As other major networks keep their sole focus on what is happening in Washington D.C., NewsNation is taking a different approach. The nearly five-year-old outlet is taking your dinner table topics and putting them on your TV screen, including one inspired by a conversation with Ryan Seacrest.
Just before Thanksgiving, it aired a Killing Cancer special, exposing a breakthrough treatment that could save millions from dying of cancer.
Barrett Media spoke with Nexstar Networks President Sean Compton about how this special came to be and how the outlet will continue to push the story forward.
Krystina Alarcon Carroll: How did the Killing Cancer special come about? Did a producer come to you and say, “Hey, I have this idea,” or was this built from the ground up?
Sean Compton: I’ll give you a little bit of history for some context. Back in the late ’90s, I was in the radio business, and a young Ryan Seacrest — who was doing afternoons at Star 98.7 in Los Angeles — and I were talking a lot about his future. He called me one day — I was Vice President of Programming for Clear Channel — and asked if I could grant him permission to do American Idol, because it meant he’d have to take the show a couple of days a week.
I said, “Yeah, it’s okay.” A few months later, that show took off. Ryan’s ratings were climbing, and we said, “Look, we need a morning show for KISS.” We put him on mornings at KISS FM. When Casey Kasem switched to the Adult Contemporary Countdown, we gave Ryan American Top 40. So I had a long history with Ryan.
Well, I hadn’t talked to him in several years, and he called me to tell me that his dad was suffering from cancer — and it was really bad. This was probably back in August or September. I said, “That’s terrible.” He said, “Yeah, I may hook him up with Dr. Soon.” I asked, “Who’s that?” and he explained who Dr. Soon was.
I said, “Well, I’ve actually seen him on NewsNation for other topics.” He said, “Yeah, he’s got this potential … We don’t want to use the word cure, because that’s a little bold, but he has a way to kind of kill cancer, and he thinks this could be the path to a cure.”
I lost three grandparents to cancer, and I lost my mother to cancer when I was a teenager. I said, “OK, well, I’m getting all over this [because] I know how it affects people.” We’ve all touched it, whether personally or through someone close to us. So I called Dr. Soon and said, “Look, I want to do some homework and have Chris Cuomo and his team look into this. But if you’re onto something, we should tell the world. Everyone should know about this.”
We then turned it over to Michael Corn and the producing team. And ta-da — there’s the special. We thought we would air it right before Thanksgiving. If you air it the night before, everyone’s on the road, but a couple of nights before Thanksgiving, people go home and talk about it.
So, yeah, a lot of important public information. We’re not here to promote it or encourage it. We’ve asked, “What’s the other side of this?” We’ve asked around. No doctors or anyone have said there are terrible side effects to what he’s encouraging.
In fact, there are no side effects. The patient stories are real. One patient in the special had been written off — he got into the program because the doctor said he would die. There’s nothing we could do. Now, several years in, they cannot find cancer in his body. You saw his throat in the video. If this is the beginning of an opportunity for many people — especially if caught early — it all started with a call from Ryan Seacrest just to let me know his dad was sick. We were catching up because we hadn’t talked in years.
KC: When it comes to specials like these, is this what NewsNation defines as success?
SC: NewsNation — thank you for writing about it fairly — it’s not all about politics. CNN, Fox, and MSNBC are 100 percent political. We don’t sit around our kitchen table at night in Indiana eating meat and potatoes worrying about Washington, D.C. We worry about our health, wealth, kids, and the economy — eating better, losing weight, exercising. Those are things that matter to a lot of people, but you won’t see these stories on CNN or MSNBC.
While we do have politics — Cuomo and Leland Vittert cover it nightly, we carry congressional hearings — we also cover other things: UFOs, UAPs, cancer research, potential cures. That’s what journalism is.
I was talking to someone who called us a conservative news network. Funny, because two days ago, the President of the United States called us liberal. Conservatives think we’re liberal; liberals think we’re conservative. That probably means we’re doing something right. Half the time you’ll love us, half the time you’ll hate us, because we just cover the facts. Stories like this matter and aren’t being exposed on other cable news networks.
KC: NewsNation is reaching its five-year mark. Are you expecting to grow more in this area of keeping Americans healthy?
SC: We’ll expand additional hours of live programming — not public yet, but you have the scoop. Early 2026, more live hours. For stories like this — UAPs, East Palestine, Ohio, and the aftermath of the train derailment — we go where others have left. Producers are dedicated — they won’t let these stories die. Cancer is a huge, unifying topic. It affects everyone, regardless of age, gender, or race.
KC: Other stations are constantly focused on politics and polarizing topics. Are you hoping more specials like this will attract people looking for a balanced media diet?
SC: Yes, 100%. A radio consultant asked me five years ago what demographic we were targeting. I said, “Heartbeats.” I mean everyone. News for all Americans. Age, gender, demographics — it doesn’t matter. Informing comes first. Entertaining comes second.
Bill O’Reilly has done specials on history or American heroes. Those are entertaining and informative. Specials like this cancer one — there’s nothing entertaining. It’s purely informative, aiming to reach the right people. Millions have seen this special online and on air; that was our goal.
We’ll continue asking questions, exploring positives and negatives, costs, and insurance coverage. Cancer doesn’t discriminate, so everyone should have access if this proves viable. Cuomo did a great job asking tough questions, and our producers verified facts with doctors. This needs to be known.
KC: Many in the industry measure success by awards. Is getting the story out more important than accolades?
SC: I don’t apply for Emmys. I want to reach people with honest truth. NewsNation is not about politics — it’s about reporting. As Lincoln said, “Let the people know the truth and the country will be safe.” We follow that ethos. Ratings will come, but we won’t sacrifice our mission. We’re news for grownups — no gotchas, no shouting matches, just fair questions.
KC: Advice for aspiring journalists trying to bring the country together through facts?
SC: Park your opinions at the door. Charles Kuralt traveled America showing everyday life — 20 years of it. Remember where you come from. The world revolves around more than New York, L.A., or Washington — it’s Dallas, Nashville, St. Louis, Kansas City, Indianapolis. Never forget your roots. Too much elitism exists in this business.
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Krystina Alarcon Carroll contributes features and columns for Barrett Media. She has experience in almost every facet of the industry including: digital and print news; live, streamed, and syndicated TV; documentary and film productions. Her prior employers have included NY1 and Fox News Digital and the Law & Crime Network. You can find Krystina on X (formerly twitter) @KrystinaAlaCarr.
