Scripps Names National News Recruiting Dir.

Chip Mahaney, a veteran television journalist and broadcast news executive who has served in several digital management roles at The E.W. Scripps Co., has been appointed the company’s national director of news recruitment, effective Jan. 4, 2016.

Mahaney will lead recruiting efforts for top management positions at the 24 Scripps markets with local news. He will focus primarily on openings for news directors, assistant news directors and executive producers.

“Chip is exactly the right person for this newly created position,” said Sean McLaughlin, VP of news for Scripps. “He knows this business. He is extremely well-connected in the industry, and he understands the Scripps culture and the types of people who will be successful in our company. Add to that his journalistic instincts and his digital-first mentality, and I have every confidence that he will successfully recruit news managers who will carry out our mission to serve our communities with news and information when and where they want it.”

Mahaney joined Scripps in 2008 as one of the charter members of the TV/digital content team, based in Cincinnati. He has served Scripps as director of digital content, senior director of local operations and most recently as regional general manager for the digital division. Over the years, he has built and managed local digital teams and led journalists to better production of content for Web, mobile and social platforms. He also was instrumental in creating the Scripps national content team, which produces national and international content for use in the local markets.

After graduating from Southern Methodist University with bachelor’s degrees in broadcast news and political science, Mahaney worked in a variety of positions in local television news. He was a sports producer at KTBC Austin, Texas; an assignment editor at KOTV Tulsa, Okla.; managing editor at KDFW Dallas; and news director at WTVR Richmond, Va.

He has received an Edward R. Murrow Award and an Emmy Award and is a nationally-recognized trainer on journalism ethics, newsroom operations, digital and social media. He serves on the Professional Advisory Board for Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism.