Income Taxes	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Note 13: Income Taxes Income tax expense was $65.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2020 compared to $39.5 million for the same period in 2019. The effective tax rates, which decreased in the current year, were 25.6% and 115.1% for each of the respective periods. In 2019, Nexstar recorded an income tax expense of $12.8 million attributable to nondeductible goodwill written off as a result of the Nexstar Divestitures related to the merger with Tribune (See Note 3), or a 37.3% decrease to the effective tax rate in 2020. Additionally, the goodwill impairment loss recorded in 2019 was not deductible for purposes of calculating the tax provision and resulted in an income tax expense of $11.1 million in 2019, or a 32.3% decrease to the effective tax rate in 2020. Also, certain transaction and severance costs that Nexstar incurred in connection with its merger with Tribune in 2019 (See Note 3) were determined to be nondeductible for tax purposes. This resulted in an income tax expense of $6.0 million in 2019, or a 17.6% decrease to the effective tax rate in 2020. Income tax expense was $166.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to $82.6 million for the same period in 2019. The effective tax rates, which decreased in the current year, were 27.3% and 40.3% for each of the respective periods. In 2019, Nexstar recorded an income tax expense of $12.8 million attributable to nondeductible goodwill written off as a result of the Nexstar Divestitures related to the merger with Tribune (See Note 3), or a 6.3% decrease to the effective tax rate in 2020. Additionally, the goodwill impairment loss recorded in 2019 was not deductible for purposes of calculating the tax provision and resulted in an income tax expense of $11.1 million in 2019, or a 5.4% decrease to the effective tax rate in 2020. Also, certain transaction and severance costs that Nexstar incurred in connection with its merger with Tribune in 2019 (See Note 3) were determined to be nondeductible for tax purposes. This resulted in an income tax expense of $6.0 million in 2019, or a 2.9% decrease to the effective tax rate in 2020. The Company calculates its year-to-date provision for income taxes by applying the estimated annual effective tax rate to year-to-date pre-tax income or loss and adjusts the provision for discrete tax items recorded in the period. Future changes in the forecasted annual income projections, including changes due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, could result in significant adjustments to quarterly income tax expense in future periods. As discussed in Note 2—Liquidity, the business disruption caused by COVID-19 had an adverse impact on the Company’s financial results mostly in the first part of the second quarter in 2020. This was followed by a significant improvement in the Company’s financial results in the remaining part of the second quarter and in the third quarter of 2020 as certain areas throughout the United States permitted the re-opening of non-essential businesses which has had a favorable impact to the macroeconomic environment and to the Company’s revenue. As of September 30, 2020, the Company also remained profitable. The Company considered the COVID-19 disruption in its ability to realize deferred tax assets in the future and determined that such conditions did not change its overall valuation allowance positions. The U.S. signed into law on March 27, 2020 the CARES Act which includes various income tax provisions to help stabilize U.S. businesses. The CARES Act includes provisions to ease the limitation on deductible interest expense for 2019 and 2020 and enhance the utilization of net operating losses generated in tax years 2018-2020. The Company is currently evaluating the tax implications resulting from the CARES Act and continues to monitor any new legislation passed in response to COVID-19 to measure the federal and state effects where it has an income tax presence.

Income Taxes

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Note 13: Income Taxes

Income tax expense was $65.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2020 compared to $39.5 million for the same period in 2019. The effective tax rates, which decreased in the current year, were 25.6% and 115.1% for each of the respective periods. In 2019, Nexstar recorded an income tax expense of $12.8 million attributable to nondeductible goodwill written off as a result of the Nexstar Divestitures related to the merger with Tribune (See Note 3), or a 37.3% decrease to the effective tax rate in 2020. Additionally, the goodwill impairment loss recorded in 2019 was not deductible for purposes of calculating the tax provision and resulted in an income tax expense of $11.1 million in 2019, or a 32.3% decrease to the effective tax rate in 2020. Also, certain transaction and severance costs that Nexstar incurred in connection with its merger with Tribune in 2019 (See Note 3) were determined to be nondeductible for tax purposes. This resulted in an income tax expense of $6.0 million in 2019, or a 17.6% decrease to the effective tax rate in 2020.

Income tax expense was $166.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 compared to $82.6 million for the same period in 2019. The effective tax rates, which decreased in the current year, were 27.3% and 40.3% for each of the respective periods. In 2019, Nexstar recorded an income tax expense of $12.8 million attributable to nondeductible goodwill written off as a result of the Nexstar Divestitures related to the merger with Tribune (See Note 3), or a 6.3% decrease to the effective tax rate in 2020. Additionally, the goodwill impairment loss recorded in 2019 was not deductible for purposes of calculating the tax provision and resulted in an income tax expense of $11.1 million in 2019, or a 5.4% decrease to the effective tax rate in 2020. Also, certain transaction and severance costs that Nexstar incurred in connection with its merger with Tribune in 2019 (See Note 3) were determined to be nondeductible for tax purposes. This resulted in an income tax expense of $6.0 million in 2019, or a 2.9% decrease to the effective tax rate in 2020.

The Company calculates its year-to-date provision for income taxes by applying the estimated annual effective tax rate to year-to-date pre-tax income or loss and adjusts the provision for discrete tax items recorded in the period. Future changes in the forecasted annual income projections, including changes due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, could result in significant adjustments to quarterly income tax expense in future periods.

As discussed in Note 2—Liquidity, the business disruption caused by COVID-19 had an adverse impact on the Company’s financial results mostly in the first part of the second quarter in 2020. This was followed by a significant improvement in the Company’s financial results in the remaining part of the second quarter and in the third quarter of 2020 as certain areas throughout the United States permitted the re-opening of non-essential businesses which has had a favorable impact to the macroeconomic environment and to the Company’s revenue. As of September 30, 2020, the Company also remained profitable. The Company considered the COVID-19 disruption in its ability to realize deferred tax assets in the future and determined that such conditions did not change its overall valuation allowance positions. The U.S. signed into law on March 27, 2020 the CARES Act which includes various income tax provisions to help stabilize U.S. businesses. The CARES Act includes provisions to ease the limitation on deductible interest expense for 2019 and 2020 and enhance the utilization of net operating losses generated in tax years 2018-2020. The Company is currently evaluating the tax implications resulting from the CARES Act and continues to monitor any new legislation passed in response to COVID-19 to measure the federal and state effects where it has an income tax presence.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for income taxes. Disclosures may include net deferred tax liability or asset recognized in an enterprise's statement of financial position, net change during the year in the total valuation allowance, approximate tax effect of each type of temporary difference and carryforward that gives rise to a significant portion of deferred tax liabilities and deferred tax assets, utilization of a tax carryback, and tax uncertainties information.

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