E.W. Scripps said that it is getting closer to selling off its Bounce TV multicast network.

“We are progressing nicely with our efforts to sell the Bounce TV network and some non-strategic real estate assets,” Scripps CEO Adam Symson said in the company’s second-quarter earnings release.

The sale of Bounce and other assets would help Scripps reduce its heavy debt load.

Bounce is part of Scripps’ national networks division. During the second quarter, segment profit for Scripps Networks fell to $37.7 million from $60.3 million a year ago. 

Revenue was down 9.7% from the previous year.

Scripps acquired Bounce when it bought Katz Networks in 2017

Scripps has been pushing into the sports world, with women’s basketball and soccer on its Ion network and adding NHL hockey games on its stations in Las Vegas and Phoenix.

Symson said sports was helping Scripps sell advertising.

“While the results of last year’s national advertising upfront are still impacting our quarterly results in the Scripps Networks division, we are seeing a better performance in this season’s upfront sales cycle,” he said.

“With commitments from the majority of our advertising agency clients, we have volume increases of low single digits over last year. Sports has been the differentiator. Our WNBA Friday-night franchise on Ion has so far showcased three games where viewership surpassed 1 million, proving to advertisers that ION can deliver them to significantly large sports audiences,” Symson said.

Overall, Scripps reported a second-quarter net loss of $13 million, or 15 cents a share, compared to a $682.4 million loss, or $8.10 a share, a year ago when the company took a big writeoff on Scripps Networks. 

Revenue fell 2% to $574 million.

Scripps’s local media division had segment profit of $88.1 million, up from $81 million a year ago.

Revenue rose 3.6% to $365 million.

Distribution revenue dipped to $194 million from $195 million a year ago.

Core advertising revenues — excluding political spending — was down 6.9% to $139 million. Political revenue was $28.2 million, compared to $3.8 million a year ago, a non-presidential election year.

The company said it expects to see a record level of political ad spending in 2024, even if spending hits the low end of its forecast, which is now between $270 million and $290 million. Previously, Scripps said it expected to garner political ad revenue of $240 million to $270 million.

“Election spending remains robust for the U.S. Senate races in Montana and Ohio, and at least four states where we have stations have placed reproductive rights issues on their November ballots,” Symson said. “We are beginning to see additional upside from Vice President Kamala Harris’s entry into the presidential race. Overall, this year’s political ad revenue performance for broadcast television is a testament to our durability as a brand-safe platform for political candidates and campaigns

The E.W. Scripps Co. is evaluating offers for Bounce, its multicast channel for African-American viewers, according to a report from CNBC.

“The number of inbounds and conversations that we have had with interested and qualified potential suitors has picked up significantly over the last year,” Scripps CEO Adam Symson told the business-news network. “The earlier BET process, which was never consummated, may have opened up people’s eyes to the power of Bounce.”

Several groups attempted to buy BET Media from Paramount Global, but the company eventually decided the asset was more valuable as part of its portfolio.

Symson declined to name any of the potential bidders for Bounce. The network could fetch a price in the hundreds of millions, according to CNBC, citing people familiar with the matter.

“We’re proud of the work we've done to grow the Bounce brand and business. We think about the stewardship of a brand like Bounce. It has become an important brand in the Black community, an entertainment outlet that tells the complete story of the Black American experience,“ Symson said. “We want to make sure that Bounce is in a position for that to continue.”

Scripps' national networks division, which includes Bounce, reported lower profits and revenue in the fourth quarter of 2023. The company also took a $266 million non-cash goodwill impairment charge related to the national networks division.

Scripps acquired Bounce, founded in 2011, when it acquired Katz Networks for $302 million in 2017.

E.W. Scripps said it named James Galindo as station manager for KERO, the ABC affiliate in Bakersfield, California.

Galindo had been working as general sales manager at KGET, Nexstar Media Group’s NBC station in Bakersfield.

As station manager, Galindo will lead day-to-day operations of the station and serve as director of sales.

He will report to regional VP Anita Helt. Helt is also general manager of Scripps stations in Phoenix. Last summer, Scripps launched a new structure in which many stations are run by station managers who report to regional managers who also serve as general managers in large markets.

Jim Doty, who had been general manager at KERO, left the company last year and is now general manager of Sinclair’s stations in the Tri-Cities market of Tennessee and Virginia.

“James has a deep understanding of the market — having started his career in Bakersfield in 2000,” Scripps senior VP of local media Dean Littleton said. “His demonstrated leadership, sales skills and understanding of the market make him a great fit to lead KERO.”

It’s a good time to be in the women’s sports business, and during the upcoming upfront, the E.W. Scripps Co. will be pushing its WNBA and NWSL franchise nights as a way to get more advertisers spending more money on Ion and its other television properties.

“Scripps is all in with what matters right now,” Brian Norris, chief revenue officer for Scripps, told Broadcasting+Cable.

Better known as a local station owner, Scripps in addition to sports provides national advertisers with its Scripps News and Court TV channels, as well as entertainment networks like Bounce, Grit and Laff that are available both over digital broadcast and free ad-supported streaming television (FAST). 

“I believe that our upfront will be focused and led by our women's sports offering that live sports offering and giving advertisers to an opportunity to be first movers with us from a sports standpoint and and using that as a foundation for for everything else that we transact ,” Norris said.

The new Scripps will have its first splashy upfront events in New York and Chicago this week and the theme the company has chosen is  “The Power of Connection.”

“Our audience is strong and they continue to fuel growth in our portfolio despite the most significant headwinds in our industry’s history,” Norris said. “Against the marketplace backdrop of double-digit losses, the Scripps portfolio is growing and this is fueled by growth on Bounce, Grit and Ion Mystery.”

Scripps says 95% of its linear viewers watch live — that’s 7% higher than the average cable network among adults 25 to 54.  

Those viewers are engaged, according to TVision, which measures how long viewers are paying attention during each commercial break in a show. The attention-to-duration index for Scripps network programming is 40% higher than the competition, TVision said, with Laff coming in first.

“We're connecting with our audiences and our viewers. We're connecting with our fans. We're connecting with our communities,” Norris said. And during the upfront it will be connecting with media buyers and their agencies.

Media buyers and advertisers are stepping up to support women’s sports and Scripps is there to help them.

“Marketers are flooding the zone to meet this increase in demand, and early movers are seeing major returns on their ad spend,” he said. “Investing in women's sports is just good business and it's so much more than that.

Scripps women sports sponsors already include State Farm, DoorDash, Ally and Adobe.

Demand should only increase once record-setting college scorer Caitlin Clark is drafted by the Indiana Fever of the WNBA.

Ion will have eight Fever games on Friday nights during the WNBA’s 14 week season, starting with a game against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 24.

Beside women’s basketball and soccer, Ion will continue to air the popular off-network series that have already made it a Top 5 broadcast network, outperforming every cable entertainment channel, Norris noted.

The addition of sports should bring more advertisers and ad dollars to Ion, Norris said.

“For years Ion has provided incredible efficiencies for advertisers. Now I think we can still provide those efficiencies for advertisers, but we also have something that differentiates us from the competition with women's sports,” he said.

“The benefit for us is going to be to expose advertisers–new advertisers in particular–to the entire scripts portfolio,” Norris said.

Ion has also become one of the most popular FAST channels, which ranks in the Top 5 on Vizio and Samsung in its first year streaming.

Ion, Ion Mystery, Ion Plus, Scripps News and Court TV all run simultaneous feeds across linear and streaming television.

Scripps viewing on fast was up 93% in 2023

“It's almost impossible to find quality professional live sports in the fast environment,” Norris said. “And so we made the decision to make our live sports, fully available in a simulcast within the FAST environment and advertisers are enjoying that.”

Scripps clients benefit because ads that run in both FAST and broadcast deliver 68% more reach than linear alone, Norris said.

Scripps will be launching a new on-air look for Ion (that will be reflected on Ion Mystery as well.) The new look will be supported with a year-long marketing campaign.

Norris also said Scripps has three of the top six networks for delivering African-American audiences, with Ion at No. 2, Bounce at No. 3 and Grit at No. 6

“We have a proven track record of authentic connection with African-American audiences anchored by our Network bounce,” Norris said.

Bounce will be adding a new original series Mind Your Business on June 1 and returning its popular show Johnson on August. 3

Scripps has also be ratcheting up Scripps News, which Norris said was built on Scripps’ 140-year-old bedrock of journalistic Integrity, connected to local communities through 39 local stations newsrooms and 14 national news bureaus the country.

“It's never been more important to support trusted objective journalism, but who can Brands trust? Key industry observers have independently rated Scripps News at the very top of the industry in terms of trustworthiness reliability and brand safety,” Norris said.

Scripps is also selling the 100th anniversary edition of the The National Spelling Bee in the upfront.

"The Bee is one of the most flexible and established partnership platforms, delivering real results for our partners," Norris said. Last year’s Bee generated a 26% increase in perceived value for Scripps’ consumer packaged goods client and a 48% lift in brand favorability for its quick service restaurant client.

In the end, Scripps has a simple upfront message for advertisers.

“Simply put we are planting a flag as a champion for women's sports. We're thrilling viewers with TV's most watched dramas. We're inspiring and empowering multicultural audiences,” Norris said. “We're informing with objective context-driven news, and we're reaching viewers on every TV platform.”

The E.W. Scripps Co. reported a fourth-quarter loss as the company took charges against its weak national networks division and restructuring costs.

Scripps’s loss was $268 million,or $3.17 a share, compared to net income of $73 million, or 84 cents a share.

The company said a $266 million non-cash goodwill impairment charge related to its national networks and $9.4 million in restructuring charges accounted for $3.15 of the per-share loss. 

The company said the restructuring will save more than $40 million a year in costs.

Revenue fell 9.6% to $616 million.

The results sent Scripps stock down nearly 20% to $4.40 a share in Friday afternoon trading.

In its local media business, Scripps had a segment profit of $64.3 million, down from $80 million a year ago, when $106 million in election-year advertising swelled revenue.

Local core advertising — excluding political spending — was up 1%, helped by incremental revenue generated by adding rights to the National Hockey League’s Vegas Golden Knights and Arizona Coyotes this season. 

Distribution revenue rose 22% to $196 million.

Scripps Networks generated $64.3 million in profit, down from $80 million a year ago.

Revenues fell 7.1% to $230 million. The drop was smaller than expected because of unanticipated strength in connected TV, general market and direct-response advertising.

For the first quarter, Scripps expects local revenue to be up in the low teens, while network revenues are flat to down in the low-single-digit range.

“Our fourth-quarter results reflect improvement in the advertising marketplace, both at the core local level and nationally,“ CEO Adam Symson said. “In Local Media, we saw our five top categories end the quarter higher than Q4 2022, with particular strength in auto, home improvement and services.”

Symson said those positive trends in local media and Scripps Networks have continued into the first quarter. He said the company’s top four local core categories — services, auto, retail and home improvement — are all up in February. 

But the weak upfront season last year left Scripps Networks with less of a revenue foundation than usual for the first quarter, he noted. Direct response advertising has held steady in Q1, though, and connected TV revenue is on track to grow more than 40% for the full year, minus the programmatic product.

“Our advertising revenue results and large distribution ecosystem, combined with our cost-savings initiatives, lay the groundwork for short-term operating performance improvement and firm financial footing as we execute on strategies for future growth,“ Symson said. “We are planning for a near-term media landscape where consumers combine a variety of connected TV services with free, over-the-air viewing that best serves their desire to watch live sports, news and television entertainment events. We also are moving aggressively ahead with datacasting business models and expect to take in first dollars this year. We are carving out a valuable and durable niche in the chaos around us.” 

Frndly TV, the low-priced, family-oriented streaming service, said it was adding Bounce to its lineup.

At the same time, it said factual programming service CuriosityStream would no longer be available on the platform.

Frndly TV said it was “refining our channel lineup.”

Bounce is part of the E.W. Scripps Co. Frndly TV already carries Scripps channels including Ion, Ion Mystery, Grit, Laff and Court TV.

E.W. Scripps has promoted LeAnne Markins to station manager at WKBW in Buffalo, New York.

Scripps has been forgoing the general manager position at a number of its stations in midsized to smaller markets. Marc Jaromin, who had been WKBW’s general manager, is no longer with the company and Markins will report to regional VP/GM Lyn Plantinga.

Markins has been creative services director at WKBW since 2020. In her new role, she will help with day-to-day operations and continue to lead creative services at the station.

“LeAnne’s demonstrated success at WKBW and understanding of the station, market and strategic priorities make her a great fit to lead the station in this new role,” Dean Littleton, senior VP of local media for Scripps, said.  

Markins previously spent 15 years with Buckeye Broadband in Toledo, Ohio, where she headed the company’s regional sports network, BCSN, and community arts network, BCAN. 

“When arriving to Buffalo and 7WKBW a few years ago, I saw immediately why this is called ‘The city of good neighbors,’ ” said Markins. “Western New York is now home. I am thrilled to continue my career at Scripps and to keep serving our community alongside this incredible team at 7News." 

E.W. Scripps said it has launched a national ad campaign for Tablo, its device that enables whole-home recording and viewing of over-the-air broadcasts and free ad-supported streaming channels.

Commercials feature Jesse Palmer, former NFL quarterback and host of The Bachelor, and Emmitt Smith, record-setting running back for the Dallas Cowboys.

The spots explain to budget-conscious viewers that they can watch more TV for free, using the slogan, “It’s not a fantasy, it’s reality.”

Scripps acquired Tablo maker Nuvyyo for $14 million in 2022 and relaunched the product earlier this year.

The fourth-generation $99.95 Tablo device is available at TabloTV.com and BestBuy.com, in Best Buy stores across the U.S. and online at Amazon.com and HSN.com. The Tablo Total System, which includes a 35-mile indoor TV antenna, is on sale at TabloTV.com.

E.W. Scripps Co. reported a third-quarter loss amid lower revenues at its stations and networks and restructuring charges.

Scripps’s loss was $16.2 million, or 19 cents a share, compared to net income of $33.7 million, or 38 cents a share, a year ago.

Restructuring charges in the quarter were $4.7 million, including employee severance-related costs, lease impairments and consulting expenses.

Revenue fell 7.4% to $567 million. 

Connected-TV revenue was up 75% year over year, excluding a low-margin programmatic product that is being shut down. The company expects CTV revenue to reach nearly $100 million in 2023.

Profits at Scripps's local media division fell to $74.9 million, from $72 million during last year’s election cycle.

Revenue was down 6.7% to $353 million. 

Distribution revenue rose 20% to $199 million as the company completed renewals with the bulk of its distributors.

Core advertising revenue–excluding political advertising–was down 3.1% to $142 million.  Political revenue was just $9.1 million, compared to $63.2 million a year ago.

At Scripps Networks, profits dove to $49.7 million from $72 million a year ago as revenues declined and programming and distribution costs increased.

Revenue fell 8.5% to $215 million

For the fourth quarter, Scripps said local media revenue would be down low to middle digits and Scripps Network revenue will be down in the 10% range.

“This was a big year for Scripps in testing the strength of the local broadcast distribution revenue ecosystem, and we are exceedingly pleased with the results,” said CEO Adam Symson. “In renewing the majority of our legacy cable and satellite households, we not only smoothly and successfully created new agreements but realized new value,including by expanding the number of stations on which we are paid. Credit for this goes in part to our Scripps Sports local strategy,” Symson said.

“We are creating new value with our existing Scripps Networks brands through distribution on connected television services including YouTubeTV, Roku, Fubo, Pluto, Samsung TV Plus and Vizio WatchFree,” Symson said. “Scripps has quickly grown to be one of the leading programmers in the ad-supported streaming marketplace.”

The Arizona Coyotes have reached a deal to have their National Hockey League games broadcast by Scripps Sports, the latest example of a team moving from a cable sports network to broadcast.

A direct-to-consumer offering of Coyotes games is also planned by the team.

Coyotes games had been televised by Bally Sports Arizona, which is being closed by Diamond Sports Group, the Sinclair subsidiary currently under bankruptcy court protection. The bankruptcy filing allowed Diamond to walk away from its Coyotes rights deal, which Diamond claimed was a money loser.

Bally Sports Arizona previously lost the NBA Phoenix Suns, the WNBA Phoenix Mercury and Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks.. 

The Suns and Mercury made a deal to be broadcast by Gray Television. Major league baseball set up a new cable channel that has carried Diamondback games since July. 

Next season 81 of 82 Coyotes games will appear on a digital signal from Scripps’ KNXV-TV, channel 15.2 in Phoenix. The channel carries Antenna TV network programming. (One Coyote game is scheduled to appear on ESPN Plus.)

KNXV channel 15.2 is also carried by Cox Cable on channel 95.

Scripps stations also will broadcast all Coyotes games in Tucson (games will be on KGUN channel 9.2 (Cox channel 85 on cable and Comcast channel 1179) and Salt Lake City (games will alternate between KUPX-TV on channel 16 and KSTU-TV on channel 13.2).

Financial terms were not disclosed.

“Scripps Sports looks forward to working with the Arizona Coyotes to showcase their exciting young team,” said Brian Lawlor, president of Scripps Sports. “We believe the future of this team is bright, and we look forward to making the games available for all fans to enjoy.”

KNXV, is the ABC affiliate in Phoenix on its primary channels, and Scripps said the station will provide a strong marketing platform for the Coyotes games in the market.

The Coyotes will be producing the games. Play-by-play announcer Matt McConnell, color analyst Tyson Nash and hosts Todd Walsh and Jody Jackson will be back for all Coyotes broadcasts, the team said..

“This is an innovative collaboration that will ensure that all our great fans can watch Coyotes hockey on television for free and allows us to better connect with our incredible fans and fans-in-waiting,” said Coyotes President & CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez.

Scripps stations also will broadcast all Coyotes games in Tucson (games will be on KGUN 9.2 – Cox channel 85 and Comcast channel 1179) and Salt Lake City (games will alternate between KUPX Utah 16 and KSTU 13.2 Antenna TV).

Broadcasts will include pregame and postgame coverage for every game.

Scripps, as the official broadcast partner of the team, and the Coyotes will co-produce a monthly 30-minute Club Insider program that showcases the team, its players and the organization on and off the ice. The show will air on KASW in Phoenix and KWBA-TV in Tucson.

The move is the latest sign of the deep troubles of the regional sports business. 

In addition to Diamond Sports activities in bankruptcy court, Time Warner Discovery has opted to get out of the RSN business, and sold its AT&T SportsNet Southwest to the Houston Astros and Rockets last week.

The E.W. Scripps Co. hired Brian Norris as chief revenue officer, a new position at the company, effective August 28

Norris has been senior VP at NBCUniversal, heading the company’s small and mid-sized business unit.

Scripps has made a series of executive changes as it goes through a reorganization.

“Brian has a depth of experience driving revenue through linear, addressable and digital media,” said Lisa Knutson, Scripps’ COO. “His understanding of advanced advertising models and performance media, combined with his commitment to developing high-performing and diverse teams, makes him an ideal leader to advance Scripps’ revenue strategy as it continues to expand its share of advertising revenue in the local, national and CTV marketplaces.”

Before joining NBCU, Norris was with Dish Network and Sling TV. Before that, he was with Viacom and Lifetime.

“Scripps has a long history of entrepreneurship and evolving to meet the needs of media consumers,” said Norris. “I am energized to join this team and passionate about continuing to challenge the status quo across the media landscape and taking advantage of industry disruption to better serve our advertisers and the consumers they engage across Scripps’ strong portfolio of media brands and advertising platforms.”

E.W. Scripps plans to air the finals and semifinals of its 95th National Spelling Bee on six of its national networks.

The finals will take place on June 1 and air live on Ion and Bounce in primetime. Scripps will also show the conclusion of the competition on Defy TV, Grit, Ion Mystery and Laff. A rebroadcast will be available on Scripps News on June 2.

The semi finals will take place on May 31. They will be streamed on Ion Plus, Bounce XL and spellinbee.com from 2:30 to 630 p.m.  A special semifinals broadcast will air on Ion and Bounced in prime time. They will also appear on Defy, Grit, Ion Mystery and Laff.

Last year, the Spelling Bee moved to the Scripps TV network from ESPN. Bee programming was seen by 7.5 million viewers, scripps said.

Preliminary rounds of the Bee will be streamed on Ion Plus, Bounce XL and spellingbee.com  on May 30, with quarter finals streaming on the morning of May 31.

This year’s spellers range in age from 9 to 14 years old, with 182 spellers competing in their first Scripps National Spelling Bee and another 41 returning from the 2022 competition and 49 in earlier Bees. 

“Bee Week is a truly unforgettable experience, combining the thrill and accomplishment of onstage competition with the joy of making lifelong connections offstage,” said Corrie Loeffler, executive director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. 

“This year, the Bee will continue its tradition of capturing hearts and inspiring big dreams with a refreshed look: We’ve updated our logo with a new design that’s both bold and playful – indicative of the Bee spirit at every level of competition," Loeffler said. "New, vibrant branding will be woven throughout the halls of the Gaylord and across the TV programming. Fans watching along at home will see some familiar faces featured on spellingbee.com and this year’s broadcasts, celebrating what makes the Bee so captivating: our spellers."

The E.W. Scripps Co. is jumping into sports, inking a deal to air Friday night Women’s National Basketball Association games on its Ion national network.

The company formed Scripps Sports in December, saying broadcast could provide sports franchises with broad reach and large audiences at a time when cord-cutting is reducing viewership and revenues for regional sports networks on cable.

In addition to a national platform like Ion, Scripps has stations in markets where regional sports networks are under financial pressure. Scripps Sports has been talking to teams about the advantages of broadcasting games over the air.

Scripps’s deal with the WNBA creates WNBA Friday Night Spotlight on Ion, which will feature games from May 26 through September 8. 

“The WNBA Friday Night Spotlight on Ion brings women’s professional basketball the broadest possible reach with the consistency that fans, players, teams and the league deserve,” Scripps president and CEO Adam Symson said. “Scripps is fully committed to serving and growing the number of American women’s basketball fans who value the athleticism, professionalism and excitement the WNBA brings into their living rooms.”

Also Read: Nexstar Looks To Bring More NBA Games to Local Stations

The WNBA is the first sports property to air on Ion. Ion will launch a promotional campaign to drive awareness and tune-in. Bounce, Scripps News and Scripps’s other national networks will provide cross-promotion and Scripps also will use its local TV stations to promote WNBA Friday Night Spotlight on Ion throughout the season.

The new packages of games results from the WNBA expanding the season by two games per team. Some of the games would have appeared on WNBA League Pass, other would have been available locally.

“The WNBA is thrilled to partner with Scripps to expand the league’s media horizon and reach basketball fans in greater numbers,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “Access to watch WNBA games is in high demand, and Scripps’s dedicated Friday-night lineup of WNBA games on Ion will become much-desired appointment viewing for WNBA fans.”

The recent NCAA women’s March Madness college basketball tournament drew record ratings.

On Ion, some WNBA games will air nationally. Other weeks, viewers will get games on a regional basis.

“Scripps Sports was established to help leagues and teams extend their reach and connect with audiences through new distribution channels,” Scripps Sports president Brian Lawlor said. “We are pleased the WNBA sees the Ion network as an opportunity to showcase its games with a weekly nationwide franchise designed to increase visibility and fandom for this sport. Women’s sports merits a national broadcast network that ensures every American TV household can watch these amazing athletes and their gripping game play.” 

E.W. Scripps, in the process of a previously announced reorganization of the company, named Dean Littleton senior VP of local media.

Littleton was VP and general manager of Scripps’s KMGH Denver since 2017. Brian Lawlor, who had been president of local media at Scripps, was named head of Scripps’s new sports division in December.

At the same time, Scripps said Jeffrey Wolf, chief distribution officer of Scripps Networks, and Michael Teicher, chief revenue officer at Scripps Networks,  have left the company. 

Michael O’Brien was named senior VP and chief distribution officer. The company is looking to hire a chief revenue officer.

The reorganization was announced in January when Lisa Knutson was named chief operating officer. She had been head of Scripps’ national network division. As COO, she also oversees local media, including the company’s TV stations.

Also Read: E.W. Scripps Says Reorganization Will Produce $40 Million in Savings

“Dean has shown tremendous leadership in Denver,” Knutson said. “He is committed to great journalism, and he has a vision for increasing engagement and growing trust with our communities.”

Before running KMGH, Littleton was GM at WATE Knoxville, Tennessee. Previously he headed sales at WVLT Knoxville, KUSA Denver and WBIR Knoxville. He started his career as a news photographer and editor at WBIR.

Scripps also said that as part of the reorganization, Frank Friedman, senior VP of data, insights and research, will oversee data strategy, analytics and business insights, working with Jon Marks, VP of chief research officer.

Mark Gray, senior VP of network and stations operations, will be responsible for the network and technical infrastructure that supports local and network operations. Ray Thurbier is VP, chief engineer and innovation officer.

Joe Naylor, senior VP of streaming and digital platforms, will oversee the development of the company’s consumer streaming and digital strategy for all local and network brands.

Matt Borek has been promoted to managing director of E.W. Scripps’ Florida 24 statewide news channel.

Borek, who has been with Scripps for 10 years, was most recently director of digital at WFTS-TV in Tampa.

As the network’s first managing director, Borek will oversee its brand, revenue and content.

“Matt has played a key role in building FL24 since it launched,” said Joe Naylor, vice president of emerging products for Scripps. “His experience building the product, combined with his deep understanding of the things that matter most to Florida communities, is a great win for FL24 audiences and partners.” 

FL24 features reporting from Scripps’ stations in Miami, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Tallahassee and Fort Myers. 

Scripps recently formed a strategic partnership with Cox Media Group to incorporate news content from CMG’s stations in Orlando and Jacksonville into FL24’s coverage.

“Florida is such a unique and beautiful state with hundreds of new people moving here daily. Whether you just moved here or lived here for years, Florida 24 Network covers the biggest stories impacting all of Florida,” said Borek. “I’m excited for the opportunity to continue my career with Scripps. In addition, I’m honored to lead and innovate a product designed for today’s world that is also built on our foundation of strong journalism.”  ■

E.W. Scripps Co. said it has named Keisha Taylor Starr chief marketing officer, a new post at the company.

Taylor Starr had been named CMO of the company’s Scripps Networks division in December 2021 and led the rebranding of Newsy as Scripps News.

“Keisha’s experience in news, sports and entertainment verticals makes her the ideal chief marketing officer for our company at this pivotal moment,” said Scripps CEO Adam Symson.  “Now, as we focus our company resources even more on these enduringly popular content categories across all TV viewing platforms, Keisha will be charged with raising the visibility of the Scripps company’s family of brands with audiences and advertisers.”

Taylor Starr will be based in Atlanta and report to COO Lisa Knutson.

Before joining Scripps, Taylor Starr was senior VP of marketing and public relations for The Recount. Before that she was with Learfield IMG College and spent a decade with Turner Broadcasting.

“There is tremendous energy throughout Scripps – we are constantly reinventing ourselves,” Taylor Starr said. “But our one constant is community, and as a marketer, I feel privileged that I will be able to help our local stations, our national networks, the Scripps National Spelling Bee and the Scripps Howard Fund tell our stories to the many geographic and demographic communities we serve.” ■

Cox Media Group has made a deal to have its stations in Orlando and Jacksonville contribute content and coverage to E.W. Scripps Co.'s Florida 24 news network.

Scripps launched FL24, a statewide over-the-top and over-the-air news network, in June 2021. Scripps owns stations in the Miami, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Tallahassee and Fort Myers markets, covering most of the state.

Scripps was seeking another group to help it cover the remaining Florida markets. After fruitlessly negotiating with another group, it started talking to CMG and reached an agreement fairly quickly.

“We were seeking a strategic partner to provide that content. We wanted to make sure that they have the same journalistic beliefs that we have and we believe we found that in Cox,” Joe Naylor, VP of emerging products at Scripps told Broadcasting+Cable. Naylor was with GMG before joining Scripps.

Also: Scripps Names Lisa Knutson COO as Company Sets Reorganization

”Scripps is very like-minded to Cox,” added Marian Pittman, executive VP, content, product & innovation at Cox Media Group. “Our companies have very similar values and believe in the power of local journalism and this just gives us another platform to do that.”

The arrangement is brand new, but Naylor said he hopes to get it up and running in the first quarter. Scripps will continue to own FL24. The companies will have a revenue-sharing arrangement, but Naylor declined to provide details. He said he didn’t expect to need to ask any other stations to join the network.

With the Cox stations aboard, Naylor expects FL24 to start to ramp up the amount of coverage it delivers. 

“We will be getting things off the ground in Q1 and start to collaborate with them and exchange and share content and create a robust offering for all Florida consumers and audiences,” Naylor said. The network already features Forrest Saunders, a Scripps reporter in Tallahassee, the state capital.

Pittman also expects the network to mature. “I didn't sign up for the network in its current condition. I signed up for the potential of it,” Pittman said. “They have a great vision and we buy into that vision.”

Naylor sees the Cox stations providing news daily from their markets. The network will also be programming investigative and positive stories from around the state.

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“We’ll provide local content from Jacksonville and Orlando,” Pittman said. “It helps fill a gap for Scripps, but it also helps our viewers in our markets get a better idea of what’s going on around the state that they love.”

Pittman said the Cox stations will also share their Central Florida Spotlight segments, community programs and public service outreach, in addition to local news investigations and weather forecasts.

“We’ll give them things we know our audiences around the state of Florida consider reasons to watch,” she said.

Pittman said that at this point, it wasn’t clear if the Cox stations would be running content created by the Scripps stations in Florida markets, but she hoped that as the companies built their collaboration, that would happen.

“The collaboration is the secret to the success,” she said. “We both have open minds and are excited about the possibilities.”

With the entire state covered, Scripps plans to ramp up its promotion of the FL24 network. “We have been looking forward to this partnership with Cox so that we can really double down on promotion, which will include OTT marketing as well as traditional marketing,” Naylor said. 

The Cox stations will contribute to the promotion. “We have powerful brands in our markets across the state and we will leverage those brands and inform our viewers where to find this,” Pittman said.

Naylor declined to say how many people watch FL24 or how many people have downloaded the network’s app.

“We’ve been pleased with the results that we’ve seen so far and look forward to compounding that growth,” he said.

Naylor has been running FL24, but he said he was planning to name a general manager to oversee the operation. The GM would report to Naylor. For now, its operations are based in Scripps’s station in Tampa, WFTS, “but that’s sort of fluid as we grow this thing.” he said. “Just to be clear, it will be based at a Scripps property in Florida.” ■

Corrie Loeffler, a three-time competitor in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, was named executive director of the programming, the E.W. Scripps Co. said.

Scripps last year moved the bee from ESPN to its own networks Ion and Bounce.

Loeffler competed in the 1994, 1995 and 1996 National Spelling Bee, represented Merced County, California. Her brother Paul qualified for the 1990 competition.

She joined the staff of the National Spelling Been in 2006 and is the second alumna of the competition to become its executive director.

“Corrie is a passionate and mission-oriented leader who has helped the Bee navigate key moments in its recent history,” said Scripps President and CEO Adam Symson. “She has a deep reverence for spellers and for the importance of language as well as a nuanced understanding of the competition. As the Bee approaches its 100th anniversary, we know she will inspire spellers and Bee fans old and new.”

The 95th Scripps National Spelling Bee will be held May 30-June 1, 2023, at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. More than 7 million people watched last year’s national finals on Ion and Bounce, .

“This program opened my eyes to the world when I was young and taught me how big I could dream,” Loeffler said. “I was a speller, then a volunteer, then joined the Scripps National Spelling Bee team and have worked over the years to evolve the national competition. I have learned from everyone I’ve worked with, and in many ways, I have been studying my whole life for the Bee. I am humbled to lead this program as it teaches new generations of spellers to dream big.” ■

E.W. Scripps Co. said it named Jim Iovino head of the Scripps Journalism Journey Initiative.

The initiative, funded by Google, aims to help print journalists make the transition to video.

Iovino most recently was visiting assistant professor of media innovation at West Virginia University.

“With his diverse journalism industry knowledge and experience in education, Jim quickly emerged as an exceptional person to steer this important initiative for our company,” Scripps CEO Adam Symson said. “We’re pleased to find a leader that is passionate about the way this initiative will bring even more great journalism talent into Scripps.”

Also: Scripps Creates Inclusive Journalism Executive Role

Before joining West Virginia University, Iovino was managing editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news reporting covering the Tree of LIfe synagogue shooting. Previously he was senior news editor of operations for NBC-owned stations’ digital properties. He also served as a digital editor for TV stations in Washington, D.C.; Columbus, Ohio; and PIttsburgh. Iovino started out as a sportswriter.

“This is a special opportunity to draw upon every aspect of my career — print, digital, managing, educating,” Iovino said. “At a time when journalism has never been more important, this program will nurture veteran journalists and reignite their passions. I can’t wait to get started.”  ■

E.W. Scripps Co. said it appointed Dave German as VP and general manager of its TV stations in the Waco/Temple/Bryan, Texas, market, effective June 20.

German had been VP and GM of Scripps’ KMTV in Omaha, Nebraska, since October. In Waco, he will oversee KXXV-TV and KHRD-TV. He succeeds Andrés Chapparo, who was named VP and general manager at Scripps’ WSFL in Miami, Florida. 

“Dave is an outstanding leader and has consistently proven he can increase revenue and improve news coverage and station culture,” Scripps Local Media president Brian Lawlor said. “His experience leading multiple stations at once will help drive KXXV/KRHD’s success.”

German is a native of Savannah, where he began his broadcasting career in the engineering department and spent 28 years in sales at WJCL-TV/WTGS-TV. He was station manager at KTBY/KYUR-TV, Anchorage, Alaska, and general manager of KPEJ-TV Odessa, Texas.

“I look forward to returning to Texas and working with the great teams at KXXV and KRHD,” said German. “Together, we will deepen our commitment to quality journalism and community involvement in the Central Texas and Brazos Valley region.” ■

Cracked, the Scripps-owned media satire offering focused on millennial audiences, said it has launched an app for Apple TV devices.

The app features fresh videos each day and serves as an online home for series such as After Hours, Honest Ads and We’re Not Alone.

RELATED: Scripps Snaps Up Cracked for $39M

Cracked, which says it has more than 1.4 million subs on its YouTube channel, has also built streaming apps for other platforms, including Roku devices, and is featured on two ad-supported OTT aggregation services --  Pluto TV and Xumo.

RELATED: Xumo Mobilizes its OTT Platform 

“Our loyal and tech-savvy fans are already on the Apple TV platform, and as we expand our OTT footprint, we believe it is important to convert new audiences to our brand,” Mandy Ng Rusin, vice president and general manager of Cracked, said in a statement. “Millennials love having the freedom to choose their programming and now they can enjoy all of our smart and funny content on the big screen for an even more powerful experience.”

“We are leveraging the strong relationships we have created between Newsy and big OTT service providers to build Cracked as a successful OTT brand as well,” added Adam Symson, Scripps chief operating officer. “Newsy appears on 16 OTT platforms, and its reach and traction have helped us create meaningful partnerships with OTT providers looking for more great content that’s appealing to an OTT audience.”

Looking to expand its reach to millennial audiences, The E.W. Scripps Company said it has put up $39 million to acquire Cracked, the multiplatform satire specialist that operates a Web site, mobile apps, creates original digital video and a podcast.

Scripps, which is buying Cracked from Demand Media, noted that Cracked, an ad-supported offering, pulled in revenues of about $11 million in 2015, and that the business was profitable.

Cracked, launched in 1958 as a humor magazine, was acquired by Demand Media in 2007.  The Santa Monica, Calif.-based Cracked team will remain there and will be led by Mandy Ng Rusin, general manager and vice president, and Jack O’Brien, vice president and editor-in-chief.

The acquisition follows other OTT-facing and millennials-focused deals for Scripps, which last year bought podcast company Midroll Media and, in 2013, acquired Newsy, an online video news service that reaches several streaming platforms, such as Apple TV, Roku players, Amazon Fire TV devices, smart TVs from Samsung and LG, and is  also distributed by Sling TV, Pluto TV, and Watchable (Comcast’s new curated OTT service for mobile devices and its X1 set-top box platform)

“Cracked is the expert in using clever humor to engage a younger audience that is very loyal to its brand,” said Rich Boehne, chairman, president and CEO of Scripps, in a statement. “Its editorial vision brings a fresh perspective to the way the next generation creates and consumes news, information and entertainment.”

“Cracked is a natural extension of the Scripps strategy to take a leadership position in high-growth content marketplaces,” added Adam Symson, Scripps’s chief digital officer. “Scripps will help Cracked reach new and larger audiences as it continues to build its brand on the web, in over-the-top video and audio and on other emerging platforms.”