Scripps - General Discussion

[TheRolyPoly 3510]

What started as a local brand for KMCI has since turned into a Scripps branding for its independent stations.

 

A couple of weeks ago, WGNT became The Spot - Norfolk 27. Now, KCDO has taken the bait and is now The Spot - Denver 3. WACY, WHDT, WMYD, WSFL, "KDF", and the "MTN" subs in Montana are left without the branding.

 

 

[norcalTVfan 58]

19 minutes ago, TheRolyPoly said:

What started as a local brand for KMCI has since turned into a Scripps branding for its independent stations.

 

A couple of weeks ago, WGNT became The Spot - Norfolk 27. Now, KCDO has taken the bait and is now The Spot - Denver 3. WACY, WHDT, WMYD, WSFL, "KDF", and the "MTN" subs in Montana are left without the branding.

 

 

The MTN stations have the branding as I saw it in Missoula last week and verified with the program listings tonight. 

[TheRolyPoly 3510]

Oh wow. I'm surprised they're going with The Spot - MTN instead of The Spot - Montana, but I guess that MTN is a powerful brand there.

[Georgie56 3661]

Another bombshell:

 

Circle City Broadcasting (owner of WISH) is picking up WRTV from Scripps for $83 million.

[tyrannical bastard 4676]

36 minutes ago, Georgie56 said:

Another bombshell:

 

Circle City Broadcasting (owner of WISH) is picking up WRTV from Scripps for $83 million.

Oof.  I was hoping Circle City was the one being put out of their misery, but WRTV has been a mess for a very long time. 

Probably even a clean transaction before any of the rules need to be changed.

[nickp 393]

55 minutes ago, Georgie56 said:

Another bombshell:

 

Circle City Broadcasting (owner of WISH) is picking up WRTV from Scripps for $83 million.

Yeah everyone at wrtv needs to get exit plan 

Edited October 28, 2025 by nickp

[GodfreyGR 812]

So... What's the end game for Scripps? Is this to deal with current cash issues? Or are they looking to buy elsewhere and needed the capital?

[TheRolyPoly 3510]

That's another news department soon gone and will more likely be WRTV's since even Scripps couldn't take them to the top.

[mre29 1967]

5 hours ago, tyrannical bastard said:

Oof.  I was hoping Circle City was the one being put out of their misery, but WRTV has been a mess for a very long time. 

Probably even a clean transaction before any of the rules need to be changed.

 

How the heck did Circle City get WRTV instead of Hearst, Graham, Weigel, or even Gray?

 

[GodfreyGR 812]

2 hours ago, TheRolyPoly said:

That's another news department soon gone and will more likely be WRTV's since even Scripps couldn't take them to the top.

I mean, perhaps not as many as we think? Doesn't Circle City have a bunch of openings from that revolving door mass exodus they themselves caused?

[EVVTV12 204]

53 minutes ago, mre29 said:

 

How the heck did Circle City get WRTV instead of Hearst, Graham, Weigel, or even Gray?

 

I said to one of my friends that Gray was suppose to buy WISH to fix it. Now it’s just like, what? 

[Greggo 384]

Get ready for Circle City News Now. Yuck. 

 

[MichiganNewsGraphicsJunkie 1158]

Now that Scripps seems to be offing stations, I'm wondering if Gray is interested in WXMI.  This would be a perfect solution for them to add to their Michigan stations of WILX, WNEM and  WLUC

Edited October 29, 2025 by MichiganNewsGraphicsJunkie

[WhoCares2 22]

6 hours ago, EVVTV12 said:

I said to one of my friends that Gray was suppose to buy WISH to fix it. Now it’s just like, what? 

I suspect Gray will end up with another station in Indianapolis. It makes sense with their other acquisitions in the state.

Scripps is interested in off-loading stations to "local buyers" to make it seem like the stations will be taken care of by people who care about the community.

[TheRolyPoly 3510]

4 hours ago, MichiganNewsGraphicsJunkie said:

Now that Scripps seems to be offing stations, I'm wondering if Gray is interested in WXMI.  This would be a perfect solution for them to add to their Michigan stations of WILX, WNEM and  WLUC

 

Considering that Gray has WPTA (and soon WFFT), WTHI (soon), WLFI (soon), and WFIE in Indiana, I'm curious as to why Scripps didn't sell WRTV to Gray. That's one of the companies the station badly needed if it wanted to revive itself (maybe Hearst being the other).

 

Unfortunately, this is the second move Scripps has made that will involve a future shutdown of a news department (WFTX being the other since WINK/WXCW will control it).

[doublejman69 128]

WRTV is a dumpster fire, Hearst, Gray and the like have zero interest in a station like WRTV. WISH is awful too so i suppose it’s a perfect match. Those two newsrooms are likey to be combined with a lot of job cuts. 

 

I’ve heard Scripps has a least a few stations that are losing a significant amount of money, it’s looks like Scripps is trying to offload them. 

[tyrannical bastard 4676]

It's painfully apparent that Scripps overbought, especially with the ION deal.  Now they're dumping their weakest stations to any company that wants them, whether they can legally take them or not based on current regulations...

[channel2 1042]

Circle City already has an operation in the market and when companies get squeezed out like Scripps apparently is, those buyers tend to have the edge. It helps that McCoy doesn't have any stations outside of the Indy market anymore, so his company would pose little threat to Scripps with the addition of WRTV.

 

I can't believe this is the company that used to own HGTV and the Food Network...

[tyrannical bastard 4676]

1 minute ago, channel2 said:

Circle City already has an operation in the market and when companies get squeezed out like Scripps apparently is, those buyers tend to have the edge. It helps that McCoy doesn't have any stations outside of the Indy market anymore, so his company would pose little threat to Scripps with the addition of WRTV.

 

I can't believe this is the company that used to own HGTV and the Food Network...

Not to mention founding stations they still own today like WEWS and WCPO, along with being one of the pioneering forces of reputable print journalism in the United States.

[DENDude 259]

According to the KMGH website, Megan Jurgemeyer is no longer the news director, it's now Megan McRae, anyone know why the switch?   

 

And where did Mrs. Jurgemeyer go?

[Recovering Producer 410]

54 minutes ago, DENDude said:

According to the KMGH website, Megan Jurgemeyer is no longer the news director, it's now Megan McRae, anyone know why the switch?   

 

And where did Mrs. Jurgemeyer go?

 

Not to be a smartass, but considering the same first name and nothing on Rick Gevers' ND newsletter about KMGH over the last few months, solid chance same person, different last name due to a change in marriage status. 

Edited October 30, 2025 by Recovering Producer

[mre29 1967]

On 10/29/2025 at 3:15 PM, channel2 said:

I can't believe this is the company that used to own HGTV and the Food Network...

 

I'm going to hazard a guess that the specific people who used to run those networks are no longer Scripps employees.

 

[DENDude 259]

On 10/29/2025 at 6:48 PM, Recovering Producer said:

 

Not to be a smartass, but considering the same first name and nothing on Rick Gevers' ND newsletter about KMGH over the last few months, solid chance same person, different last name due to a change in marriage status. 

I didn't think of that...  Makes since though. 

[GodfreyGR 812]

On 10/29/2025 at 7:48 PM, Recovering Producer said:

 

Not to be a smartass, but considering the same first name and nothing on Rick Gevers' ND newsletter about KMGH over the last few months, solid chance same person, different last name due to a change in marriage status. 

Indeed, correct.

[Megatron81 343]

On 10/28/2025 at 10:52 PM, MichiganNewsGraphicsJunkie said:

Now that Scripps seems to be offing stations, I'm wondering if Gray is interested in WXMI.  This would be a perfect solution for them to add to their Michigan stations of WILX, WNEM and  WLUC

 

Wouldn't have Gray bought WXMI in the summer when they were trading with Scripps, would've made sense back then which I think Scripps wanted to keep FOX17 even know there running it into the ground in my opinion.