Scripps Makes Corporate, Station Promotions

The E.W. Scripps Co. today expanded corporate roles for three television executives and announced promotions for station leaders in three Scripps markets. The changes are effective immediately.

Debbie Turner is the new VP of TV operations for Scripps. She joined Scripps from her prior position as EVP overseeing the Journal Broadcast Group with additional responsibilities as the VP-GM for WTVF Nashville. She will oversee the operations of all 33 Scripps TV stations. Turner will have two offices, splitting time between Nashville and Cincinnati.

Ed Fernandez is VP and divisional general manager for Scripps. He will relinquish his responsibilities as general manager for WXYZ Detroit to take on new corporate oversight of multiple Scripps markets. He will remain based in Detroit.

Steve Wasserman also is VP and divisional general manager for Scripps. He will no longer serve as GM of WPTV West Palm Beach, Fla. He is responsible for operations at multiple Scripps stations across the U.S., while continuing to be based in West Palm Beach.

These three leaders are taking on larger roles in the strategy and execution of the entire TV division. As a result of these promotions, Scripps has appointed three new general managers serving Nashville, Detroit and West Palm Beach.

Lyn Plantinga is the new VP-GM for WTVF. She helped develop the station’s investigative unit, which recently won its second Peabody Award. Plantinga’s television experience includes successful management efforts in both news and sales. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Vanderbilt University.

Mike Murri is the new VP-GM for ABC affiliate WXYZ and MNT affil WMYD in Detroit. In more than 30 years with the station, Murri has worked as an account executive, local sales manager, director of sales and station manager. He is a graduate of Oakland University and serves on the ABC Sales Advisory Committee.

Lloyd Bucher is the new VP-GM for WPTV. His prior experience is in sales management in West Palm Beach, Miami and Philadelphia. He earned a Juris Doctor from Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Del.                                

“As we look to define Scripps as a local media company that supports platforms and devices beyond TV, Lyn, Mike and Lloyd are progressive leaders who represent the modern view of what it means to run a market-leading media organization,” said Brian Lawlor, senior vice president of the Scripps Broadcast division.“ They each understand the intersection of media consumption in a TV, mobile and social world and will guide their local brands to continued media leadership in each of these great cities.”