Scripps Merges All TV, Paper Digital Efforts

The E.W. Scripps Co. on Monday launched a reorganization of its digital operations, putting all resources under one umbrella in a move, it said, to accelerate the launch of new products and services for quickly evolving digital platforms.

“We’re reorganizing and focusing our resources to ensure that our digital-platform consumers and advertisers in Scripps markets across the country are offered the very best products and services,” said Rich Boehne, Scripps president-CEO. “This new structure will result in better products, faster development, more efficiencies and improved financial performance while staying true to the Scripps mission of building value through enterprise journalism and public service.”

Leading the new organization as vice president, chief digital officer will be Adam Symson, 36. Reporting directly to Boehne, he will continue to be based in Cincinnati while working with corporate resources as well as digital leaders of the company’s 13 daily newspapers and 10 television stations.

Symson began his career as a journalist. He was an investigative producer at CBS O&Os WBBM Chicago and KCBS Los Angeles as well as the Scripps’ KNXV Phoenix before joining the Scripps corporate office in 2003 to be the director of investigative reports and special projects in the television division.

He later became the division’s director of news strategy and operations before being named director of content and marketing in the Scripps interactive media division (which was spun off as part of Scripps Networks Interactive in 2008).

He was then named vice president of interactive for the Scripps television division, where he has helped the company’s stations develop the design, content and financial performance of their websites. He has led numerous other digital initiatives for the stations, including devising strategies for the stations’ mobile apps.

Less than two weeks ago, Symson announced that Scripps would be the first operator in the country to offer group-wide live streaming through mobile apps.