With the video marketplace in a state of flux, federal regulators need to review rules that determine how local TV stations gain carriage on streaming platforms like YouTube TV, Scripps Sports President Brian Lawlor said Wednesday. Testifying on Capitol Hill before a House panel, Lawlor called on the FCC to update the rules, which many TV station owners consider outdated and a source of friction with the Big Four networks.
Broadcasters, Leagues And Teams Eye Hybrid Models While Rethinking Regional Sports
RSNs carried by pay TV services are struggling in the face of cord-cutting and are looking for new ways to reach fans old and new. Pictured (l-r): Adam Wiener, Dan Marshall, Ed Desser, Kerry Bubolz, Lee H. Berke and Brian Lawlor. (Alyssa Wesley photo)
In this repeat of the Talking TV episode from Jan. 6, Scripps Sports President Brian Lawlor talks with TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp about the E.W. Scripps division formed to leverage its Ion network to draw leagues away from regional sports networks and on to OTA. A full transcript of the conversation is included.
Scripps Sports President Brian Lawlor talks with TVNewsCheck’s Michael Depp about the new E.W. Scripps division formed to leverage its Ion network to draw leagues away from regional sports networks and on to OTA. A full transcript of the conversation is included.
Brian Lawlor, president of the new Scripps Sports division, said cord cutting has become a “massive problem” for teams and leagues, making his company’s broadcast stations and linear networks attractive to rights holders looking to reach a bigger share of fans and potential fans.
The company taps Brian Lawlor as president, charging him with furthering its sports programming initiatives through widely showcasing leagues and players that are currently limited by aging distribution deals.
Exclusives
E.W. Scripps: A Company At Home With Continuous Change
The leadership and employees of The E.W. Scripps Co., TVNewsCheck’s 2022 Station Group of the Year, are guided by a devotion to impactful journalism and the long-term sustainability of the group. They’re not averse to bold moves and risks that will deliver it. This is the first installment of a three-part series. You can read part two here and part three here.
E.W. Scripps CEO Adam Symson told a Deutsche Bank media conference Tuesday that the proliferation of streaming subscription channels, coupled with internet access costs, are driving many younger consumers to “discover” free TV once more.
TV Group Leaders To Highlight TV2020
Executives from Nexstar, Gray, E.W. Scripps and Meredith will weigh in on key issues facing broadcast from regulation to retrans as well as reviewing the outlook on monetizing TV’s future.
The seventh annual Devoncroft Executive Summit on April 8 in Las Vegas features a TV broadcasting panel where Brian Lawlor, E.W. Scripps Co.; Kevin Latek, Gray Television; and Steven Pruett, Sinclair Broadcast Group, will discuss what broadcasters are doing to make sure their medium adapts and prospers and how it fits into the larger TV firmament.
Groups Likely To Expand Program Production
The trend of station groups creating and syndicating their own shows has proven itself as a worthy way to create cost-effective programming that speaks to local and regional audiences, according to a panel of executives who spoke Wednesday at NATPE.
The moves follow Adam Symson’s move to president-CEO earlier this month. The moves are promotions for Brian Lawlor, Laura Tomlin, Lisa Knutson, Tim Wesolowski and William Appleton.
The Tegna Media exec succeeds Charles Warfield. Brian Lawlor elected TV chair and José Valle elected Radio chair.
Station Execs Bullish; Resolute On Spectrum
A NATPE panel says the ad outlook for this year is strong, even without last year’s political spending. When asked about the seemingly slow pace of development of mobile TV, Brian Lawlor of Scripps, said: “This is a massive undertaking for content providers, technology, cell carriers, manufacturers and broadcasters. The better news is that we have 70-something markets lit up, with devices on the market.” Concerns include Aereo and The Hopper, while the panelists emphasized their intentions to keep all their spectrum to continue to innovate and serve their communities.
Sook: Stations Could Get $2 Per Sub Retrans
A NATPE panel offered predictions on the future of retransmission consent at stations. Deb McDermott of Young Broadcasting said that she was not opposed to sharing the retrans revenue with the networks “as long as it is the right division of revenue — as long as they don’t get greedy.” And Nexstar’s Perry Sook suggested that even sending half of the revenue to the networks is not unreasonable.
Sook: Stations Could Get $2 Per Sub Retrans
A NATPE panel offered predictions on the future of retransmission consent at stations. Deb McDermott of Young Broadcasting said that she was not opposed to sharing the retrans revenue with the networks “as long as it is the right division of revenue — as long as they don’t get greedy.” And Nexstar’s Perry Sook suggested that even sending half of the revenue to the networks is not unreasonable.
After talking for nine months on a plan in which NBC would use its clout and scale to negotiate attractive retrans deals with cable and satellite in exchange for a percentage of the revenue, there is still no agreement. But both sides say they’re confident there will be one. The problem is that there is no one-size fits-all formula.
Scripps Sees Good Fit For Its New Stations
Last week’s $212 million purchase of the McGraw-Hill TV group will boost Scripps’ U.S. coverage to 13% and make it the country’s largest owner of ABC affiliates. And it also gives it five low-power Spanish-language stations. Brian Lawlor, Scripps’ SVP of the TV division, says his company made the deal because the new stations are “a really comfortable fit” in terms of culture, geography and size. He talks about the plans to make the most of this new opportunity, the company’s first major station purchase in 20 years.
Cloud-Based Services Making Inroads
Cloud-based services for broadcasters include graphics, asset management, email for user-generated video, back-office functions and warehousing of documents and video. The list of services and vendors grows almost daily. Although some broadcasters, attracted mostly by the cost savings and improved efficiency, have embraced the services, others still harbor a basic mistrust of them, principally because they rely on the public Internet that lies beyond their control.
With the addition of the Scripps outlets that reach 10% of TV homes, the lifestyle channel has boosted its coverage to more than 40%. The channel counts 16 other affiliates: eight ABC-owned, five Belo, two Lilly Broadcasting and one LKK Group.
Under the network’s new “proxy” plan, it would receive 50% of the affiliates’ retransmission consent revenue in return for taking over negotiations. “Every affiliate will be treated exactly the same,” said NBC affiliate board head Brian Lawlor of Scripps.
