Blake Sabatinelli Departs As Newsy CEO

Blake Sabatinelli has stepped down as CEO of Newsy, the E.W. Scripps-owned, millennial-targeted multiplatform news network, a move confirmed by the company today.

Sabatinelli’s last day was Feb. 12 after six years at Newsy’s helm, the first three as general manager and later as its CEO.

Newsy won’t be appointing a new CEO in his place, a company spokesperson said by email.

“Newsy is now part of the Scripps Networks and continues to be an important part of the company’s journalism mission and its vision to create a better-informed world,” the spokesperson said. “Rather than appointing a new CEO of Newsy, due to the restructuring of the networks with the acquisition of Ion earlier this year, we will soon announce a head of network news to oversee enterprise journalism brands Newsy and Court TV for Scripps Networks.”

Sabatinelli joined E.W. Scripps in 2007 at WFTS, its Tampa, Fla., ABC affiliate, where he last worked as an executive producer of new media. He returned to the company in 2014 working on corporate development and video strategy for a year and a half before taking over Newsy.

He joined Atmosphere TV, a startup targeted to streaming TV services for businesses including bars, gyms and doctors’ offices, as COO on March 1.

“I’ve spent the last six years building a startup, and Newsy has matured significantly,” Sabatinelli told TVNewsCheck. “As someone who likes to be in the weeds building, Newsy was beyond that at this point. We eclipsed $50 million in revenue last year and I was ready to get back to building again.”

Other recent reorganization moves at Scripps following its $2.65 billion acquisition of Ion Media, which it combined with its Katz diginets and Newsy, include:

Naming WarnerMedia/Turner Broadcasting veteran Richard Steiner head of digital for its national television networks business, effective March 1. In this new role, Steiner is responsible for developing, directing and managing the digital strategy for Scripps’ new national networks, including oversight for OTT, AVOD, SVOD, TVOD, web and mobile applications. He reports to Jonathan Katz, chief operating officer and head of entertainment for Scripps networks.

Appointing former 20^th Television executive Michael Teicher chief revenue officer for its national television networks business, effective Jan. 19. In this new role, Teicher is responsible for developing the company’s ad sales strategy for all the Scripps networks across all platforms, including general market, direct response, programmatic/digital, long-form and sponsorship advertising. He reports to Katz.

Promoting Lisa Knutson from chief financial officer to lead the newly combined businesses of Ion Media, the five Katz networks and Newsy.