Scripps Signs Deal To Keep ABC Network On Channel 9, WCPO-TV: Dancing With The Stars Won't Disappear In Cincinnati

Scripps Exec Hails 'Quality' Programming

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The deal means WCPO-TV remains an ABC network affiliate through January 2015.  You can still watch Cougar Town, The View  and Jimmy Kimmel on the broadcast station, whose call letters conjure up memories of the defunct E.W. Scripps Co. newspaper The Cincinnati Post (CPO).  When Al Schottelkotte ruled the roost with his news shows, Channel 9 was a CBS affiliate.  Scripps' stations in Cleveland (the nation's 18th biggest broadcast market), Detroit (11), Tampa (14), Phoenix (12) and Baltimore (27) are also going to stay with ABC, which is owned by Disney.  Former P&G CEO John Pepper -- a resident of Cincinnati's suburbs and father of Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper -- is Disney's chairman.  Wonder if he watches Channel 9 much these days?  Pepper strikes most people as a PBS person.  It's hard to imagine him grabbing a cold one and catching the latest episode of Desperate Housewives on the local affiliate.

At 33, Cincinnati is the smallest broadcast market in the deal.  Together, the six Scripps television stations cover about 8% of U.S. households.  Scripps will pay a license fee to carry ABC's shows -- the amount of the fee has not yet been disclosed.  Said Scripps Sr. VP Brian Lawlor:  "I'm pleased that we're able to continue the productive relationship we've had with ABC for many years.  This new agreement reflects our shared belief in the power of a high-quality national programming provider combined with local affiliates that have trusted news brands and strong influence in their communities."

So what's the network's top show?  That "high-quality programming" called Dancing With The Stars.  Nielsen had it No. 1 among  all shows on all four networks earlier this month, with nearly 20 million viewers.

Born In Cincinnati, Scripps Networks Heads For The Hills: Ohio Newspaper Chain Spinoff Is Moving To Knoxville, Tenn.



Scripps Says Bam! To Cincy



CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The spin-off is a publicly traded corporation (SNI: NYSE) that is a powerhouse in lifestyle television.  Its success in cable broadcasting made Emeril a celebrity chef.  The stable includes HGTV, Travel Channel, Great American Country and DIY Network.  Now Scripps Network Interactive Inc. is switching off its downtown Cincinnati office tower for new headquarters digs in Knoxville.  Scripps Interactive separated from the newspaper chain in 2008 -- that legacy business, the E.W. Scripps Co., stays behind.  Here's the full text of the press release from Scripps Interactive. Some pertinent paragraphs:

"The decision to designate Knoxville as the company's headquarters coincides with the completion of the new 150,000-square-foot Scripps Networks operating facility in West Knoxville. Final touches on the new facility, a large part of which has been occupied since March, were completed this month


'Knoxville is where it all began and where the company's future is being charted,' said Kenneth W. Lowe, chairman and chief executive officer of Scripps Networks Interactive. 'We've come a long way since launching HGTV and our Knoxville operations have become increasingly important. Making Knoxville and Tennessee the focal point of our global operations is a logical step in the company's ongoing evolution.'


"About 850 of the company's 1,950 employees worldwide work in Knoxville where HGTV and DIY Network were created and continue to be based. The company's technical center, including satellite uplink operations, a control center for all of its television networks and a wide range of other administrative, business and creative functions are also based in Knoxville."

Dead Cincinnati Newspaper Resurrected Online: Scoops Enquirer On 1st Day

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The Cincinnati Post newsprint newspaper died Dec. 31, but before midnight reestablished itself online as KYPost.com on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River. This first edition signals the E.W. Scripps Co. venture is going to continue as a rejuvenated competitor to The Cincinnati Enquirer in a fresh new format; it means the press war that started in the early 1880s continues on in cyberspace. Forget the obituaries. The Post has left the grave to haunt its Gannett Co. Inc.-owned morning metro rival.

[UPDATE:3:30 PM -- Scripps is out with a press release about the launch of the Post on the Web. It's an indirect swipe at Gannett, and quotes the Cincinnati-based Scripps' newspaper division chief Rich Boehne: "After considerable analysis, we determined that the next chapter in the long and successful story of The Post should be found on the Web. The launch of KYPost.com demonstrates commitment at Scripps to deliver news and information that's particularly relevant to northern Kentucky." He said Kerry Duke, a longtime Poster, has been named managing editor. Before moving to the executive suite, Boehne was a business reporter at the Post.]

The Post delivered a report at 8:10 a.m. New Year's Day about the first homicide of the year in Cincinnati. The shooting took place in an Over-the-Rhine nightclub about 12 blocks from the Enquirer's office -- but it didn't have the news in print this morning and there was nothing online just a few minutes ago. The Post got the story from WCPO-TV, Channel 9, the television outlet owned by its parent Scripps. Obviously, there is going to be synergy. The Post is free at last from the afternoon market, and can be brisk all 24 hours of the day.

As for the KYPost, it says the newsprint version's spirit lives on as it refocuses its information collection and distribution skills on Cincinnati's northern Kentucky suburbs:

"We'll keep you up to date on breaking news, informed on the issues of the day and aware of what's going on in your hometown and around the Commonwealth. When a truck jackknifes on Death Hill, you'll know all about it here . . . Our focus is on what you care about -- both the big stories and the small ones.

"We'll bring you stories of your neighbors and neighborhood, introduce you to important and interesting people and let you know about events you'll want to take in and places you'll want to visit. You'll find all the scores of your favorites high school team, obituaries from the region and columns by some familiar names."

So the Post isn't dead at all. It is back -- and appears quite healthy -- in a new digital format. Indeed, as the year unfolds, this cyber Post may be the venture that shows the newspaper industry just where its future lies: Abandoning the faded power of print for the rising power of pixels.

Oho Media Giant Scripps: Stop The Presses!!! News Biz Being Spun Off

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- An Ohio media giant that built a publishing and broadcasting realm by starting with newspapers, and then local TV outlets like Channel 5 in Cleveland, plans to divide itself into two separate entities. The split sets the old media properties on an independent road during an uncertain time. Cincinnati-based E.W. Scripps Co. made the announcement this morning. It means the company's leadership sees more upside growth potential in the $1.4 billion Scripps Networks, which include HGTV, Food Network and Internet-businesses like Shopzilla.

Scripps owns newspapers across the nation, including Denver and Cincinnati, where the afternoon Cincinnati Post has been in decline and is set to close forever in December. Meanwhile, Scripps has been building a new headquarters for its Scripps Neworks Interactive operations in Knoxville, Tenn., where HGTV and the other shows are produced. Scripps CEO Kenneth W. Lowe said the split makes good sense for shareholders by sharpening business focus on the new media, which is growing and extremely profitable.

"This is an important and logical next step for our shareholders, employees and all other stakeholders who have a direct interest in the success of our media business, It is our intention to create two publicly traded companies, each with a sharpened strategic focus that would foster continued growth, solid operating performance and a clear vision on how best to build on the specific strengths of our national and local media franchises.

"The new company that would be created by the transaction -- Scripps Networks Interactive -- would be anchored by two of America's most-watched and most successful table television networks -- HGTV and Food Network -- and would benefit from the rapidly growing popularity of its newer lifestyle brands, DIY Network, Fine Living, and Great American Country."

Bottomline: Scripps was the media company whose most beloved and noted journalist was Ernie Pyle, the columnist who covered World War II and became the voice of the common man. He was killed in the Pacific while on assignment with the troops. The new Scripps is built around figures like Emeril, the chef. Good-bye, Ernie. Bam!!!