Scripps’ station WCPO in Cincinnati plans to cut two anchor positions so it can add five reporters to its newsroom.
What the actual plans are, is anybody’s guess. Cincinnati media writer John Kiesewetter said “Exactly who will be leaving and when has not been determined.”
“We are making changes to staffing so we can build the largest reporting staff of any newsroom in Cincinnati,” Jeff Brogan, WCPO vice president and general manager told Kiesewetter. “This will help us deliver the best coverage of communities across the Tri-State.”
With younger viewers getting news and information from their phones and mobile devices instead of traditional TV newscasts, Scripps is looking to change from news driven by anchor desk positions to field reporters.
“Most people get news in different ways than they did 15, 10 or even five years ago,” Brogan said. “Like everybody else, our businesses sometimes must tighten our belts. While we are doing that, our priority is keeping up with audience needs, investing in the most important areas, and making sure our business is built to last.”
Brogan said the Cincinnati-based E.W. Scripps Company has been researching what people “need from local news” for six years.
According to Kiesewetter, May TV ratings from 2018 to 2023 showed that the 11 p.m. local news audience dropped 45%, the 6-7 a.m. local news audience fell 42% and the 6 p.m. local news audience dropped 36%.
Last June, the station’s 4 p.m. weekday news adopted the “Scrippscast” computer technology which de-emphasized the anchor role. Local and national reporters introduce themselves and their topics in self-contained packages after graphics reading “TOP STORIES,” “MAKING NEWS,” “YOUR HEALTH,” “ECONOMY WATCH” or the 9 ABC WCPO logo.