698



20,698Other intangible assets, net


20,369



25,517Other noncurrent assets


1,124



1,785Deferred tax asset


328



336Total assets

$
94,998


$
103,031LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDER’S DEFICITCurrent liabilities:Current portion of debt

$
390


$
1,727Current portion of broadcast rights payable


3,514



3,362Taxes payable


67



56Accounts payable


264



111Accrued expenses


525



629Interest payable (Note 8)


6,015



24Deferred revenue


487



992Due to Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.


8,423



13,370Total current liabilities


19,685



20,271Debt (Note 8)


355,851



170,633Broadcast rights payable


2,498



2,714Deferred tax liabilities


8,449



7,180Deferred revenue


475



709Deferred gain on sale of assets


1,563



1,737Other liabilities


4,554



4,441Total liabilities


393,075



207,685Commitments and contingenciesShareholder’s deficit:Common stock, $1.00 par value, 1,000 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of each of December 31, 2010 and 2009


1



1Subscription receivable


(1
)


(1
)Contra equity due from affiliate on debt issuance (Note 8)


(188,790
)


—Accumulated deficit


(109,287
)


(104,654
)Total shareholder’s deficit


(298,077
)


(104,654
)Total liabilities and shareholder’s deficit

$
94,998


$
103,031




The accompanying Notes are an integral part of these Financial Statements.





F-3


MISSION BROADCASTING, INC.


STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS


(in thousands)





Years Ended December 31,2010


2009


2008Net broadcast revenue

$
9,433


$
8,388


$
6,635Revenue from Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.


29,878



25,435



35,283Net revenue


39,311



33,823



41,918Operating expenses (income):Direct operating expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization


5,504



5,810



6,405Selling, general, and administrative expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization


2,455



2,790



2,595Fees incurred pursuant to local service agreements with Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.


7,160



7,425



8,090Impairment of goodwill


—



261



1,289Impairment of other intangible assets


—



1,997



10,149Amortization of broadcast rights


3,816



4,681



4,729Amortization of intangible assets


5,148



5,148



5,403Depreciation


2,911



3,658



3,337Loss (gain) on asset exchange


11



(2,385
)


(869
)Loss (gain) on asset disposal, net


160



28



(352
)Total operating expenses


27,165



29,413



40,776Income from operations


12,146



4,410



1,142Interest expense, including amortization of debt financing costs and debt discount (Note 8)


(12,998
)


(6,056
)


(9,472
)Loss on extinguishment of debt (Note 8)


(2,432
)


—



—Interest income


—



5



53Loss before income taxes


(3,284
)


(1,641
)


(8,277
)Income tax (expense) benefit


(1,349
)


(986
)


737Net loss

$
(4,633
)

$
(2,627
)

$
(7,540
)









The accompanying Notes are an integral part of these Financial Statements.





F-4


MISSION BROADCASTING, INC.


STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDER’S DEFICIT


For the Three Years Ended December 31, 2010


(in thousands, except share information)





Common Stock


Subscription


Accumulated


Contra Equity

Due from

Affiliate on


Total

Shareholder’sShares


Par Value


Receivable


Deficit


Debt


DeficitBalance as of December 31, 2007


1,000


$
1


$
(1
)

$
(94,487
)

$
—


$
(94,487
)Net loss


—



—



—



(7,540
)


—



(7,540
)Balance as of December 31, 2008


1,000



1



(1
)


(102,027
)


—



(102,027
)Net loss


—



—



—



(2,627
)


—



(2,627
)Balance as of December 31, 2009


1,000



1



(1
)


(104,654
)


—



(104,654
)Issuance of 8.875% senior secured second lien notes, Nexstar portion (Note 8)


—



—



—



—



(184,934
)


(184,934
)Discount accretion on 8.875% senior secured second lien notes, Nexstar portion (Note 8)


—



—



—



—



(348
)


(348
)Interest accrual on 8.875% senior secured second lien notes, Nexstar portion, net of Nexstar payments (Note 8)


—



—



—



—



(3,508
)


(3,508
)Net loss


—



—



—



(4,633
)


—



(4,633
)Balance as of December 31, 2010


1,000


$
1


$
(1
)

$
(109,287
)

$
(188,790
)

$
(298,077
)









The accompanying Notes are an integral part of these Financial Statements.





F-5


MISSION BROADCASTING, INC.


STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS


(in thousands)





Years Ended December 31,2010


2009


2008Cash flows from operating activities:Net loss

$
(4,633
)

$
(2,627
)

$
(7,540
)Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities:Deferred income taxes


1,277



925



(814
)Depreciation of property and equipment


2,911



3,658



3,337Amortization of intangible assets


5,148



5,148



5,403Amortization of debt financing costs


310



200



45Amortization of broadcast rights, excluding barter


1,523



2,263



2,190Payments for broadcast rights


(1,897
)


(1,866
)


(1,773
)Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets


—



2,258



11,438Loss (gain) on asset exchange


11



(2,385
)


(869
)Loss (gain) on asset disposal, net


160



28



(352
)Deferred gain recognition


(174
)


(173
)


(175
)Loss on extinguishment of debt


2,432



—



—Amortization of debt discount


248



—



—Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions:Accounts receivable


(179
)


(413
)


914Prepaid expenses and other current assets


96



14



(20
)Other noncurrent assets


(2
)


—



—Taxes payable


11



(18
)


2Accounts payable and accrued expenses


55



(1,380
)


(1,015
)Interest payable


2,483



8



(16
)Deferred revenue


(739
)


(489
)


829Other noncurrent liabilities


126



343



383Due to Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.


(4,947
)


(1,298
)


(3,199
)Net cash provided by operating activities


4,220



4,196



8,768Cash flows from investing activities:Purchases of property and equipment


(146
)


(1,171
)


(8,186
)Proceeds from sale of assets


—



—



84Acquisition of broadcast properties and related transaction costs


—



—



(7,923
)Proceeds from insurance on casualty loss


—



—



494Net cash used in investing activities


(146
)


(1,171
)


(15,531
)Cash flows from financing activities:Proceeds from debt issuance


131,906



—



—Repayment of long-term debt


(133,555
)


(1,727
)


(1,727
)Payments for debt finance costs


(1,087
)


(1,821
)


—Payments to creditors for debt extinguishment


(992
)


—



—Net cash used in financing activities


(3,728
)


(3,548
)


(1,727
)Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents


346



(523
)


(8,490
)Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year


903



1,426



9,916Cash and cash equivalents at end of year

$
1,249


$
903


$
1,426Supplemental information:Interest paid

$
9,956


$
5,848


$
9,441Income taxes paid, net

$
61


$
80


$
75Non-cash investing and financing activities:Accrued purchases of property and equipment

$
2


$
8


$
182Proceeds from debt issuance received by Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. classified as contra equity (Note 8)

$
184,934


$
—


$
—




The accompanying Notes are an integral part of these Financial Statements.





F-6


MISSION BROADCASTING, INC.


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS




1. Business Operations




As of December 31, 2010, Mission Broadcasting, Inc. (“Mission” or the “Company”) owned and operated 16 television stations and one digital multicast channel, affiliated with the NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox or MyNetworkTV television networks, in markets located in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Louisiana, Texas and Montana. The Company operates in one reportable television broadcasting segment. Through local service agreements, Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. (“Nexstar”) provides sales and operating services to all of the Mission television stations (see Notes 2 and 5).




The Company is highly leveraged, which makes it vulnerable to changes in general economic conditions. The Company’s ability to repay or refinance its debt will depend on, among other things, financial, business, market, competitive and other conditions, many of which are beyond its control, as well as Nexstar maintaining its pledge to continue the local service agreements with the Company’s stations. Management believes that with Nexstar’s pledge to continue the local service agreements, as described in a letter of support dated March 4, 2011, the Company’s available cash, anticipated cash flow from operations and available borrowings under its senior secured credit facility should be sufficient to fund working capital, capital expenditure requirements, interest payments and scheduled debt principal payments for at least the next twelve months from December 31, 2010, enabling Mission to continue to operate as a going concern.





Nexstar’s senior secured credit facility agreement contains covenants which require Nexstar to comply with certain financial ratios, including (a) maximum consolidated total leverage ratios, (b) a maximum consolidated first lien indebtedness ratio, and (c) a minimum consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio. The covenants, which are calculated on a quarterly basis, include the combined results of Nexstar and the Company. The Company’s senior secured credit facility agreement does not contain financial covenant ratio requirements; however it does include an event of default if Nexstar does not comply with all covenants contained in its credit agreement. As of December 31, 2010, Nexstar was in compliance with all covenants contained in the credit agreements governing the Company’s senior secured credit facility and the indentures governing the publicly-held notes.





In April, 2010, Mission and Nexstar, as co-issuers, completed the issuance and sale of $325.0 million aggregate principal amount of senior secured second lien notes due 2017 (the “8.875% Notes”). The net proceeds to Mission and Nexstar from the sale of the 8.875% Notes were approximately $316.8 million, net of approximately $8.2 million original issue discount. The 8.875% Notes will mature on April 15, 2017. Interest on the 8.875% Notes accrues at a rate of 8.875% per annum and is payable semiannually in arrears on April 15 and October 15 of each year, commencing on October 15, 2010. The Company also refinanced its bank credit facilities, among other things, extending maturities, reducing the principal amount available under the new bank credit facilities, amending Nexstar’s financial covenants and providing additional flexibility thereunder. See Note 8 for more details related to these transactions.




2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies




Local Service Agreements and Purchase Options




The following table summarizes the various local service agreements Mission’s stations had in effect as of December 31, 2010 with Nexstar:





Service Agreements
StationsTBA Only (1)
WFXP and KHMTSSA & JSA (2)
KJTL, KJBO-LP, KOLR, KCIT, KCPN-LP, KAMC, KRBC, KSAN, WUTR, WFXW, WYOU, KODE, KTVE and WTVO





(1)
Mission has a time brokerage agreement (“TBA”) for each of these stations which allows Nexstar to program most of each station’s broadcast time, sell each station’s advertising time and retain the advertising revenue generated in exchange for monthly payments to Mission.


(2)
Mission has both a shared service agreement (“SSA”) and a joint services agreement (“JSA”) for each of these stations. The SSA allows the sharing of services including news production, technical maintenance and security, in exchange for Nexstar’s right to receive certain payments from Mission as described in the SSAs. The JSAs permit Nexstar to sell the station’s advertising time and retain a percentage of the net revenue from the station’s advertising time in return for monthly payments to Mission of the remaining percentage of the net revenue, as described in the JSAs.


F-7


Under these agreements, Mission is responsible for certain operating expenses of its stations and therefore may have unlimited exposure to any potential operating losses. Mission will continue to operate its stations under the SSAs and JSAs or TBAs until the termination of such agreements. The SSAs and JSAs generally have terms of ten years. Nexstar indemnifies Mission from Nexstar’s activities pursuant to the local service agreements.





The arrangements under the SSAs and JSAs have had the effect of Nexstar receiving substantially all of the available cash, after debt service costs, generated by the stations listed above. The arrangements under the TBAs have also had the effect of Nexstar receiving substantially all of the available cash generated by the TBA stations listed above. Mission anticipates that through these local service agreements, Nexstar will continue to receive substantially all of Mission’s available cash, after payments for debt service costs, generated by the stations listed above.




Mission’s sole shareholder has granted Nexstar purchase options to acquire the assets and assume the liabilities of each Mission station, subject to Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) consent, for consideration equal to the greater of (1) seven times the station’s 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. Cash flow is defined as income or loss from operations, plus depreciation and amortization (including amortization of broadcast rights), interest income, non-cash trade and barter expenses, nonrecurring expenses (including time brokerage agreement fees), network compensation payments received or receivable and corporate management fees, less payments for broadcast rights, non-cash trade and barter revenue and network compensation revenue. These option agreements (which expire on various dates between 2011 and 2018) are freely exercisable or assignable by Nexstar without consent or approval by Mission’s sole shareholder. The Company expects these option agreements to be renewed upon expiration.




Characterization of SSA Fees




The Company presents the fees incurred pursuant to SSAs with Nexstar as an operating expense in the Company’s Statements of Operations. The Company’s decision to characterize the SSA fees in this manner is based on management’s conclusion that (a) the benefit the Company’s stations receive from these local service agreements is sufficiently separate from the consideration paid to the Company from Nexstar under JSAs, (b) management can reasonably estimate the fair value of the benefit our stations receive under the SSA agreements, and (c) the SSA fees the Company pays to Nexstar do not exceed the estimated fair value of the benefits the Company’s stations receive.




Use of Estimates




The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and use assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure for contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. The more significant estimates made by management include those relating to the allowance for doubtful accounts, barter transactions, income taxes, the recoverability of broadcast rights, the carrying amounts, recoverability, and useful lives of intangible assets and the fair values of non-monetary asset exchanges. Actual results may vary from estimates used.




Cash and Cash Equivalents




The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of ninety days or less to be cash equivalents.




Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts




The Company’s accounts receivable consists primarily of billings to cable and satellite carriers for compensation associated with retransmission consent agreements and amounts due from the major television networks under the network affiliation agreements. The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts when necessary for estimated losses resulting from the inability of customers to make required payments. Management evaluates the collectability of accounts receivable based on a combination of factors. In circumstances where management is aware of a specific customer’s inability to meet its financial obligations, an allowance is recorded to reduce their receivable amount to an amount estimated to be collected. The Company had no allowance for doubtful accounts as of December 31, 2010 and 2009 given the composition of its accounts receivable at those dates. The Company also recognized no bad debt expense for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008.


F-8




Concentration of Credit Risk




Financial instruments which potentially expose the Company to a concentration of credit risk consist principally of cash and cash equivalents. Cash deposits are maintained with several financial institutions. Deposits held with banks may exceed the amount of insurance provided on such deposits; however, the Company believes these deposits are maintained with financial institutions of reputable credit and are not subject to any unusual credit risk.




Revenue Recognition




The Company’s revenue is primarily derived from the sale of television advertising by Nexstar under JSAs, network compensation and other broadcast related revenues. Advertising revenue is recognized, net of agency commissions, in the period during which the commercial is aired.




•
Revenue from Nexstar, representing a percentage of net advertising revenue derived from the sale of commercials on the Company’s stations, is recognized in the period during which the time spots are aired.




•
Retransmission compensation is recognized based on the number of subscribers over the contract period.




•
Other revenues, which may include tower rent revenue and other similar activities from time to time, are recognized in the period during which the services are provided.




•
Network compensation is either recognized when the Company’s station broadcasts specific network programming based upon a negotiated hourly-rate, or on a straight-line basis based upon the total negotiated compensation to be received by the Company over the term of the agreement.




The Company barters advertising time for certain program material. These transactions, except those involving exchange of advertising time for network programming, are recorded at management’s estimate of the fair value of the advertising time exchanged, which approximates the fair value of the program material received. The fair value of advertising time exchanged is estimated by applying average historical advertising rates for specific time periods. Revenue from barter transactions is recognized as the related advertising spots are broadcast. The Company recorded $2.3 million, $2.4 million and $2.5 million of barter revenue for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.




Barter expense is recognized at the time program broadcast rights assets are used. The Company recorded $2.3 million, $2.4 million and $2.5 million of barter expense for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively, which was included in amortization of broadcast rights in the Company’s Statements of Operations.




Broadcast Rights and Broadcast Rights Payable




The Company records rights to programs, primarily in the form of syndicated programs and feature movie packages obtained under license agreements for the limited right to broadcast the suppliers’ programming when the following criteria are met: 1) the cost of each program is known or reasonably determinable, 2) the license period has begun, 3) the program material has been accepted in accordance with the license agreement, and 4) the programming is available for use. Broadcast rights are initially recorded at the amount paid or payable to program suppliers; or, in the case of barter transactions, at management’s estimate of the fair value of the advertising time exchanged using historical advertising rates, which approximates the fair value of the program material received. Broadcast rights are stated at the lower of unamortized cost or net realizable value. The current portion of broadcast rights represents those rights available for broadcast which will be amortized in the succeeding year. Amortization of broadcast rights is computed using the straight-line method based on the license period or programming usage, whichever period yields the shorter life. Broadcast rights liabilities are reduced by monthly payments to program suppliers; or, in the case of barter transactions, are amortized over the life of the associated programming license contract as a component of barter revenue. When projected future net revenue associated with a program is less than the current carrying amount of the program broadcast rights, for example, due to poor ratings, the Company writes down the unamortized cost of the broadcast rights to equal the amount of projected future net revenue. If the expected broadcast period was shortened or cancelled, the Company would be required to write-off the remaining value of the related broadcast rights on an accelerated basis or possibly immediately. Such reductions in unamortized costs are included in amortization of broadcast rights in the Statements of Operations.




Property and Equipment




Property and equipment is stated at cost. The cost and related accumulated depreciation applicable to assets sold or retired are removed from the accounts and the gain or loss on disposition is recognized. Major renewals and betterments are capitalized and ordinary repairs and maintenance are charged to expense in the period incurred. Depreciation is computed on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets ranging from 3 to 39 years (see Note 6).


F-9




Network Affiliation Agreements




Network affiliation agreements are stated at estimated fair value at the date of acquisition using a discounted cash flow method. Amortization is computed on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of 15 years.




Each of the Company’s stations has a network affiliation agreement pursuant to which the broadcasting network provides programming to the station during specified time periods, including prime time. Under the affiliation agreements with NBC, CBS and ABC, most of the Company’s stations receive compensation for distributing the network’s programming over the air and for allowing the network to keep a portion of advertising inventory during those time periods. The affiliation agreements with Fox and MyNetworkTV do not provide for compensation.




Intangible Assets




Intangible assets consist primarily of goodwill, broadcast licenses (“FCC licenses”) and network affiliation agreements that are stated at estimated fair value at the date of acquisition using a discounted cash flow method. The Company’s goodwill and FCC licenses are considered to be indefinite-lived intangible assets and are not amortized but are tested for impairment annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that such assets might be impaired. The use of an indefinite life for FCC licences contemplates the Company’s historical ability to renew its licenses, that such renewals generally may be obtained indefinitely and at little cost, and that the technology used in broadcasting is not expected to be replaced in the foreseeable future. Therefore, cash flows derived from the FCC licenses are expected to continue indefinitely. Network affiliation agreements are subject to amortization computed on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of 15 years.




The Company aggregates its stations by market (“reporting unit”) for purposes of goodwill and license impairment testing because management views, manages and evaluates its stations on a market basis. The impairment test for FCC licenses consists of a market-by-market comparison of the carrying amount of FCC licenses with their fair value, using a discounted cash flow analysis. The impairment test for goodwill utilizes a two-step fair value approach. The first step of the goodwill impairment test is used to identify potential impairment by comparing the fair value of the reporting unit to its carrying amount. The fair value of a reporting unit is determined using a discounted cash flow analysis. If the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, goodwill is not considered impaired. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the second step of the goodwill impairment test is performed to measure the amount of impairment loss, if any. The second step of the goodwill impairment test compares the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill with the carrying amount of that goodwill. The implied fair value of goodwill is determined by performing an assumed purchase price allocation, using the reporting unit fair value (as determined in Step 1) as the purchase price. If the carrying amount of goodwill exceeds the implied fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess.




Determining the fair value of reporting units requires management to make a number of judgments about assumptions and estimates that are highly subjective and that are based on unobservable inputs. The actual results may differ from these assumptions and estimates; and it is possible that such differences could have a material impact on the Company’s Financial Statements. In addition to the various inputs (i.e. market growth, operating profit margins, discount rates) used to calculate the fair value of FCC licenses and reporting units, the Company evaluates the reasonableness of its assumptions by comparing the fair values of its reporting units and FCC licenses to recent market television station sale transactions.




In accordance with authoritative guidance for accounting for the impairment or disposal of long-lived assets, the Company tests network affiliation agreements whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amount may not be recoverable, relying on a number of factors including operating results, business plans, economic projections and anticipated future cash flows. An impairment in the carrying amount of a network affiliation agreement is recognized when the expected future operating cash flow derived from the operation to which the asset relates is less than its carrying value. The impairment test for network affiliation agreements consists of a station-by-station comparison of the carrying amount of network affiliation agreements with their fair value, using a discounted cash flow analysis. See Note 7 for additional information.




Debt Financing Costs




Debt financing costs represent direct costs incurred to obtain long-term financing and are amortized to interest expense over the term of the related debt. Previously capitalized debt financing costs are expensed and included in loss on extinguishment of debt if the Company determines that there has been a substantial modification of the related debt. As of December 31, 2010 and 2009, debt financing costs of $1.1 million and $1.8 million, respectively, were included in other noncurrent assets.


F-10




Financial Instruments




The carrying amount of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, broadcast rights payable, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximates fair value due to their short-term nature. The interest rates on the Company’s term loan and revolving credit facility are adjusted regularly to reflect current market rates. See Note 8 for the fair values of the Company’s debt.




Income Taxes




The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts and tax basis of assets and liabilities. A valuation allowance is applied against net deferred tax assets if, based on the weight of available evidence, it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.




The Company recognizes the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities. The determination is based on the technical merits of the position and presumes that each uncertain tax position will be examined by the relevant taxing authority that has full knowledge of all relevant information. The Company recognizes interest and penalties relating to income taxes within income tax expense.




Nonmonetary Asset Exchanges




In 2004, the FCC approved a spectrum allocation exchange between Sprint Nextel Corporation (“Nextel”) and public safety entities to eliminate interference caused to public safety radio licensees by Nextel’s operations. As part of this spectrum exchange, the FCC granted Nextel the right to certain spectrum within the 1.9 GHz band that was being used by television broadcasters. In order to utilize this spectrum, Nextel was required to relocate the broadcasters to new spectrum by replacing all analog equipment used by broadcasters with comparable digital equipment. The Company agreed to accept the substitute equipment that Nextel provided and in turn relinquished its existing equipment to Nextel. Neither party will have any continuing involvement in the equipment transferred following the exchange. This transition began on a market by market basis beginning in the second quarter of 2007. The Company accounted for this arrangement as an exchange of nonmonetary assets. The equipment the Company received under this arrangement was recorded at their estimated fair market values and is being depreciated over estimated useful lives ranging from 5 to 15 years. Management’s determination of the fair market value was derived from the most recent prices paid to manufacturers and vendors for the specific equipment acquired. As equipment was exchanged, the Company recorded a gain to the extent that the fair market value of the equipment received exceeded the carrying amount of the equipment relinquished. Transactions under this program were completed in early 2010.




Recent Accounting Pronouncements





In January 2010, the FASB issued authoritative guidance which requires additional disclosures about transfers between Levels 1 and 2 of the fair value hierarchy and disclosures about purchases, sales, issuances and settlements in the roll forward of activity in Level 3 fair value measurements. This guidance was effective for the Company January 1, 2010, except for the Level 3 activity disclosures, which are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2010. The adoption of this guidance, which is related to disclosure only, did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.





In October 2009, the FASB issued authoritative guidance about the accounting for revenue contracts containing multiple elements, allowing the use of companies’ estimated selling prices as the value for deliverable elements under certain circumstances and to eliminate the use of the residual method for allocation of deliverable elements. This guidance is effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2011. The Company does not expect that this standard will have a significant impact on its financial position or results of operations.


F-11


3. Acquisition




On June 27, 2007, Mission entered into a purchase agreement with Piedmont Television Holdings LLC to acquire substantially all the assets of KTVE, the NBC affiliate serving the Monroe, Louisiana/El Dorado, Arkansas market. On January 16, 2008, Mission completed the acquisition of KTVE for total consideration of $8.3 million, inclusive of transaction costs of $0.5 million which is included in goodwill. Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, Mission made a down payment of $0.4 million against the purchase price in June 2007 and paid the remaining $7.4 million, exclusive of transaction costs, on January 16, 2008 from available cash on hand. Upon closing the purchase of KTVE, Mission entered into a JSA and SSA with Nexstar-owned KARD, the Fox affiliate in the market, whereby KARD provides local news, sales and other non-programming services to KTVE. This acquisition was accounted for using the purchase method of accounting and, accordingly, the purchase price was allocated to assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair value on the acquisition date. The excess of the purchase price over the fair values assigned to the net assets acquired was recorded as goodwill.




The estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the date of acquisition were as follows (in thousands):





Accounts receivable

$
1,081Current portion of broadcast rights


408Prepaid expenses and other current assets


12Property and equipment


3,534Intangible assets


3,808Goodwill


2,802Total assets acquired


11,645Less: current portion of broadcast rights payable


152Less: accounts payable


113Less: deferred gain on lease


2,216Less: accrued expenses and other liabilities


854Net assets acquired

$
8,310




Of the $3.8 million of acquired intangible assets, $2.7 million was assigned to FCC licenses that are not subject to amortization and $1.1 million was assigned to network affiliation agreements (estimated useful life of 15 years). Goodwill of $2.8 million is deductible for tax purposes. The $2.2 million of acquired lease cost was included in other long term liabilities.




Unaudited Pro Forma Information




The following unaudited pro forma information for the year ended December 31, 2008, has been presented as if the acquisition of KTVE had occurred on January 1, 2008 (in thousands):


2008Net revenue

$
42,168Income (loss) from operations


1,148Loss before income taxes


(8,290
)Net loss


(7,558
)





The above selected unaudited pro forma information is presented for illustrative purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of results of operations in future periods or results that would have been achieved had the Company owned the acquired station during the specified period.





4. Transaction with Nexstar




On April 11, 2006, Nexstar and Mission filed an application with the FCC for consent to assignment of the license for KFTA Channel 24 (Ft. Smith, Arkansas) from Nexstar to Mission. Consideration for this transaction was set at $5.6 million. On August 28, 2006, Mission and Nexstar entered into a local service agreement whereby Mission paid Nexstar for the right to broadcast programming on KFTA and Nexstar paid Mission for the right to sell all advertising time on KFTA within certain time periods. Also in 2006, Mission entered into an affiliation agreement with the Fox network which provides Fox programming to KFTA. In March 2008, the FCC granted the application to assign the license for KFTA from Nexstar to Mission. On March 9, 2010, Nexstar and Mission notified the FCC that the transaction would not be consummated. The TBA terminated on May 1, 2010 and the Fox affiliation agreement was assigned to Nexstar.


F-12


5. Related Party Transactions




Local Service Agreements




Mission has entered into local service agreements with Nexstar to provide sales and operating services to all of the Mission stations. Under the terms of a shared services agreement (“SSA”), the Nexstar station in the market provides certain services including news production, technical maintenance and security, in exchange for monthly payments from Mission to Nexstar. For each station that Mission has entered into an SSA, it has also entered into a joint sales agreement (“JSA”). Under the terms of the JSA, Nexstar sells the advertising time of the Mission station and retains a percentage of the net revenue it generates in return for monthly payments to Mission of the remaining percentage of net revenue. Under the terms of a time brokerage agreement (“TBA”), Nexstar programs most of the station’s broadcast time, sells the station’s advertising time and retains the advertising revenue it generates in exchange for monthly payments to Mission. JSA and TBA fees generated from Nexstar under the agreements are reported as “Revenue from Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.”, and SSA fees incurred by Mission under the agreements are reported as “Fees incurred pursuant to local service agreements with Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.” in the accompanying Statements of Operations.




The arrangements under the local service agreements each Mission station has entered into with Nexstar has had the effect of Nexstar receiving substantially all of the available cash, after Mission’s payment of operating costs and debt service, generated by the Company’s stations. Mission anticipates that Nexstar will continue to receive substantially all of Mission’s available cash, after payments for operating costs and debt service, generated by its stations. In compliance with FCC regulations for both Nexstar and Mission, Mission maintains complete responsibility for and control over programming, finances, personnel and operations of its stations. Mission stations had the following local service agreements in effect with Nexstar as of December 31, 2010:


Station
Market
Affiliation
Type of

Agreement
Expiration
Consideration received from or paid to NexstarWFXP
Erie, PA
Fox
TBA
8/16/11
Monthly payments received from Nexstar(1)KJTL and
Wichita Falls, TX -
Fox
SSA
5/31/19
$60 thousand per month paid to NexstarKJBO-LP
Lawton, OK
MyNetworkTV
JSA
5/31/19
70% of the KJTL/KJBO-LP net revenue collected each month received from NexstarWYOU
Wilkes Barre-
CBS
SSA
1/4/18
$35 thousand per month paid to NexstarScranton, PA

JSA
9/30/14
70% of the WYOU net revenue collected each month received from NexstarKODE
Joplin, MO-
ABC
SSA
3/31/12
$75 thousand per month paid to NexstarPittsburg, KS

JSA
9/30/14
70% of the KODE net revenue collected each month received from NexstarKRBC
Abilene-
NBC
SSA
6/12/13
$25 thousand per month paid to NexstarSweetwater, TX

JSA
6/30/14
70% of the KRBC net revenue collected each month received from NexstarKSAN
San Angelo, TX
NBC
SSA
5/31/14
$10 thousand per month paid to NexstarJSA
5/31/14
70% of the KSAN net revenue collected each month received from NexstarWFXW
Terre Haute, IN
Fox
SSA
5/8/13
$10 thousand per month paid to NexstarJSA
5/8/13
70% of the WFXW net revenue collected each month received from NexstarKCIT and
Amarillo, TX
Fox
SSA
4/30/19
$50 thousand per month paid to NexstarKCPN-LP

MyNetworkTV
JSA
4/30/19
70% of the KCIT/KCPN-LP net revenue collected each month received from NexstarKHMT
Billings, MT
Fox
TBA
12/13/17
Monthly payments received from Nexstar(1)KAMC
Lubbock, TX
ABC
SSA
2/15/19
$75 thousand per month paid to NexstarJSA
2/15/19
70% of the KAMC net revenue collected each month received from NexstarKOLR
Springfield, MO
CBS
SSA
2/15/19
$150 thousand per month paid to NexstarJSA
2/15/19
70% of the KOLR net revenue collected each month received from NexstarWUTR
Utica, NY
ABC
SSA
3/31/14
$10 thousand per month paid to NexstarJSA
3/31/14
70% of the WUTR net revenue collected each month received from NexstarWTVO
Rockford, IL
ABC/
SSA
10/31/14
$75 thousand per month paid to NexstarMyNetworkTV
JSA
10/31/14
70% of the WTVO net revenue collected each month received from NexstarKTVE
Monroe, LA-
NBC
SSA
1/16/18
$20 thousand per month paid to NexstarEl Dorado, AR

JSA
1/16/18
70% of the KTVE net revenue collected each month received from Nexstar





(1)
Payments are variable based on station’s monthly operating expenses.


F-13


Under these agreements, Mission is responsible for certain operating expenses of its stations and therefore may have unlimited exposure to any potential operating losses. Mission will continue to operate its stations under the SSAs and JSAs or TBAs until the termination of such agreements. The SSAs and JSAs generally have a term of ten years. Nexstar indemnifies Mission from Nexstar’s activities pursuant to the local service agreement to which Nexstar is a party.




Management Services Agreement




Mission’s sole shareholder and his spouse are parties to a management services agreement. Under this agreement, Mission pays the sole shareholder $0.4 million per year, adjusted by a $25 thousand per station increase for any acquired stations and $25 thousand decrease for any stations sold, for certain management services and pays his spouse by the hour for certain management services. Pursuant to the management services agreement, Mission paid compensation to its sole shareholder in the amount of $0.4 million, $ 0.4 million and $0.3 million, for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively, which is included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the Company’s Statements of Operations. Effective July 1, 2008, the sole shareholder's spouse is no longer an employee of the Company.




6. Property and Equipment




Property and equipment consisted of the following, as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):





Estimateduseful life,in years


2010


2009Buildings and building improvements


39


$
7,765


$
7,760Land and land improvements


N/A-39



1,442



1,442Leasehold improvements

term of lease



70



70Studio and transmission equipment


5-15



38,425



38,633Office equipment and furniture


3-7



1,357



1,294Vehicles


5



946



1,015Construction in progress


N/A



4



58050,009



50,794Less: accumulated depreciation






(24,341
)


(22,184
)Property and equipment, net





$
25,668


$
28,610




The Company recorded depreciation expense in the amounts of $2.9 million, $3.7 million and $3.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.




During the fourth quarter of 2009, the Company corrected depreciation expense for an error that increased 2009 net loss by $0.1 million. The error related to depreciation of analog equipment that should have been accelerated so the equipment would have been fully depreciated by June 2009. Management evaluated this error taking into account both qualitative and quantitative factors and considered the impact of this error in relation to the year ended December 31, 2009, when it was corrected, as well as prior periods when the depreciation should have been recognized. Management believes this error is immaterial to both the 2009 Financial Statements as well as any prior periods affected.




During the second quarter of 2009, the Company corrected depreciation expense and certain balance sheet accounts for an error discovered during the quarter which increased the 2009 net loss by $0.2 million. The error related to the estimated fair values and subsequent depreciation of certain fixed assets associated with the KTVE acquisition in 2008 which had shortened useful lives due to the conversion from analog to digital equipment as mandated by the FCC. The impact of correcting this error in 2008 would have also increased net loss by $0.2 million for the annual period and lesser amounts for each quarter during the year. No periods prior to 2008 would have been impacted since the assets were acquired in January 2008. Management evaluated this error taking into account both qualitative and quantitative factors and considered the impact of this error in relation to the current period, which is when it was corrected, as well as the period in which it originated. Management believes this error is immaterial to both the 2009 and 2008 annual Financial Statements.




On May 11, 2001, the Company sold its telecommunications tower facilities associated with KCIT, KOLR, KHMT and KAMC for cash and entered into noncancellable operating leases with the buyer for tower space. In 2001, the Company recorded a gain on the sale which has been deferred and is being recognized over the lease term which expires in May 2021. The deferred gain as of December 31, 2010 and 2009 was approximately $1.7 million and $1.9 million, respectively, including $0.2 million in current liabilities as of December 31, 2010 and 2009.


F-14




7. Intangible Assets and Goodwill




Intangible assets subject to amortization consisted of the following, as of December 31 (dollars in thousands):





2010


2009Estimated useful life, in years


Gross


Accumulated Amortization


Net


Gross


Accumulated Amortization


NetNetwork affiliation agreements


15


$
66,443


$
(48,616
)

$
17,827


$
66,443


$
(44,348
)

$
22,095Other definite-lived intangible assets


1-15



13,117



(10,575
)


2,542



13,117



(9,695
)


3,422Other intangible assets





$
79,560


$
(59,191
)

$
20,369


$
79,560


$
(54,043
)

$
25,517





The Company’s annual impairment test of goodwill and FCC licenses performed as of December 31, 2010 resulted in no impairment charge being recognized. No events or circumstances were noted leading management to conclude that impairment testing should be performed on the intangible assets subject to amortization.





The Company recorded an impairment charge of $2.3 million during the third quarter of 2009 that included an impairment to the carrying values of FCC licenses of $2.0 million, related to eight stations, and an impairment to the carrying values of goodwill of $0.3 million, related to one reporting unit consisting of one station. The Company tested its FCC licenses and goodwill for impairment at September 30, 2009, between the required annual tests, due to changes in the industry and markets, including the overall economic recession and a continued decline in demand for advertising at several of the Company’s stations. The Company’s annual test for impairment of goodwill and FCC licenses as of December 31, 2009 resulted in no additional impairment charge.





The Company tests its indefinite-lived intangible assets on an annual basis or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that these assets might be impaired. As a result, if the economy deteriorates and the credit and capital markets are disrupted, it is possible that the Company may record further impairments in the future.





The estimated useful life of network affiliation agreements contemplates renewals of the underlying agreements based on the Company’s historical ability to renew such agreements without significant cost or modifications to the conditions from which the value of the affiliation was derived. These renewals can result in estimated useful lives of individual affiliations ranging from 12 to 20 years. Management has determined that 15 years is a reasonable estimate within the range of such estimated useful lives.




Total amortization expense from definite-lived intangibles for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008 was $5.1 million, $5.1 million and $5.4 million, respectively.




The following table presents the Company’s estimate of amortization expense for each of the five succeeding fiscal years and thereafter for definite-lived intangible assets recorded on its books as of December 31, 2010 (in thousands):





2011

$
5,0932012

$
5,0812013

$
4,2542014

$
1,3822015

$
1,098Thereafter

$
3,461




The changes in the carrying amounts of goodwill and FCC licenses for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009 are as follows (in thousands):




Goodwill


FCC LicensesGross


Accumulated

Impairment


Net


Gross


Accumulated

Impairment


NetBalance as of December 31, 2008

$
19,924


$
(1,289
)

$
18,635


$
31,395


$
(8,700
)

$
22,695Impairment


—



(261
)


(261
)


—



(1,997
)


(1,997
)Reclassification of asset


355



—



355



—



—



—Balance as of December 31, 2009


20,279



(1,550
)


18,729



31,395



(10,697
)


20,698Activity


—



—



—



—



—



—Balance as of December 31, 2010

$
20,279


$
(1,550
)

$
18,729


$
31,395


$
(10,697
)

$
20,698


F-15


During 2009, the Company reclassified certain amounts representing goodwill that were improperly classified as property and equipment when recording the fair value of KTVE assets acquired in 2008.




8. Debt




Long-term debt consisted of the following, as of December 31 (in thousands):





2010


2009Term loans

$
38,805


$
165,360Revolving credit facility


—



7,0008.875% Senior secured second lien notes due 2017, net of discount of $7,564


317,436



—356,241



172,360Less: current portion


(390
)


(1,727
)$
355,851


$
170,633





On April 19, 2010, the Second Amendment to Mission’s Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of April 1, 2005 (as amended, the “Mission Credit Agreement”), became effective among Mission, the several financial institutions from time to time parties thereto and Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent and syndication agent. Under the terms of the Mission Credit Agreement, the principal amount available under the revolving credit facility was reduced to $10.0 million, and the Term Loan B was reduced to $39.0 million.





On April 19, 2010, the Third Amendment to Nexstar’s Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of April 1, 2005 (as amended, the “Nexstar Credit Agreement” and together with the Mission Credit Agreement, the “Credit Agreements”), became effective among Nexstar, Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. (Nexstar’s ultimate parent), the several financial institutions from time to time parties thereto and Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent and syndication agent. Under the terms of the Nexstar Credit Agreement, the principal amount available under the revolving credit facility was reduced to $65.0 million, and the Term Loan B was reduced to $61.0 million.





The Credit Agreements were amended to, among other things, (i) extend the revolving loan commitments to December 31, 2013 (subject to earlier springing maturity dates), (ii) extend the maturity date of the Term Loan B to September 30, 2016 (subject to earlier springing maturity dates), (iii) amend Nexstar’s financial covenants and provide additional flexibility thereunder, (iv) permit the incurrence of incremental Term Loan B facilities of up to an aggregate amount equal to $100.0 million, (v) permit Mission and Nexstar, under certain circumstances to incur indebtedness and make restricted payments, in each case, in part, to repurchase or extinguish existing indebtedness, and (vi) relieve the respective borrowers from their obligation to make mandatory prepayments under certain circumstances.





The Nexstar Credit Agreement (i) eliminates the requirement that Nexstar maintain a consolidated minimum interest coverage ratio and a consolidated maximum senior leverage ratio and institutes the requirement to maintain a consolidated maximum first lien indebtedness ratio, based on the aggregate first-lien indebtedness maintained by Nexstar and Mission, and (ii) changes the maximum and minimum covenant levels applicable to such financial ratios. Additionally, the Credit Agreement removes mandatory quarterly repayments based on a computation of excess cash flow for the preceding fiscal year.





Senior Secured Credit Facility





The Mission senior secured credit facility (the “Mission Facility”) consists of a Term Loan B and a $10.0 million revolving loan. As of December 31, 2010 and 2009, Mission had $38.8 million and $165.4 million, respectively, outstanding under its Term Loan B and no amounts and $7.0 million, respectively, outstanding under its revolving loan.




The Term Loan B matures in September 2016, and is payable in consecutive quarterly installments amortized at 0.25% quarterly, which commenced on December 30, 2010, with the remaining 94% due at maturity. The first installment after the amendment to the credit agreement commenced in the third quarter of 2010. During the year ended December 31, 2010, repayments of the Term Loan B totaled $126.6 million including $126.0 million paid on April 19, 2010 in connection with the amendment to the Credit Agreement and $0.6 million of scheduled maturities.




The revolving loan is not subject to incremental reduction and matures in December 2013. On April 19, 2010, Mission repaid $3.3 million of the revolving loan. The remaining $3.7 million was repaid in the second quarter of 2010. There was no outstanding revolving loan balance at December 31, 2010.


F-16


Interest rates are selected at Mission’s option and the applicable margin is adjusted quarterly as defined in the credit facility agreement. The total weighted-average interest rate of the Mission Facility was 5.0% at each of December 31, 2010 and 2009. Interest is payable periodically based on the type of interest rate selected. Additionally, Mission is required to pay quarterly commitment fees on the unused portion of its revolving loan commitment of 0.75% per annum, based on the consolidated senior leverage ratio of Nexstar and Mission for that particular quarter.




As of December 31, 2010, there was $10.0 million of unused commitments under Mission’s credit facility, all of which was available for borrowing, based on the covenant calculations.




8.875% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes





On April 19, 2010, Mission and Nexstar, as co-issuers, completed the issuance and sale of $325.0 million aggregate principal amount of senior secured second lien notes due 2017 (the “8.875% Notes”). The 8.875% Notes will mature on April 15, 2017. Interest on the 8.875% Notes accrues at a rate of 8.875% per annum and is payable semiannually in arrears on April 15 and October 15 of each year, commencing on October 15, 2010.





The net proceeds to Mission and Nexstar from the sale of the 8.875% Notes were approximately $316.8 million, net of approximately $8.2 million original issuance discount. Mission received $131.9 million of the net proceeds and $184.9 million was received by Nexstar. As the obligations under the 8.875% Notes are joint and several to Mission and Nexstar, each entity reflects the full amount of the 8.875% Notes and related accrued interest in its separate Financial Statements. Further, the portions of the recorded balance of the 8.875% Notes and related accrued interest attributable to the respective co-issuer are reflected as a reduction to equity (due from affiliate) in its separate Financial Statements given the common control nature of the entities. As of December 31, 2010, Nexstar had a balance of $185.3 million of debt and $3.5 million of interest payable related to the 8.875% Notes, both of which are recorded in contra equity due from affiliate on the Balance Sheet. Mission used the net proceeds of the offering and cash on hand to refinance Mission’s old senior secured credit facilities and pay related fees and expenses.





The 8.875% Notes were issued pursuant to an Indenture, dated as of April 19, 2010 (the “Indenture”), by and among Mission and Nexstar, as co-issuers, Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc., as guarantor, and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee and collateral agent. Mission’s and Nexstar’s obligations under the 8.875% Notes are jointly and severally, fully and unconditionally guaranteed by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. and all of Nexstar’s and Mission’s future 100% owned domestic subsidiaries. Neither Mission nor Nexstar currently has any subsidiaries.





The 8.875% Notes are secured by second-priority liens, subject to certain exceptions and permitted liens, on Nexstar’s, Mission’s and the guarantors assets that secure Mission’s and Nexstar’s senior secured credit facilities on a first-priority lien basis. The 8.875% Notes and the guarantees are Mission’s, Nexstar’s and the guarantors’ senior secured obligations, rank equal in right of payment with all of Mission’s, Nexstar’s and the guarantors’ existing and future senior indebtedness and rank senior in right of payment to all of Mission’s, Nexstar’s and the guarantors’ future subordinated indebtedness. The 8.875% Notes and the guarantees are effectively junior to Mission’s, Nexstar’s and the guarantors’ obligations which are either secured by assets that are not collateral or which are secured on a first priority basis, including borrowings under Mission’s and Nexstar’s senior secured credit facilities, in each case, to the extent of the value of the assets securing such obligations.





Mission and Nexstar have the option to redeem all or a portion of the 8.875% Notes at any time prior to April 15, 2014 at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the 8.875% Notes redeemed plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date plus applicable premium as of the date of redemption. At any time on or after April 15, 2014, Mission and Nexstar may redeem the 8.875% Notes, in whole or in part, at the redemption prices set forth in the Indenture. At any time before April 15, 2013, Mission and Nexstar may also redeem up to 35% of the aggregate principal amount of the 8.875% Notes at a redemption price of 108.875% of the principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the date of redemption, with the proceeds of certain equity offerings.





Upon the occurrence of a change of control (as defined in the Indenture), each holder of the 8.875% Notes may require Mission and Nexstar to repurchase all or a portion of the 8.875% Notes in cash at a price equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amount of the 8.875% Notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, thereon to the date of repurchase.





F-17


The Indenture contains covenants that limit, among other things, Mission’s and Nexstar’s ability to (1) incur additional debt and issue preferred stock, (2) make certain restricted payments, (3) consummate specified asset sales, (4) enter into transactions with affiliates, (5) create liens, (6) pay dividends or make other distributions, (7) make certain investments, (8) merge or consolidate with another person and (9) enter new lines of business.





The Indenture provides for customary events of default (subject in certain cases to customary grace and cure periods), which include nonpayment, breach of covenants in the Indenture, payment defaults or acceleration of other indebtedness, a failure to pay certain judgments and certain events of bankruptcy and insolvency. The Indenture also provides for events of default with respect to the collateral, which include (i) default in the performance of the security documents which adversely affects the enforceability, validity, perfection or priority of the second priority liens on any collateral, individually or in the aggregate, having a fair market value in excess of $10.0 million, (ii) repudiation or disaffirmation by Mission, Nexstar or any guarantor of material obligations under the security documents, and (iii) the determination in a judicial proceeding that the security documents are unenforceable or invalid against Mission, Nexstar or any guarantor for any reason with respect to any collateral, individually or in the aggregate, having a fair market value in excess of $10.0 million. Generally, if an event of default occurs, the Trustee or holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the then outstanding 8.875% Notes may declare the principal of and accrued but unpaid interest, including additional interest, on all the Notes to be due and payable.





The Company incurred approximately $0.7 million in professional fees related to the transaction, which were capitalized as debt finance cost, included in other noncurrent assets, net on the Balance Sheet, and are being amortized over the term of the 8.875% Notes.




Collateralization and Guarantees of Debt





Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries guarantee full payment of all obligations under the Mission Credit Facility in the event of its default. Similarly, Mission is a guarantor of Nexstar’s bank credit facility, the 7% PIK senior subordinated notes and the 7% senior subordinated notes issued by Nexstar. The bank credit facilities are collateralized by a security interest in substantially all the combined assets, excluding FCC licenses, of Nexstar and Mission.




Debt Covenants




The Mission Credit Agreement does not contain financial covenant ratio requirements, but does provide for default in the event Nexstar does not comply with all covenants contained in its credit agreement. Nexstar was in compliance with its debt covenants as of December 31, 2010.




Fair Value of Debt




The aggregate carrying amounts and estimated fair values of Mission’s debt were as follows, as of December 31 (in thousands):





2010


2009CarryingAmount


Fair Value


CarryingAmount


FairValueTerm loans(1)

$
38,805


$
38,805


$
165,360


$
154,850Revolving credit facilities(1)


—



—



7,000



6,6248.875% Senior secured second lien notes(2)


317,436



345,313



—



—





(1)
The fair value of bank credit facilities is computed based on borrowing rates currently available to Mission for bank loans with similar terms and average maturities. These fair value measurements are considered Level 3 (significant and unobservable).


(2)
The fair value of Mission’s fixed rate debt is estimated based on bid prices obtained form an investment banking firm that regularly makes a market for these financial instruments. This fair value measurement is considered Level 2 (significant and observable).


F-18




Debt Maturities




As of December 31, 2010, scheduled maturities of Mission’s debt for the years ended December 31 are summarized as follows (in thousands):





2011

$
3902012


3902013


3902014


3902015


390Thereafter


361,855$
363,805





9. Common Stock




The Company is 100% owned by one shareholder, David S. Smith. As of December 31, 2010 and 2009, the Company had authorized, issued and outstanding 1,000 shares of common stock with a one dollar par value. Each share of common stock is entitled to one vote.




10. Gain on Asset Exchange




In 2004, the FCC approved a spectrum allocation exchange between Sprint Nextel Corporation (“Nextel”) and public safety entities to eliminate interference being caused to public safety radio licensees by Nextel’s operations. As part of this spectrum exchange, the FCC granted Nextel the right to certain spectrum within the 1.9 GHz band that is currently used by television broadcasters. In order to utilize this spectrum, Nextel is required to relocate the broadcasters to new spectrum by replacing all analog equipment currently used by broadcasters with comparable digital equipment. The Company has agreed to accept the substitute equipment that Nextel will provide and in turn must relinquish its existing equipment back to Nextel. This transition began on a market by market basis beginning in the third quarter of 2007. The equipment the Company receives under this arrangement is recorded at their estimated fair market value and depreciated over estimated useful lives ranging from 5 to 15 years. Management’s determination of fair market value is derived from the most recent prices paid to manufacturers and vendors for the specific equipment acquired. As equipment is exchanged, the Company records a gain to the extent that the fair market value of the equipment received exceeds the carrying amount of the equipment relinquished. For the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, the Company recognized a loss of $11 thousand and gains of $2.4 million and $0.9 million, respectively, from the exchange of this equipment. The exchange was completed in early 2010.





F-19


11. Income Taxes




The provision (benefit) for income taxes consisted of the following components for the years ended December 31 (in thousands):





2010


2009


2008Current tax expense:Federal

$
—


$
—


$
—State


72



60



7772



60



77Deferred tax expense (benefit):Federal


1,057



827



(744
)State


220



99



(70
)1,277



926



(814
)Income tax expense (benefit):

$
1,349


$
986


$
(737
)




The provision for income taxes differs from the amount computed by applying the statutory federal income tax rate of 35% to loss from operations before income taxes. The sources and tax effects of the differences were as follows, for the years ended December 31 (in thousands):





2010


2009


2008Income tax benefit at 35% statutory federal rate

$
(1,149
)

$
(574
)

$
(2,897
)Change in valuation allowance


2,547



1,562



2,394State and local taxes, net of federal benefit


(47
)


(4
)


(235
)Other, net


(2
)


2



1Income tax expense (benefit)

$
1,349


$
986


$
(737
)







The components of the net deferred tax asset and liability were as follows, as of December 31 (in thousands):





2010


2009Deferred tax assets:Net operating loss carryforwards

$
36,182


$
31,598Other intangible assets


4,195



4,786Deferred revenue


1,060



1,398Other


1,287



1,140Total deferred tax assets


42,724



38,922Valuation allowance


(39,305
)


(36,787
)Net deferred tax assets


3,419



2,135Deferred tax liabilities:Property and equipment


(3,083
)


(1,791
)Goodwill


(3,828
)


(3,202
)FCC licenses


(4,621
)


(3,975
)Total deferred tax liabilities


(11,532
)


(8,968
)Net deferred tax liability

$
(8,113
)

$
(6,833
)





The Company’s income tax expense is primarily comprised of deferred income taxes created by an increase in the deferred tax liabilities position during the year resulting from the amortization of goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets for income tax purposes which are not amortized for financial reporting purposes. These deferred tax liabilities do not reverse on a scheduled basis and are not used to support the realization of deferred tax assets. The Company’s deferred tax assets primarily result from federal and state net operating loss carryforwards (“NOLs”). The Company’s NOLs are available to reduce future taxable income if utilized before their expiration. The Company has provided a valuation allowance for certain deferred tax assets as it believes they may not be realized through future taxable earnings.


F-20


A reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of the total amounts of gross unrecognized tax benefits is as follows (in thousands):







Gross unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2007

$
3,677Increases in tax positions from prior years


—Decreases in tax positions from prior years


—Increases in tax positions for current year


—Settlements


—Lapse in statute of limitations


—Gross unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2008


3,677Increases in tax positions from prior years


—Decreases in tax positions from prior years


—Increases in tax positions for current year


—Settlements


—Lapse in statute of limitations


—Gross unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2009


3,677Increases in tax positions from prior years


—Decreases in tax positions from prior years


—Increases in tax positions for current year


—Settlements


—Lapse in statute of limitations


—Gross unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2010

$
3,677




If the gross unrecognized tax benefit were recognized, it would result in a favorable effect on the Company’s effective tax rate excluding the impact on the Company’s valuation allowance position. The Company does not expect the amount of unrecognized tax benefits to significantly change in the next twelve months.




Interest expense and penalties related to the Company’s uncertain tax positions would be reflected as a component of income tax expense in the Company’s Statements of Operations. For the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, the Company did not accrue interest on the unrecognized tax benefits as an unfavorable outcome upon examination would not result in a cash outlay but would reduce NOLs subject to a valuation allowance.





The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various state jurisdictions. The Company is subject to U.S. federal tax examinations for years after 2006. Additionally, any NOLs that were generated in prior years and will be utilized in the future may also be subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service. State jurisdictions that remain subject to examination are not considered significant.




The valuation allowance increased by $2.5 million and $0.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively, primarily related to the generation of current year net operating losses, the benefit of which may not be realized.




As of December 31, 2010, the Company has NOLs available of approximately $97.9 million which are available to reduce future taxable income if utilized before their expiration. The federal NOLs begin to expire in 2016 through 2030 if not utilized. Utilization of NOLs in the future may be limited if changes in the Company’s ownership occurs.


F-21


12. FCC Regulatory Matters





Television broadcasting is subject to the jurisdiction of the FCC under the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the “Communications Act”). The Communications Act prohibits the operation of television broadcasting stations except under a license issued by the FCC, and empowers the FCC, among other things, to issue, revoke, and modify broadcasting licenses, determine the location of television stations, regulate the equipment used by television stations, adopt regulations to carry out the provisions of the Communications Act and impose penalties for the violation of such regulations. The FCC’s ongoing rule making proceedings could have a significant future impact on the television industry and on the operation of the Company’s stations and the stations it provides services to. In addition, the U.S. Congress may act to amend the Communications Act in a manner that could impact the Company’s stations, the stations it provides services to and the television broadcast industry in general.





The FCC has initiated a proceeding with respect to the conversion of existing low power and television translator stations to digital operations.  The FCC has asked for comment on whether to adopt a date in 2012 by which such analog low power and television translator stations must cease analog operations. The Company holds three low power analog station licenses and 13 analog television translator station licenses which will need to transition to digital operations by the final transition date established by the FCC.




Media Ownership





In 2006, the FCC initiated a rulemaking proceeding which provides for a comprehensive review of all of its media ownership rules, as required by the Communications Act. The Commission considered rules relating to ownership of two or more TV stations in a market, ownership of local TV and radio stations by daily newspapers in the same market, cross-ownership of local TV and radio stations, and changes to how the national TV ownership limits are calculated. In February 2008, the FCC adopted modest changes to its newspaper broadcast cross-ownership rule while retaining the rest of its ownership rules then currently in effect.  Multiple challenges to this proceeding were filed with the U.S. Courts of Appeal. The court proceedings remain pending.





The FCC is required by statute to review its media ownership rules every four years and to eliminate those rules it finds no longer serve the “public interest, convenience and necessity”. During 2009, the FCC held a series of hearings designed to evaluate possible changes to its rules. In May 2010, the FCC formally initiated its 2010 review of its media ownership rules with the issuance of a Notice of Inquiry (NOI). The NOI is intended to assist the Commission in establishing a framework within which to analyze whether its media ownership rules remain “necessary in the public interest as a result of competition,” due to the dramatic changes occurring in the media marketplace. Numerous parties have filed comments and reply comments in response to the NOI. In June 2010, the FCC issued a Request for Proposal with respect to nine economic studies related to its media ownership rules. These studies have not yet been provided to the general public for review and comment. The Company believes that upon completion of the studies the next step will be for the FCC to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to seek comment on specific proposed changes to its ownership rules. The Company cannot predict when the FCC will issue this NPRM but anticipate it will be sometime in 2011.




Spectrum





The FCC has initiated a proceeding to assess the availability of spectrum to meet future wireless broadband needs pursuant to which the FCC is examining whether 120 megahertz of the spectrum currently used for commercial broadcast television can be made available for wireless broadband use. The FCC has requested comment on, among other things, whether to implement a proposal to require each broadcast station to share its 6 megahertz of spectrum with one or more other stations located in the same market, reducing television station service areas and distance separations, conducting voluntary incentive auctions and other voluntary and involuntary mechanisms. If the FCC determines to move forward with this proposal, it may be to the detriment of the Company’s investment in digital facilities, could require substantial additional investment to continue the Company’s operations, and may require viewers to invest in additional equipment or subscription services to continue receiving broadcast television signals. The Company cannot predict the resolution of these proposals or their impact to its business.


F-22




Retransmission





On March 3, 2011, the FCC initiated a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to reexamine its rules (i) governing the requirements for good faith negotiations between MPVDs and broadcasters, including implementing a prohibition on one station negotiating retransmission consent terms for another station under a local service agreement; (ii) for providing advance notice to consumers in the event of dispute; and (iii) to extend certain cable-only obligations to all MVPDs. The FCC has also asked for comment on eliminating the network non-duplication and syndicated exclusivity protection rules to permit MVPDs to import out-of-market television stations during a retransmission consent dispute. If the FCC prohibits joint negotiations or modifies the network non-duplication and syndicated exclusivity protection rules, such changes could materially reduce this revenue source and could have an adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations. The Company cannot predict the resolution of these proposals or their impact to its business.





13. Commitments and Contingencies




Broadcast Rights Commitments




Broadcast rights acquired for cash under license agreements are recorded as an asset and a corresponding liability at the inception of the license period. Future minimum payments arising from unavailable future broadcast license commitments outstanding are as follows as of December 31, 2010 (in thousands):





2011

$
1072012


2642013


1272014


842015


13Thereafter


7Future minimum payments for unavailable cash broadcast rights

$
602




Unavailable broadcast rights commitments represent obligations to acquire cash program rights for which the license period has not commenced and, accordingly, for which no asset or liability has been recorded.




Operating Leases




The Company leases towers, office space and operating equipment under noncancelable operating lease arrangements expiring through April 2032. Charges to operations for such leases aggregated approximately $1.9 million, $1.9 million and $1.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively. Future minimum lease payments under these operating leases are as follows as of December 31, 2010 (in thousands):





2011

$
1,2182012


1,2752013


1,3342014


1,3892015


1,417Thereafter


16,321Future minimum lease payments under operating leases

$
22,954




F-23




Guarantees of Nexstar Debt


Mission is a guarantor of and has pledged substantially all its assets, excluding FCC licenses, to guarantee Nexstar’s bank credit facility. Mission is also a guarantor of the 7% senior subordinated notes and 7% PIK senior subordinated notes, both due 2014, issued by Nexstar. The notes are general unsecured senior subordinated obligations subordinated to all of Mission’s senior debt. In the event that Nexstar is unable to repay amounts due under these debt obligations, Mission will be obligated to repay such amounts. The maximum potential amount of future payments that Mission would be required to make under these guarantees would be generally limited to the amount of borrowings outstanding under Nexstar’s senior secured credit facility, the 7% PIK senior subordinated notes and the 7% senior subordinated notes. As of December 31, 2010, Nexstar had a maximum commitment of $125.7 million under its senior secured credit facility, of which $60.7 million of debt was outstanding, had $45.4 million of the 7% senior subordinated notes outstanding and $136.8 million of the 7% PIK senior subordinated notes outstanding.





Purchase Options Granted to Nexstar


In consideration of the guarantee of Mission’s bank credit facility by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. and subsidiaries, Mission’s sole shareholder has granted Nexstar purchase options to acquire the assets and assume the liabilities of each Mission station, subject to FCC consent, for consideration equal to the greater of (1) seven times the station’s 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. Cash flow is defined as income or loss from operations, plus depreciation and amortization (including amortization of broadcast rights), interest income, non-cash trade and barter expenses, nonrecurring expenses (including time brokerage agreement fees), network compensation payments received or receivable and corporate management fees, less payments for broadcast rights, non-cash trade and barter revenue and network compensation revenue. These option agreements (which expire on various dates between 2011 and 2018) are freely exercisable or assignable by Nexstar without consent or approval by Mission’s sole shareholder. The Company expects these option agreements to be renewed upon expiration.




Indemnification Obligations




In connection with certain agreements that the Company enters into in the normal course of its business, including local service agreements, business acquisitions and borrowing arrangements, the Company enters into contractual arrangements under which the Company agrees to indemnify the third party to such arrangement from losses, claims and damages incurred by the indemnified party for certain events as defined within the particular contract. Such indemnification obligations may not be subject to maximum loss clauses and the maximum potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to make under these indemnification arrangements may be unlimited. Historically, payments made related to these indemnifications have been immaterial and the Company has not incurred significant costs to defend lawsuits or settle claims related to these indemnification agreements.




Litigation




From time to time, the Company is involved in claims that arise out of the normal course of its business. In the opinion of management, any resulting liability with respect to these claims would not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.




14. Employment Benefits




Retirement Savings Plan




The Company has established a retirement savings plan under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Plan”). The Plan covers substantially all employees of the Company who meet minimum age and service requirements, and allows participants to defer a portion of their annual compensation on a pre-tax basis. Contributions to the Plan may be made at the discretion of the Company. The Company contributed $14 thousand to the Plan for the year ended December 31, 2010. The Company did not make any contributions to the Plan in 2009 and 2008.


F-24




15. Valuation and Qualifying Accounts




Valuation Allowance for Deferred Tax Assets Rollforward





Balance at

Beginning

of Period


Additions

Charged to Costs

and Expenses(1)


Additions

Charged to

Other Accounts


Deductions(2)


Balance at

End ofPeriod(in thousands)Year ended December 31, 2010


36,787



2,518



—



—



39,305Year ended December 31, 2009


36,083



1,562



—



(858
)


36,787Year ended December 31, 2008


32,881



2,394



808



—



36,083





(1)
Increase in valuation allowance related to the generation of net operating losses and other deferred tax assets.


(2)
Decrease in valuation allowance associated with adjustments to certain deferred tax assets and their related allowance.





F-25





Exhibit No.
Exhibit Index3.1
Certificate of Incorporation of Mission Broadcasting, Inc. (f/k/a Mission Broadcasting of Wichita Falls, Inc.) (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002 (File No. 333-62916-02) filed by Mission Broadcasting of Wichita Falls, Inc.)3.2
By-laws of Mission Broadcasting, Inc. (f/k/a Mission Broadcasting of Wichita Falls, Inc.) (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002 (File No. 333-62916-02) filed by Mission Broadcasting of Wichita Falls, Inc.)4.1
Indenture, dated as of March 30, 2009, among Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc., Mission Broadcasting, Inc., as guarantor, and The Bank of New York Mellon, as Trustee. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 333-62916-02), filed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc. on April 3, 2009)4.2
First Supplemental Indenture, dated as of March 30, 2009, among Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc., Mission Broadcasting, Inc., as guarantor, and Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc., as parent guarantor, and The Bank of New York Mellon, as Trustee. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 333-62916-02), filed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc. on April 3, 2009)4.3
Indenture, dated as of April 19, 2010, by and among Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. and Mission Broadcasting Inc., as Issuers, Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc., as Guarantor, and The Bank of New York Mellon, as Trustee, and The Bank of New York Mellon, as Collateral Agent. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 333-62916-02) filed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc. on April 23, 2010)10.1
Indenture, among Nexstar Finance Holdings, L.L.C., Nexstar Finance Holdings, Inc., Mission Broadcasting, Inc. and The Bank of New York, dated as of March 27, 2003. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 to Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2003 (File No. 333-68964) filed by Nexstar Finance Holdings, L.L.C. and Nexstar Finance Holdings, Inc.)10.2
First Restated Guaranty Agreement, dated as of December 30, 2003, executed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc. in favor of the banks set forth therein. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.37 to Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003 (File No. 333-62916-02) filed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc.)10.3
First Restated Security Agreement, dated as of December 30, 2003, by Mission Broadcasting, Inc. in favor of Bank of America, N.A., as collateral agent. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.38 to Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003 (File No. 333-62916-02) filed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc.)10.4
First Restated Pledge and Security Agreement, dated as of December 30, 2003, by Mission Broadcasting, Inc. in favor of Bank of America, N.A., as collateral agent. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.39 to Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003 (File No. 333-62916-02) filed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc.)10.5
Indenture, among Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc., the guarantors and The Bank of New York, dated as of December 30, 2003 (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.91 to Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003 (File No. 000-50478) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.)10.6
Supplemental Indenture, dated as of April 1, 2005, among Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc., Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc., Mission Broadcasting, Inc., and The Bank of New York, as Trustee. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.4 to the Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 000-50478) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. on April 6, 2005)10.7
Guarantee, dated as of April 1, 2005, of Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. executed pursuant to the Indenture dated as of December 30, 2003, among Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc., Mission Broadcasting, Inc. and The Bank of New York, as Trustee, as amended and supplemented by the Supplemental Indenture (as defined therein). (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.5 to the Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 000-50478) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. on April 6, 2005)10.8
Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of April 1, 2005, among Mission Broadcasting, Inc., the several banks and other financial institutions or entities from time to time parties thereto, Bank of America, N.A., as the Administrative Agent for the Lenders, and UBS Securities LLC and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, as Co-Syndication Agents. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 333-62916-02) filed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc. on April 7, 2005)


E-1





Exhibit No.
Exhibit Index10.9
First Amendment to Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated October 8, 2009, among Mission Broadcasting, Inc., Bank of America, N.A., Banc of America Securities, UBS Securities LLC, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and the several banks parties thereto. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 333-62916-02), filed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc. on November 12, 2009)10.10
Second Amendment to the Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of April 19, 2010, among Mission Broadcasting, Inc., the several financial institutions from time to time parties thereto, Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent and syndication agent, and Banc of America Securities LLC, UBS Securities LLC, and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., as joint lead arrangers, joint book managers and co-documentation agents. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 333-62916-02) filed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc. on April 23, 2010)10.11
First Amendment and Confirmation Agreement to Mission Guarantee of Nexstar Obligations, dated as of April 1, 2005, by and among Mission Broadcasting, Inc. as Guarantor and Bank of America, N.A. as Collateral Agent, on behalf of the Majority Lenders (as defined therein). (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 333-62916-02) filed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc. on April 7, 2005)10.12
Confirmation Agreement for the Smith Pledge Agreement, dated as of April 1, 2005, by David S. Smith and Bank of America, N.A. as Collateral Agent. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.3 to the Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 333-62916-02) filed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc. April 7, 2005)10.13
Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of April 1, 2005, among Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc., Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc., certain of its subsidiaries from time to time parties to the Credit Agreement, the several banks and other financial institutions or entities from time to time parties hereto, Bank of America, N.A., as the Administrative Agent for the Lenders, and UBS Securities LLC and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, as Co-Syndication Agents. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 000-50478) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc., on April 6, 2005)10.14
First Amendment to the Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of October 20, 2005, among Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc., Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc., certain of its subsidiaries from time to time parties to the Credit Agreement, the several banks and other financial institutions or entities from time to time parties hereto, Bank of America, N.A., as the Administrative Agent for the Lenders, and UBS Securities LLC and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, as Co-Syndication Agents. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.121 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 000-50478) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc., on March 16, 2006)10.15
Second Amendment to the Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of October 8, 2009, among Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc., Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc., certain of its subsidiaries from time to time parties to the Credit Agreement, the several banks and other financial institutions or entities from time to time parties hereto, Bank of America, N.A., as the Administrative Agent for the Lenders, and UBS Securities LLC and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, as Co-Syndication Agents. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 000-50478) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc., on October 15, 2009)10.16
Third Amendment to the Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of April 19, 2010, among Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc., Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc., the several financial institutions from time to time parties thereto, Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent and syndication agent, and Banc of America Securities LLC, UBS Securities LLC, and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., as joint lead arrangers, joint book managers and co-documentation agents. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 333-62916-02) filed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc. on April 23, 2010)10.17
Guarantee, dated as of March 30, 2009, of Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. executed pursuant to the Indenture, dated as of March 30, 2009, among Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc., Mission Broadcasting, Inc., as guarantor, and The Bank of New York Mellon, as Trustee, as amended and supplemented by the First Supplemental Indenture referenced above (included as part of Exhibit 4.2). (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 333-62916-02), filed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc. on April 3, 2009)


E-2





Exhibit No.
Exhibit Index10.18
Option Agreement, dated as of January 12, 2001, made by each of the Nexstar Broadcasting of Wichita Falls, L.P. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-62916) filed by Nexstar Finance, L.L.C. and Nexstar Finance, Inc.)10.19
Shared Services Agreement, dated as of June 1, 1999, among Mission Broadcasting of Joplin, Inc., David Smith and Nexstar Broadcasting of Wichita Falls, L.P. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.24 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-86994) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.)10.20
Agreement, dated as of June 1, 1999, among Mission Broadcasting of Joplin, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.25 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-86994) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.)10.21
Option Agreement, dated as of June 5, 2002, among Nexstar Finance, L.P. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-86994) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.)10.22
Shared Services Agreement, dated as of June 5, 2002, among Bastet Broadcasting, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-86994) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.)10.23
Option Agreement, dated as of November 30, 2002, among Bastet Broadcasting, Inc., David Smith and Nexstar Broadcasting Group, L.L.C. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.37 to Amendment No. 2 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-86994) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.)10.24
Shared Services Agreement, dated as of June 1, 1999, among Mission Broadcasting of Wichita Falls, Inc., David Smith and NV Acquisitions Co. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.43 to Amendment No. 2 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-86994) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.)10.25
Agreement, dated as of June 1, 1999, among Mission Broadcasting of Joplin, Inc. and Nexstar Broadcasting of Joplin, L.P. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.44 to Amendment No. 2 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-86994) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.)10.26
Shared Services Agreement, dated as of April 1, 2002, by and between Mission Broadcasting of Joplin, Inc. and Nexstar Broadcasting of Joplin, L.L.C. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.51 to Amendment No. 2 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-86994) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.)10.27
Amendment to Option Agreements, dated as of October 18, 2002, among Mission Broadcasting, Inc., David Smith, Nexstar Broadcasting of Northeastern Pennsylvania, L.L.C., Nexstar Broadcasting Group, L.L.C., Nexstar Broadcasting of Wichita Falls, L.L.C., and Nexstar Broadcasting of Joplin, L.L.C. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.54 to Amendment No. 2 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-86994) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.)10.28
Shared Services Agreement, dated as of June 13, 2003, by and between Mission Broadcasting, Inc. and Nexstar Broadcasting of Abilene, L.L.C. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.63 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-86994) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.)10.29
Option Agreement, dated as of June 13, 2003, among Mission Broadcasting, Inc., David Smith and Nexstar Broadcasting of Abilene, L.L.C. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.64 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-86994) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.)10.30
Shared Services Agreement, dated as of May 9, 2003, by and between Mission Broadcasting, Inc. and Nexstar Broadcasting of the Midwest, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2003 (File No. 333-62916-02) filed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc.)10.31
Agreement for the Sale of Commercial Time, dated as of May 9, 2003, by and between Mission Broadcasting, Inc. and Nexstar Broadcasting of the Midwest, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2003 (File No. 333-62916-02) filed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc.)10.32
Option Agreement, dated as of May 9, 2003, among Mission Broadcasting, Inc., David Smith and Nexstar Broadcasting of the Midwest, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2003 (File No. 333-62916-02) filed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc.)


E-3





Exhibit No.
Exhibit Index10.33
Amendment to Agreement for Sale of Commercial Time, dated December 30, 2003, by and between Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. and Mission Broadcasting, Inc. (KAMC-KLBK). (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.91 to Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-114963) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.)10.34
Amendment to Shared Services Agreement, dated December 30, 2003, by and between Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. and Mission Broadcasting, Inc. (KAMC-KLBK). (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.92 to Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-114963) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.)10.35
Amendment to Agreement for Sale of Commercial Time, dated December 30, 2003, by and between Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. and Mission Broadcasting, Inc. (KOLR-KSFX (formerly KDEB)). (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.93 to Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-114963) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.)10.36
Amendment to Shared Services Agreement, dated December 30, 2003, by and between Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. and Mission Broadcasting, Inc. (KOLR-KSFX). (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.94 to Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-114963) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.)10.37
Amendment to Agreement for Sale of Commercial Time, dated January 1, 2004, by and between Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. and Mission Broadcasting, Inc. (KCIT-KAMR). (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.95 to Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-114963) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.)10.38
Amendment to Shared Services Agreement, dated January 1, 2004, by and between Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. and Mission Broadcasting, Inc. (KCIT-KAMR). (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.96 to Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-114963) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.)10.39
Amendment to Agreement for Sale of Commercial Time, dated January 13, 2004, by and between Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. and Mission Broadcasting, Inc. (WFXW-WTWO). (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.97 to Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-114963) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.)10.40
Amendment to Shared Services Agreement, dated January 13, 2004, by and between Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. and Mission Broadcasting, Inc. (WFXW-WTWO). (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.98 to Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-114963) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.)10.41
Agreement for Sale of Commercial Time, dated April 1, 2004, by and between Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. and Mission Broadcasting, Inc. (WUTR-WFXV). (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.99 to Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-114963) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.)10.42
Shared Services Agreement, dated April 1, 2004, by and between Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. and Mission Broadcasting, Inc. (WUTR-WFXV). (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.100 to Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-114963) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.)10.43
Amendment to Agreement for Sale of Commercial Time, dated January 1, 2004, by and between Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. (as successor to Nexstar Broadcasting of Wichita Falls, L.P.) and Mission Broadcasting, Inc. (f/k/a Mission Broadcasting of Wichita Falls, Inc.) (KJBO-KFDX). (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.101 to Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-114963) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.)10.44
Amendment to Shared Services Agreement, dated January 1, 2004, by and between Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. (as successor to Nexstar Broadcasting of Wichita Falls, L.P.) and Mission Broadcasting, Inc. (f/k/a Mission Broadcasting of Wichita Falls, Inc.) (KJBO-KFDX). (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.102 to Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-114963) filed by Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.)10.45
Agreement for the Sale of Commercial Air Time, dated as of January 16, 2008, by and between Mission Broadcasting, Inc. and Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 8.1 to Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 333-62916-02), filed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc. on January 22, 2008)10.46
Shared Services Agreement, dated as of January 16, 2008, by and between Mission Broadcasting, Inc. and Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 8.2 to Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 333-62916-02), filed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc. on January 22, 2008)


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Exhibit No.
Exhibit Index10.47
Option Agreement, dated as of January 16, 2008, by and between Mission Broadcasting, Inc., David Smith and Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 8.3 to Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 333-62916-02), filed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc. on January 22, 2008)10.48
Second Amendment, dated August 12, 2008, to Agreement between Mission Broadcasting, Inc. and David S. Smith and Nancie J. Smith (originally dated January 1, 2001). (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 333-62916-02), filed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc. on August 18, 2008)14.1
Mission Broadcasting, Inc. Code of Ethics. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 14.1 to Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003 (File No. 333-62916-02) filed by Mission Broadcasting, Inc.)23.1
Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.*31.1
Certification of David S. Smith pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.*32.1
Certification of David S. Smith pursuant to 18 U.S.C. ss. 1350.*





*
Filed herewith







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