Nexstar’s Illinois Television Stations To Host Exclusive Live Debate Between Democratic Party Candidates for U.S. Senator

Debate Will Originate from WGN Studios on Thursday, February 19, at 7 p.m. CT

CHICAGO, February 9, 2026 - Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXST), today announced that its television stations serving Illinois will carry an exclusive live multi-market telecast of a debate between the leading candidates running for the Democratic Party nomination for United States Senator from Illinois. The debate will be broadcast statewide on Thursday, February 19th, at 7:00 p.m. CT, and originate from the historic studios of Chicago's Very Own WGN-TV.

"Your Local Election Headquarters: Illinois U.S. Senate Democratic Primary Debate" will be moderated by WGN News political editor Tahman Bradley and anchor/reporter Micah Materre, and feature U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), and Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton (D).

The debate will air live on WGN-TV and will also be livestreamed on the WGN+ TV app on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Samsung Smart TVs; online at WGNTV.com/Live and the WGN News mobile app. Click here to learn how to download the free WGN+ TV app on your smart TV.

The hour-long debate will air on Nexstar television stations in six markets serving Illinois, as well as various digital platforms, potentially bringing together millions of viewers. WGN Radio 720 AM in Chicago will simulcast it as well.

The moderators will pose questions to each candidate on issues including healthcare, inflation, immigration and U.S. foreign policy.

The Illinois general primary election takes place on Tuesday, March 17^th, 2026. Illinois voters can register in person up to and including Election Day. Voters wishing to register online for this primary election have until March 1, 2026, to do so at ova.elections.il.gov.

CONTACT:
Chris Berg
Vice President, Local Content Development
Nexstar Media Inc.
(972) 373-8800 or [email protected]

Andrew Lennie
WGN-TV Chicago
773-883-3122
[email protected]

ABOUT WGN-TV
WGN-TV is Chicago's Very Own source for news and entertainment and is owned and operated by Nexstar Media Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Nexstar Media Group, Inc. WGN News programs more local news than any other Chicago TV station and can be seen on WGN-TV; the WGN+ TV app on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Samsung Smart TVs; online at WGNTV.com/Live and the WGN News mobile app. In-depth local weather coverage is available on all newscasts, WGNTV.com/Weather and the WGN Weather mobile app. WGN Films, part of WGN-TV, presents compelling and in-depth cinematic journalism that goes beyond the headlines to explore the stories and issues that affect Chicago area communities. WGN 9.2 is the Chicago affiliate for Nexstar Media's classic TV network Antenna TV, WGN 9.3 is the Chicago affiliate for Grit, WGN 9.4 is the Chicago affiliate for Nexstar Media's retro TV network Rewind TV, and WGN 9.5 is the Chicago affiliate for The Nest. For more information on Chicago's Very Own WGN-TV, go to WGNTV.com

ABOUT NEXSTAR MEDIA
Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXST) is a leading diversified media company that produces and distributes engaging local and national news, sports and entertainment content across its television and digital platforms, including more than 317,000 hours of programming produced annually by its business units. Nexstar owns America's largest local television broadcasting group comprised of top network affiliates, with more than 200 owned or partner stations in 116 U.S. markets reaching 220 million people. Nexstar's national television properties include The CW, America's fifth major broadcast network, NewsNation, our national news network providing "News for All Americans," popular entertainment multicast networks Antenna TV and Rewind TV, and a 31.3% ownership stake in TV Food Network. The Company's portfolio of digital assets, including its local TV station websites, The Hill and NewsNationNow.com, are collectively a Top 10 U.S. digital news and information property. For more information, please visit nexstar.tv.

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