Scripps original programming thrives, expands to more markets across U.S.

Let's Ask America, The List and The Now offer new ways for audiences to be informed and entertained starting today

Twitter post: Big day for @EWScrippsCo - original programming #TheNow and #TheList expand to more markets; #LetsAskAmerica debuts new host @BillBellamy

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The E.W. Scripps Company

Sep 08, 2014, 03:33 ET

CINCINNATI, Sept. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The E.W. Scripps Co. (NYSE: SSP) reaches a significant milestone today as its original shows The List and The Now launch in new markets.

Scripps began creating its own programming three years ago with game show Let's Ask America and infotainment magazine show The List. The company today is building on the success of those shows by expanding their reach and investing even further in original programming with a new show, The Now, which provides a fresh take on local news.

"Our long history and deep experience as a programmer has come in handy at a time when it's advantageous for local station owners to own and control more of their content," said Rich Boehne, chairman, president and CEO of Scripps. "Creating our own programming has freed us of some expensive syndicated programming and allowed us to keep more of our own ad dollars. In addition, the shows support our strategy to go deeper in connecting with viewers in our local markets."

The infotainment program The List blends news, information and pop culture delivered with humorous commentary. It includes national segments created at The List hub, at KNXV, the Scripps ABC affiliate in Phoenix, and local inserts produced by each market. The List originated in seven Scripps markets and is now almost doubling in size to:

Kansas City – KSHB 41ActionNews (6:30 p.m. CT)
Denver – KMGH – Denver's7 (weekdays 6:30 p.m. MT)
San Diego – KGTV – ABC10 (weekdays – 7:30 p.m. PT)
Bakersfield – KERO – ABC23 (weeknights – 7:30 p.m. PT)
Indianapolis – WRTV – RTV6 (weekdays 7:30 p.m. ET)
Detroit – WXYZ – 7ActionNews (weekdays 7:30 p.m. ET – on Sept. 9)

The locally produced news program The Now takes a deep look at the issues of most interest to news consumers in local markets and across America each day. The hour-long program features a mix of local, national and international news, as well as viral stories and videos and entertainment and lifestyle stories. The Now airs at 4 p.m. in most markets, drawing television audiences into trending conversations, including topics people are sharing across digital and social media platforms.

Each local market will work in tandem with a national desk, based at KMGH in Denver. The program also creates opportunities for sharing breaking news and weather updates.

The Now debuted in July at two Scripps stations: KMGH, Denver's 7, and KSHB, 41Action News in Kansas City, Missouri. WPTV, NewsChannel 5, in West Palm Beach, Florida, and KNXV ABC15, in Phoenix, went live with the show in August. Effective today, it is growing to four more Scripps markets:

Detroit – WXYZ 7ActionNews (weekdays – 4 p.m. ET)
Cleveland – WEWS NewsChannel5 (weekdays – 4 p.m. ET)
Cincinnati – WCPO 9OnYourSide (weekdays – 4 p.m. ET)
Tampa - WFTS ActionNews (weekdays – 4 p.m. ET)

Audiences in nine Scripps markets will be introduced to at least one of these new shows in the early-fringe time period – typically before or after the early evening news.

"Scripps is very comfortable taking creative risks," said Brian Lawlor, senior vice president of Scripps television. "We spent a lot of time researching these concepts to make sure the new programs give our audiences shows they won't find anywhere else. They also appeal to a desirable demographic that will draw the attention of advertisers on both a local and a national level."

Comedian Bill Bellamy is the new host for the third season of the fun and energetic game show Let's Ask America. Contestants with big personalities compete for cash from their homes via webcams. The show polls America about humorous topics to discover what people are thinking, and contestants try to correctly predict the answer. The show airs in 13 Scripps markets.

Through syndication partner MGM Domestic Television Distribution LLC, a division of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., the game show also has expanded nationwide through the Game Show Network (GSN) and additional affiliates outside of Scripps, increasing the show's reach to 77 percent of U.S. households. GSN currently is carrying season two and will broadcast season three shows with Bellamy beginning in January.

Scripps' fourth show, Right This Minute, created in partnership with Cox Media and Raycom Media, continues its syndication climb in its fourth season. On Sept. 8, the daily program expands to 10 Fox owned and operated stations including markets such as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. More than 91 percent of the country now can watch the show that gives viewers the first look at the best videos of the day before they go viral.

About Scripps

The E.W. Scripps Company (www.scripps.com) serves audiences and businesses through a growing portfolio of television, print and digital media brands. Scripps owns 21 local television stations as well as daily newspapers in 13 markets across the United States. It also runs an expanding collection of local and national digital journalism and information businesses, including digital video news service Newsy. Scripps also produces television programming, runs an award-winning investigative reporting newsroom in Washington, D.C., and serves as the longtime steward of the nation's largest, most successful and longest-running educational program, the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Founded in 1879, Scripps is focused on the stories of tomorrow.

SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company