Changes at Scripps Howard

Scripps Howard was a company that bet on afternoon papers. Many were in Joint Operating Agreements, and some, like the Cincinnati Post and Evansville Press, have closed.

Here's an interesting article on reshuffling for better economics within the company.


E.W. Scripps reorganizes newspaper management in effort to boost local news, ad sales

On Tuesday August 25, 2009, 7:55 pm EDT
CINCINNATI (AP) -- E.W. Scripps Co. is reshuffling the management overseeing its 13 daily newspapers in an effort to produce more unique stories on each community and boost the company's slumping ad sales.

Like many other publishers, Cincinnati-based Scripps has struggled to keep up advertising sales as readers rapidly shift online and the recession hurts advertising both on and off the Web. In the first half of the year, ad sales at Scripps' newspapers dropped 29 percent to $165 million. The severe slump contributed to Scripps' decision to close the print edition of the Rocky Mountain News in Denver six months ago.

Scripps also owns 10 local TV stations, including nine affiliated with ABC or NBC, besides daily newspapers such as the News Sentinel in Knoxville, Tenn., and the Ventura County Star in Southern California.

To streamline its newspaper management, Scripps said Tuesday that it has created an operating committee that includes two national posts to steer sales and content. There are also four other posts responsible for operations, finance, information technology and human resources.

Bruce Hartmann, the vice president and publisher of the News Sentinel, will become vice president of Scripps' print and interactive sales, starting Sept. 1. Rusty Coats, now the vice president of interactive operations for the company's newspaper unit, will become vice president of content and marketing on Sept. 1.

Frank Wolfe, Scripps' director of operations, will take on the role of vice president of operations for the newspaper unit. He will be responsible for production and circulation operations across the country.

Jim York, who is the head of information technology for the newspaper unit, will become vice president of IT.

Robin Davis, who is vice president of finance and administration, will remain in that post. Mary Minser, vice president of human resources for the newspaper unit, will retain her current role, as well.

Scripps also said Tuesday that it is sorting its newspapers into two categories.

The newspapers in Scripps' six biggest markets -- Memphis and Knoxville, Tenn.; Naples and Treasure Coast, Fla.; Ventura, Calif., and Corpus Christi, Texas -- will be treated as regional media organizations. The publishers of these papers will be on Scripps operating committee and report to senior vice president of newspapers Mark G. Contreras, while advertising and circulation sales directors will report to Hartmann.

Newspapers in Scripps' other markets, which include Evansville, Ind., and Redding, Calif., will be termed "mid-sized" media organizations. Their publishers will be in charge of local ad sales and report to Hartmann.

Shares of Scripps closed earlier up 34 cents, or 4.7 percent, at $7.63.