Saying that “the prospects for the necessary revenue growth haven’t materialized,” Cincinnati-based E.W. Scripps Co. is pulling the plug on its national 24/7 Scripps News broadcast channel based in Atlanta and eliminating more than 200 jobs.
Adam Symson, Scripps president and CEO, told staffers Friday that the national broadcast programming — seen here on WCPO-TV’s Channel 9.6 — would end Nov. 15.
However, “it will remain on streaming and digital platforms with weekday live coverage from the field” and a “core reporting team, based primarily in Washington, D.C., will serve Scripps’ local stations’ news operations with national and international journalism,” Symson said in a staff email.
Kate O’Brian, Scripps president of news, told staffers in an email that she’s among the 200-plus employees leaving the company.
“The tough reality is that despite doing remarkable and award-winning journalism, building our OTA (over-the-air) audience steadily since we launched, and doubling our weekly OTA revenue in the last year, the national ad market simply did not sustain over-the-air Scripps News as a viable business,” she said.
“It is some consolation that the Scripps News brand will not disappear altogether, and that 50 of our colleagues will be staying to continue the top-notch reporting and producing going forward,” she said.
The job cuts will not impact staffing at WCPO-TV. Scripps News did not have any employees working here, said Jeff Brogan, vice president and general manager.
Channel 9 needs to replace “one Scripps News show that is regularly scheduled overnights on the weekends, and ... the Scripps News specials you see in late afternoon” on weekends before the 6 p.m. news, he said.
“Scripps News on Channel 9.6 will be replaced with another network. No decision has been made on what network that will be,” Brogan said.
The soft advertising market for Scripps New is because “many brands and agencies have decided that advertising around national news is just too risky for them given the polarized nature of this country, no matter the accolades and credentials a news organization like Scripps receives for its objectivity. I vehemently disagree, but it is hurting Scripps News, along with every other national linear and digital news outlet,” Symson said.
“I also want to emphasize that the advertising issues Scripps News has faced reflect the national marketplace. Locally, there is advertising support for our local news and our stations’ ability to connect local businesses with our audiences,” he said.
The Scripps News channel was launched in 2008 as Newsy. Scripps bought Newsy in 2014, and expanded it to a free over-the-air network in 2021. It was rebranded as Scripps News in January 2023.
