Scripps

It’s purchasing Triton Digital, which serves the growing digital audio marketplace through a software-as-a-service business-to-business revenue model. Triton powers or measures streaming music and podcasting for many of the biggest names in audio.

Whether its Viacom or Discovery that buys Scripps, the resulting media giant would be far better positioned to offer advertisers a compelling audience mix, more high quality programming under one roof, and advanced ad-targeting products, according to The Wall Street Journal. A Discovery-Scripps tie-up would create a must-buy network group for advertisers interested in targeting women. A Viacom deal could inject some of its ad-targeting prowess into Scripps’ business and offer advertisers programming reaching a broad range of demographics. WSJ subscribers can read the full story here.

Viacom Inc. has informed Scripps Networks Interactive it is willing to pay all cash to acquire the U.S. TV network operator, sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. The move by Viacom, which had $12.17 billion in debt as of March 31, could potentially mean that the $14.3 billion media company would lose its investment-grade status to buy the $10.6 billion Scripps.

E.W. Scripps chooses the former GM of WATE Knoxville, Tenn., to head its ABC affiliate in Colorado.

The head of Scripps’ radio properties in Tucson now is in charge of its ABC-CW duopoly there.

Reporter Lisa Benson alleges in a lawsuit that she has been discriminated against by the Scripps Kansas City NBC affiliate because of her race.

The 138-year-old company with 33 TV stations in 24 markets is moving boldly into the digital universe. Outgoing CEO Rich Boehne (left) says it’s following its audience, but admits it’s risky and that the journey isn’t for the faint of heart. Incoming CEO Adam Symson (right) shares Boehne’s enthusiasm, but doesn’t see it as quite so radical. In light of this foreward-looking strategy and the company’s continued commitment to producing the best in local news, TVNewsCheck named E.W. Scripps its Station Group of Year for 2017. (Collage by Bill Knight)

Prather left the Scripps-owned ABC affil in Las Vegas last Monday after working there for more than 25 years. Scripps wouldn’t say why he left.

The station group is drumming up interest for hour-long strip Ben & Kellie, which would feature country artist Pickler and Ben Aaron, a feature reporter on NBC O&O WNBC New York.

Adam Symson, E.W. Scripps Co.’s incoming CEO, is unflappably bullish on podcasting’s potential — both as a narrative product and monetization engine. “Podcasting represents one of the most important platforms […]

Rich Boehne will retire as CEO later this year and, in just one of many signs of the company’s digital ambitions, Chief Digital Officer Adam Symson has been tapped to be his successor.

Newsy, the E.W. Scripps-owned video news service, is launching a series leading up to the election to explore issues it believes need more attention.

The Campaign Legal Center reiterates its charge that many stations are not complying with rules to make available online information about their political advertising, including who is paying for the spots. It adds the Scripps-owned Cincinnati ABC affiliate to its earlier list and urges the FCC to move before the election “to ensure transparency in our electoral system and to protect voters’ right to know by whom they are being persuaded.”

The news service from Scripps has launched on a channel on Cincinnati Bell Fioptics system.

In announcing the honor, TVNewsCheck Editor Harry A. Jessell cited the company’s efforts to go beyond broadcasting and establish itself prominently and profitably among national digital media. Led by CEO Rich Boehne, over the past three years Scripps has spent $124 million to acquire Newsy (OTT news), Midroll (podcasting) and Cracked (digital content).

Scripps announced that it will eliminating the two-minute local segments, along with the staff, on the nationally syndicated magazine show that airs on 13 stations. Scripps SVP Brian Lawler says the show will now be 100% national, produced from its Phoenix studio.

Scripps’ new Storm Shield app lets users customize the type and number of severe weather warnings they receive for as many as five locations, essentially turning their smartphones into emergency weather radios.

The partnership will offer a “second screen” app in early 2012, allowing viewers to tap into related content and swap comments with friends watching the same broadcast TV show at the same time. Broadcasters hope the app with lead to increased revenue, greater engagement and better tune-in promotion. Participating station groups include those of Pearl, the joint venture formed last year to pursue the mobile DTV business. They include Belo, Cox, Scripps, Gannett, Hearst Television, Media General, Meredith, Post-Newsweek and Raycom.

As TV stations struggle to distinguish themselves with hyperlocal strategies, one old solution is looking new again. A number of station groups — including Hearst, Belo, Cox, Gannett and Scripps — are finding that the specialized, localized reporting they get from their Washington bureaus has become a differentiator for them. As the head of Cox’s bureau says: “Our sole mission is to give stations hyper-local, unique coverage they can’t find anywhere else.”

In a market with fierce competition from a myriad of newspaper and television sites vying to be No. 1, Gannett chooses the sunny Tampa-St. Petersburg market as the online proving ground for its bold experiment in hyperlocal news sites.

Does Time Warner Cable have the right to provide iPad users with live TV channels? That’s at the center of a dispute between the cable operator and several large media […]

The strong fourth-quarter results marked the fourth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth for the seven pure-play broadcasting companies and eight integrated media companies tracked by the investment bank M.C. Alcamo & Co.

Scripps chooses the former Gannett station exec to lead its ABC affiliate in Cincinnati.

Mike Doback, the chief technologist for the Scripps 10-station TV group, says he’s being careful and conservative in his tech purchases. His priorities include improved work flow, more automation and the latest offering from his camera vendor of choice (JVC) and introducing mobile DTV in two more markets. He’s also making sure that the technologies are in place so that the stations can work across all four platforms effectively and produce quality products.

The 25-year Scripps veteran leaves the groups’s Phoenix ABC affiliate to spend more time with her family in Tulsa.

In the wake of credit defaults, Arthur Liu’s Multicultural Television Broadcasting is now turning over the last of  the five stations it acquired from Scripps to trustee Lee Shubert for liquidation. Multicultural bought the stations in 2006 for $170 million.

Attorneys Julie McGehee and Dave Giles have been appointed to expanded roles by the board of directors of The E.W. Scripps Co.. Effective immediately, McGehee, 48, will add corporate secretary […]

The increase to $79 million is led by almost $15 million in political ad money. Local revenue was up 5%, while national grew by 25%.