Scripps promotes Bill Siegel to VP and GM for WSFL in Miami to launch news operations

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Dec 19, 2019, 11:45 ET

CINCINNATI, Dec. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) has promoted Bill Siegel to vice president and general manager of WSFL in Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, effective Jan. 6.

Scripps recently announced it would be adding original local news operations for the station, a CW affiliate.

The E.W. Scripps Company has promoted Bill Siegel to vice president and general manager of WSFL in Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, effective Jan. 6.

Siegel currently serves as a senior director of content strategy for Scripps, working with a group of Scripps' local TV stations to implement, evaluate and refine the company's content strategy.

In his new role, Siegel will lead the effort to build original local news programming at WSFL, including helping to identify a news director and building a reporting and production team.

"Bill is a veteran journalist with a well-tuned ability to tell stories that matter to our local audiences," said Brian Lawlor, president of Local Media. "His experience in overseeing content strategy for multiple markets will serve Scripps well as we build Miami's newsroom from the ground up and find new ways to serve audiences and advertisers in South Florida."

Prior to joining Scripps in 2015, Siegel spent four years as executive news director at WWL, the CBS affiliate in New Orleans. He also worked as assistant news director at WISN in Milwaukee, executive producer at KMOV in St. Louis, executive producer at KENS in San Antonio, Texas, and as a producer at KESQ in Palm Springs, California.

Scripps' six Florida stations reach nearly 70 percent of the state's TV households – it also owns WFTS in Tampa, WPTV and WHDT in West Palm Beach, WTXL in Tallahassee and WFTX in Fort Myers.

Heading into the 2020 presidential election, WSFL's news operation will strengthen Scripps' statewide political coverage in the key battleground state of Florida while its weather and meteorology teams will add to Scripps' critical hurricane and storm coverage for Florida residents.

"I look forward to starting the next chapter of my Scripps career at WSFL as we work to advance local journalism in South Florida," said Siegel. "One of the highlights of my time at Scripps has been collaborating with our local stations on their content strategies, and I look forward to diving in with a new team to build a newsroom that informs and empowers the community we will serve."

Siegel received a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Iowa and a master's in broadcast journalism from Syracuse University.

About Scripps
The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) advances understanding of the world through journalism. As the nation's fourth-largest independent TV station owner, Scripps operates 60 television stations in 42 markets. Scripps empowers the next generation of news consumers with its multiplatform news network Newsy and reaches growing audiences through broadcast networks including Bounce and Court TV. Shaping the future of storytelling through digital audio, Scripps owns top podcast company Stitcher and Triton, the global leader in technology and measurement services. Scripps runs an award-winning investigative reporting newsroom in Washington, D.C., and is the longtime steward of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Founded in 1878, Scripps has held for decades to the motto, "Give light and the people will find their own way."

SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company