US media group Nexstar has reappointed Elizabeth Ryder as general counsel, returning to a role she previously held until 2022.
She replaces Rachel Morgan, who had been GC since Ryder moved to an outside special counsel role for the company.
Irving, Texas-based Nexstar owns or operates 265 local television stations across the US, while also producing and distributing its own local and national news, sports and entertainment content.
Perry Sook, Nexstar’s chairman and CEO, said: “We are very pleased to welcome Elizabeth back to Nexstar’s executive team on a full-time basis. Her counsel over the past four years has been invaluable. She brings a depth of legal experience unmatched in the media industry, knows Nexstar and its mission intimately, and understands the evolving media landscape as very few do.”
Ryder originally joined Nexstar as GC in 2009, stepping down from the role in 2022 to become special counsel. Prior to joining Nexstar she was vice president of legal affairs at First Broadcasting Operating.
She previously worked in private practice, first at Arter & Hadden and later as counsel at Drinker Biddle & Reath.
Nexstar didn’t respond to a request for comment on whether Morgan is leaving the business or moving to another role. She joined in 2022 from AT&T, where she was associate GC for labour and employment and corporate litigation, among other roles. Prior to that she worked in private practice at Morgan Lewis & Bockius and legacy firm Fulbright & Jaworski.
In other recent entertainment-related moves, in March US events-venue group Madison Square Garden Entertainment and Sphere Entertainment hired Allen Lo as chief legal officer from Meta, replacing Laura Franco who left last year.
Also in March, video-sharing platform Rumble hired former WWE legal head Maurice Edelson as GC, replacing Michael Ellis who left last year to become deputy director of the CIA.
In February, US satellite radio and online broadcaster SiriusXM hired former Spotify legal head Eve Konstan as CLO, replacing Richard Baer who is going back into retirement after the former Airbnb CLO was briefly lured out of it to run SiriusXM’s legal department.
And in January, video games-maker Epic Games hired Reggie Davis as GC from real estate tech company Qualia Labs.
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