Steven J. Pruett is executive chairman of Cox Media Group. Before joining CMG, Pruett served as executive vice president and chief TV development officer of Sinclair Broadcast Group, where he had also served as vice president and co-chief operating officer. Pruett was responsible for creating the company's Chesapeake Division through acquisitions, as well as overseeing all TV stations in that group.

Before joining Sinclair, Pruett was chief financial officer for Communications Corporation of America and later became its president and CEO. Prior to that, he was a special strategic advisor to DirecTV and Thomson Consumer Electronics.

Over a long, successful career, Pruett has helped found several broadcast groups as an initial investor, financier, managing partner, or board member. These include Spanish Radio Group, Excel Communications, ACME Television, USBG, and UPI Media, where he served as president. He also served as treasurer of the FOX Affiliate Board of Governors and was elected its chairman.

Pruett studied radio and television at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. He earned a master's in management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He lives in Atlanta and Arizona with his wife, Paula.

LinkedIn: /stevenjpruett