Hussman is a third-generation newspaperman. His father was publisher of the Camden News, and his grandfather was publisher of the Texarkana Gazette. Hussman earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from North Carolina and an M.B.A. from Columbia University in New York. He returned to Arkansas in 1970 to work in the family business. Hussman also serves as chief executive officer of WEHCO Media, which operates 13 daily newspapers, 11 weekly newspapers and 13 cable television companies in six states.