Small Initiatives

I've had a few weeks to enjoy my promotion to general manager of Scripps Newspapers Interactive Group -- something I didn't make a big deal about in this space because, well, it's not all that relevant to this space. But it's a big deal for me, and was just starting to sink in.

So I guess it's time for another big change. This morning we got word that the E.W. Scripps Co. plans to split into two publicly held companies.

Scripps Networks Interactive will include Scripps Networks (HGTV, Food Network et al), the networks' interactive services, and the Shopzilla and USwitch businesses.

The E.W. Scripps Co. will include newspapers, local TV stations and United Media, our syndication arm -- and all the related interactive services.

What's old is new again. Some of you might know this is my second tour of duty with Scripps -- the first being in the newsroom of the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, late 1980s and early 1990s. In those days, the Scripps I just described was all there was (except the interactive services didn't exist, of course).

Shortly after I left, that apparently old-line company figured out how to grow, organically, a cable network that mushroomed into all the stuff that's about to be spun out into SNI. What's left in the "new old" company is a lot of smart people with their eyes trained on many next great things. I just hope they don't need me to leave again to spark another big round of innovation. ;-)