VP Responds to Layoff Rumors at Scripps

By Aneya Fernando 

scripps logo_304x200We’ve gotten multiple tips from readers over the past few days about massive layoffs happening at Scripps. We reached out to the company to see if the rumors are true, and it turns out, they are… sort of.

Here’s what Carolyn Pione Micheli, vice president, corporate communications and investor relations at Scripps, told TVSpy:

We did have a few layoffs in some of our markets today. It was fewer than a handful of people in each place, and not in all of our markets. Some of those affected will move to other jobs in our newsrooms.

Advertisement

The move was aimed at devoting more resources to getting additional newsgatherers out on the street. Scripps is committed to its communities and to its news operations, and this strategy is designed to move newsroom resources toward increasing the investigative coverage of our stations and better serving those communities.

Scripps continues to be a progressive leader in newsroom design and staffing.  As we often do, we assessed the roles that have lived within our newsrooms for years and have made some adjustments to better support our multi-platform future. That means reallocating more resources to content creation.

TVSpy asked Micheli for the exact number of people let go and she unfortunately didn’t have an answer for us:

Many of those people will be offered other jobs, so the total number right now is not clear yet.

So far, the majority of the layoffs appear to be happening at KGTV in San Diego, KNXV in Phoenix and KMGH in Denver. We’ll update when we have more info.

Advertisement