Scripps News Announces Layoffs and Programming Changes

Scripps News announced Friday that it plans to exit the 24/7 national news programming space. The outlet’s coverage will live on streaming and digital platforms with a Washington, D.C. based team providing national and international coverage for Scripps’ local stations. The changes will take effect after November 15, and will be accompanied by the loss of over 200 jobs.

Adam Symson, president and CEO of The E.W. Scripps Company, informed staffers about the networks’s future in a memo that was provided to TVNewser.

“Over the last two years, Scripps News’ live anchored coverage and documentary programming have grown its linear television audience,” Symson wrote. “But the prospects for the necessary revenue growth haven’t materialized, despite our sales teams’ efforts. Scripps News’ current financial position is what has led me to the decision to scale back our approach to 24-hour news and over-the-air coverage.”

In her own note to staff, Kate O’Brian, Scripps’ president of news, said that she would be among those leaving the company. “Each of you helped to build a news organization from the ground up that promised and delivered fair and objective journalism,” she wrote. “We set out to do this at a divisive time in our nation’s history and I believe that what you accomplished is undiminished by this devastating news today.”

The news comes two days after Scripps received a national news Emmy Award for its investigation into the water crisis in Flint, MI. And earlier this year, international correspondent Jason Belloni won multiple awards for his special reporting on the plight of Ukrainian orphans amidst their country’s ongoing war with Russia. The network also covered major events like CNN’s June 27 presidential debate and both of the summer’s major political conventions.

Symson noted those honors and achievements in his memo and emphasized that Scripps hasn’t abandoned its “commitment to journalism,” explaining that 50 staff members are expected to continue producing streaming and digital reports as well as content for the local stations. And he noted that the revenue challenges the company is experiencing aren’t unique to Scripps.

“Amidst an already difficult linear television advertising marketplace, many brands and agencies have decided that advertising around national news is just too risky for them given the polarized nature of this country,” he wrote. “I vehemently disagree, but it is hurting Scripps News, along with every other national linear and digital news outlet.”

Read Symson’s full memo and O’Brian’s note to staff below:

Employees: 

I have some difficult and painful news to share with you about Scripps News. Our plans are still developing, but as rumors have spread this week, we felt we owed it to you to tell you what we could as soon as possible.  

After Nov. 15, we will be winding down Scripps News’ 24/7 national news programming. Scripps News will no longer broadcast over the air, although it will remain on streaming and digital platforms with weekday live coverage from the field. A core reporting team, based primarily in Washington, D.C., also will serve Scripps’ local stations’ news operations with national and international journalism. As a result of these changes, we expect to eliminate more than 200 jobs.  

Over the last two years, Scripps News’ live anchored coverage and documentary programming have grown its linear television audience, but the prospects for the necessary revenue growth haven’t materialized, despite our sales teams’ efforts. Scripps News’ current financial position is what has led me to the decision to scale back our approach to 24-hour news and over-the-air coverage.  

Amidst an already difficult linear television advertising marketplace, 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. 

This is not the end of Scripps News as an important part of our company. We expect approximately 50 Scripps News staff members will remain to report for our local news audiences and produce the streaming and digital content, all under the Scripps News brand. We will prioritize field reporting, our strong political coverage, investigative reporting and our digital and social media presence. This company has a long history of national reporting for local audiences, and Scripps News will continue to connect our viewers to the important events and ideas outside of their communities.  

I want to be clear that this move in no way reflects disappointment with Scripps News’ work. I am very proud of the news organization that Scripps President of News Kate O’Brian and the Scripps News team have built over the past several years. The investigative work, the documentaries, the long-form storytelling, the talent, the daily content did not take a back seat to anyone. The commitment to journalism and the dedication to excellence by the entire team has been unwavering. 

On Sept. 25, Scripps News was honored with its second national news Emmy Award. In the past two years, the team also has received the David Bloom Award for excellence in enterprise reporting, two National Edward R. Murrow Awards, a Peabody Award, a Gracie Award, a Deadline Club Award, a New York Press Club Award and multiple National Headliner Awards, among others.   

There have been remarkable partnerships on important stories with ProPublica, The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times.  

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. It remains our responsibility to serve local communities and connect them to the greater world through Scripps News’ national and international reporting. 

Finally, but most important, I am acutely aware of how this impacts the lives of our team – our colleagues for whom this comes as a blow to their personal and professional lives. Our HR team will be in contact with them by Tuesday and be available to provide more information and answer questions. We will be looking for opportunities for many of these talented journalists to stay within the company and will work with them to ease this transition. 

We greatly appreciate our Scripps News team’s contribution to everything that is good about the news media today.  

Adam

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I know that there are no words that I can write to ease the pain we are all feeling right now. Nevertheless, I want you to know that we fought very hard to keep this from happening. While terribly disappointing, this was a business decision driven by external factors and is in no way a reflection on the incredible work of each one of you.  

The tough reality is that despite doing remarkable and award-winning journalism, building our OTA 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. Even with these gains, the company simply could not find the revenue in the marketplace to support the over the air broadcast. 

Together, over barely three years, each of you helped to build a news organization from the ground up that promised and delivered fair and objective journalism. We set out to do this at a divisive time in our nation’s history and I believe that what you accomplished is undiminished by this devastating news today. 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. 

The world needs more objective journalism and dedicated journalists like all of you.  

Indeed, we still have a most consequential election to cover for our audience that demands fact based and thoughtful coverage. We owe it to our loyal audiences on every platform to continue to deliver the highest quality news and information right up to November 15 when we expect more than 200 of our colleagues will be leaving Scripps News. I will also be leaving the company.  

I’m sure that all of you have all kinds of questions and concerns you want to express. I and all of the leadership at Scripps News are here to listen to you at this very difficult moment.   

With deep respect and affection for you all,

Kate