About
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.
Blogs and LinkedIn
The One Habit That Changed My Career: Reading Business Content with Purpose
September 08, 2025 – 7:45 pm
Whether you’re an executive, entrepreneur, or early-career professional, one of the highest-leverage habits you can build is this: read more often, and more intentionally.
This morning, I was reading an article by Rachel Greenberg that reminded me why I consider reading one of the most important habits of my career. If ...
Run Your Offense: The Business Lessons I Take from the NFL
September 08, 2025 – 7:34 pm
The NFL season kicked off last week, and as a lifelong football fan, I always find myself reflecting on what the game teaches us about life, leadership, and business.
The discipline.The leadership.The patience it takes to play the long game.
Football is more than a sport—it’s a masterclass in execution, accountability, and ...
You Don’t Need a Plan—You Need a Starting Point
August 15, 2025 – 4:58 pm
If you’re early in your career, here’s something I wish someone had told me when I was 22:
You don’t need to have it all figured out.But the earlier you start exploring, the more time you give yourself to figure out what actually fits.
That was absolutely true for me.
After college, I ...
Press
Steve Pruett is available now for interviews and appearances.
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In interviews, Steve can speak to:
- His rise from the outhouse to the penthouse via years of professional service in the broadcasting industry
- The importance of human-centered leadership
- Unlocking growth cycles to turbo-charge your career
- How the natural patterns of life and business directly affect your success
- Why leaning into failure can actually be a good thing