Scripps TV Revenue Increases 4%

Scripps reported television revenue of $116 million in the second quarter, up 4% from 2013's second quarter. Local revenue increased 3.4% while national was off 12.5%.

Political spending was $5.3 million and retransmission fees, up 21%, were $12.7 million. Scripps’ digital revenue on the TV side increased 9.6% to $4.4 million.

On June 16, Scripps acquired stations in Buffalo and Detroit from Granite Broadcasting Corp. for $110 million.  Scripps anticipates the stations contributing more than $15 million of revenue and $5 million of segment profit in the second half of the year.

Scripps’ consolidated revenues were $212 million in the quarter, up 2%. Newspaper revenue was $92.3 million, down 1.3% from the year-ago quarter. The continued decline in advertising and marketing services revenue was partially offset by an increase in subscription revenue, said Scripps.

Scripps and Journal Communications announced a merger July 30, with joint broadcast groups as well as joint newspaper outfits operating as separate companies.

For the third quarter, Scripps anticipates television revenues to be up about 30%, including approximately $20 million in political advertising and $15 million in retransmission revenue. That includes the Granite station acquisitions.

For the full year, management expects television revenues to be up about 20%, with more than $65 million in political advertising revenue.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.