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."