Ew Scripps

To create a better-informed world by being the leader in objective journalism and next-generation media.

Ew Scripps SWOT Analysis

Updated: October 3, 2025 • 2025-Q4 Analysis

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The E.W. Scripps SWOT analysis reveals a company at a critical inflection point, caught between a powerful, cash-generating legacy operation and the urgent, secular shift to digital. Its core strengths in political advertising and local news provide a formidable, albeit cyclical, moat. However, this is set against the significant weaknesses of a highly leveraged balance sheet and exposure to declining linear television trends. The primary strategic imperative is clear: Scripps must aggressively leverage the upcoming political revenue windfall not just as a profit event, but as the critical fuel to pay down debt and accelerate its transition to a CTV-first distribution and revenue model. Failure to execute this pivot decisively risks being overwhelmed by the very threats—cord-cutting and digital competition—it is trying to outrun. The path to long-term value creation depends entirely on this disciplined transformation.

Nexstar Media Group Sinclair Broadcast Group TEGNA Gray Television Fox Corporation

No past cycles

Mission & Vision SWOT Analysis OKR Plan Retrospective AI Strategy Data Acquisition

To create a better-informed world by being the leader in objective journalism and next-generation media.

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Strengths

POLITICAL: Unmatched expertise in securing high-margin political ad revenue.
NETWORKS: Strong national audience delivery via ION, Bounce, Grit, Laff.
LOCALISM: Deep community trust and news leadership in 61 local markets.
WNBA: Landmark deal for Friday night games signals sports rights ambition.
RETRANS: Stable, high-margin retransmission fees provide cash flow floor.

Weaknesses

LEVERAGE: Net leverage ratio >5x is a major constraint on capital allocation.
LINEAR: Over-reliance on traditional TV ad revenue facing secular decline.
SCATTER: Vulnerability to soft national scatter advertising market trends.
RATINGS: Core local news ratings face pressure from changing viewer habits.
INTEGRATION: Still realizing full synergies and efficiencies from acquisitions.

Opportunities

CYCLE: Massive 2024/2025 political advertising spend expected to set records.
CTV: Rapid growth of Connected TV ad market is a primary expansion vector.
SPORTS: More sports leagues (NWSL, etc.) seeking broadcast reach over cable.
ATSCS 3.0: NextGen TV standard enables interactive and targeted advertising.
BUNDLING: Opportunity to bundle local news (Scripps News) with networks.

Threats

RECESSION: Economic downturn would severely impact core advertising revenue.
CORD-CUTTING: Continued pay-TV subscriber losses erode retransmission fees.
COMPETITION: Intense competition for ad dollars from digital giants (Google).
DEBT MARKETS: High interest rates make refinancing existing debt more costly.
AI NEWS: AI-generated content could devalue traditional news gathering.

Key Priorities

MAXIMIZE 2025: Fully capitalize on the political ad cycle for cash flow.
ACCELERATE CTV: Drive aggressive growth in CTV revenue to offset linear loss.
MANAGE DEBT: Utilize political windfall and cash flow to pay down debt.
DEFEND LOCAL: Reinforce local news value to protect audience and ad base.

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Ew Scripps OKR

Updated: October 3, 2025 • 2025-Q4 Analysis

The E.W. Scripps OKR plan is a masterclass in focus and strategic alignment. It correctly identifies that the 2025 political cycle is not merely an objective, but the central catalyst for the entire corporate strategy. By framing objectives around maximizing this windfall, accelerating the CTV pivot, and deleveraging the balance sheet, the plan creates a powerful, self-reinforcing flywheel. Each KR is specific, outcome-driven, and directly attacks a critical vulnerability or opportunity identified in the SWOT. This is not a 'business as usual' plan; it is a clear, concise, and ambitious roadmap for transforming the company's financial health and competitive position within 12-18 months. The clarity here is exceptional.

Nexstar Media Group Sinclair Broadcast Group TEGNA Gray Television Fox Corporation

No past cycles

Mission & Vision SWOT Analysis OKR Plan Retrospective AI Strategy Data Acquisition

To create a better-informed world by being the leader in objective journalism and next-generation media.

MAXIMIZE WINDFALL

Dominate the 2025 political cycle to fund our future.

POLITICAL: Secure 25% market share of all political TV ad spending in our 42 overlapping markets.
INVENTORY: Increase addressable ad inventory by 30% through strategic programming and ad tech upgrades.
PRICING: Achieve a 15% rate increase on premium political ad slots compared to the last presidential cycle.
CONVERSION: Launch a dedicated political ad sales dashboard to decrease sales cycle time by 20%.

ACCELERATE DIGITAL

Become a dominant force in the CTV advertising ecosystem.

REVENUE: Grow total CTV advertising revenue by 40% year-over-year, outpacing the market growth rate.
IMPRESSIONS: Increase sellable CTV ad impressions by 50% through expanded distribution and new FAST channels.
DATA: Integrate first-party data from all 61 local station websites to enrich our CTV ad targeting capabilities.
SALES: Train 100% of the local ad sales team to effectively sell integrated linear and CTV campaign packages.

FORTIFY BALANCE SHEET

Aggressively reduce debt to increase strategic flexibility.

LEVERAGE: Reduce net leverage ratio to below 4.5x by Q4 2025 through disciplined debt repayment.
CASH FLOW: Generate over $250 million in free cash flow, driven by political revenue and cost controls.
PAYDOWN: Execute a Q4 2025 debt paydown of at least $150 million using political cycle cash proceeds.
OPEX: Implement AI-driven automation in master control to achieve $5M in annualized operational savings.

DEFEND THE MOAT

Reinforce the value of our essential local journalism.

INVESTIGATIVE: Produce a Peabody-eligible investigative series in at least 10 of our top 20 local markets.
ENGAGEMENT: Increase digital user engagement (time on site) for local news content by 15% via better UX.
EXCLUSIVE: Secure exclusive local sports/community event broadcast rights in 5 new markets by year-end.
BRANDING: Launch a unified “Trust & Transparency” marketing campaign across all 61 Scripps local news brands.

METRICS

Net Leverage Ratio: < 4.5x
Annual Free Cash Flow: > $250M
Total CTV Revenue: > $200M

VALUES

Journalistic Integrity
Stewardship
Entrepreneurship
Community Focus

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Ew Scripps Retrospective

AI-Powered Insights

Claude

Gemini

GPT

The E.W. Scripps Company Q4 2023 Earnings Report & Transcript
Scripps Investor Relations Website (Presentations, SEC Filings)
Public financial data from Yahoo Finance for SSP
Company 'About Us' and 'Leadership' pages
Industry reports on broadcast media and CTV advertising trends

Nexstar Media Group Sinclair Broadcast Group TEGNA Gray Television Fox Corporation

No past cycles

Mission & Vision SWOT Analysis OKR Plan Retrospective AI Strategy Data Acquisition

To create a better-informed world by being the leader in objective journalism and next-generation media.

Toggle Theme

What Went Well

NETWORKS: Scripps Networks segment continues to show revenue and margin growth.
WNBA: Successful launch of WNBA Friday Night Hoops on ION, a strategic win.
POLITICAL: Early 2024 political revenue is pacing ahead of previous cycles.
DEBT: Management remains publicly committed to using free cash for deleveraging.
CTV: Continued double-digit growth in Connected TV revenue streams reported.

Not So Well

LOCAL: Local media core advertising revenue remains soft due to macro weakness.
LEVERAGE: Net leverage remains elevated, a primary concern for investors.
SCATTER: The national scatter ad market has been weaker than anticipated.
CASH FLOW: Free cash flow impacted by lower core ad revenue and higher rates.
GUIDANCE: Forward-looking guidance reflects continued uncertainty in ad markets.

Learnings

DIVERSIFICATION: Scripps Networks provides a crucial buffer against local ad softness.
SPORTS: Live sports are a powerful driver of audience and advertiser demand.
MACRO: Core advertising is highly sensitive to macroeconomic conditions.
POLITICAL: Political revenue is becoming an even more dominant driver of profits.
DIGITAL: The urgency to scale digital revenue has never been higher.

Action Items

EXECUTE: Flawlessly execute the 2024 political sales strategy to maximize revenue.
ACCELERATE: Double down on CTV sales efforts and inventory monetization.
DELEVER: Apply all excess free cash flow directly to debt reduction in H2.
INNOVATE: Continue to experiment with new programming on ION (e.g., sports).
CONTROL: Maintain strict cost discipline across all business segments.

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Organization	SWOT Analysis	OKR Plan	Top 6	Retrospective

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Ew Scripps Market

AI-Powered Insights

Claude

Gemini

GPT

The E.W. Scripps Company Q4 2023 Earnings Report & Transcript
Scripps Investor Relations Website (Presentations, SEC Filings)
Public financial data from Yahoo Finance for SSP
Company 'About Us' and 'Leadership' pages
Industry reports on broadcast media and CTV advertising trends

Founded: 1878 by Edward Willis Scripps
Market Share: Reaches ~25% of U.S. TV households
Customer Base: Local viewers, national advertisers, MVPDs
Category:
Broadcasting, Media
SIC Code: 4833 Television Broadcasting Stations
NAICS Code: 515120 InformationT
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Zip Code: 45202
Congressional District: OH-1 CINCINNATI
Employees: 5600

Competitors

Nexstar Media Group Request Analysis

Sinclair Broadcast Group Request Analysis

TEGNA View Analysis

Gray Television Request Analysis

Fox Corporation Request Analysis

Products & Services

No products or services data available

Distribution Channels

Ew Scripps Business Model Analysis

AI-Powered Insights

Claude

Gemini

GPT

The E.W. Scripps Company Q4 2023 Earnings Report & Transcript
Scripps Investor Relations Website (Presentations, SEC Filings)
Public financial data from Yahoo Finance for SSP
Company 'About Us' and 'Leadership' pages
Industry reports on broadcast media and CTV advertising trends

Problem

Communities need trusted, local information.
Advertisers need to reach engaged audiences.

Solution

High-quality, objective local journalism.
National entertainment networks with broad reach.

Key Metrics

Net Leverage Ratio
Political Advertising Revenue
CTV Revenue Growth
Scripps Networks Audience Ratings

Unique

Portfolio of local news brands + nat'l nets.
Deep expertise in political ad sales cycles.

Advantage

FCC broadcast licenses create a high barrier.
Long-standing trust in local communities.

Channels

OTA Broadcast, Cable/Satellite, CTV Apps
Direct sales force for advertising

Customer Segments

Local/national advertisers
Political campaigns and PACs
Pay-TV distributors (MVPDs)
Local news consumers

Costs

Journalist salaries and newsgathering costs.
Content acquisition for Scripps Networks.
Broadcast transmission and tech infrastructure.
Debt service expenses.

Ew Scripps Product Market Fit Analysis

Updated: October 3, 2025

Scripps creates a better-informed world by delivering trusted, objective journalism to local communities and entertainment to national audiences. This unique combination of local depth and national scale provides unparalleled reach for advertisers to connect with engaged consumers, driving measurable impact and building stronger communities through the power of information and media.

TRUST: Unwavering commitment to objective local journalism that informs and protects communities.

REACH: A powerful combination of local stations and national networks to deliver audiences at scale.

IMPACT: Proven ability to drive results for advertisers, especially in high-stakes political cycles.

Before State

Disconnected from local community events
Unreliable, often biased news sources
Fragmented advertising reach for brands

After State

Informed and engaged in local matters
Access to objective, fact-based journalism
Unified local and national ad campaigns

Negative Impacts

Missed critical local safety information
Erosion of civic trust and engagement
Inefficient ad spend and poor campaign ROI

Positive Outcomes

Safer, more connected local communities
Empowered citizens making informed choices
Increased brand awareness and sales growth

Key Metrics

Customer Retention Rates - N/A (Ad-based)

Net Promoter Score (NPS) - Varies by station

User Growth Rate - CTV impressions grew 30%+ YoY

Customer Feedback/Reviews - N/A

Repeat Purchase Rates) - High for political ads

Requirements

Investment in investigative journalism
Multi-platform content distribution tech
Advanced, data-driven advertising tools

Why Ew Scripps

Hire and retain top local reporting talent
Build seamless CTV and digital app experiences
Leverage first-party data for ad targeting

Ew Scripps Competitive Advantage

Deeply embedded news teams in 40+ markets
Ownership of both local and national assets
Decades of trust built with communities

Proof Points

Peabody and Murrow award-winning journalism
Record $285M political ad revenue in 2022
ION is a top 5-rated broadcast network

Ew Scripps Market Positioning

AI-Powered Insights

Claude

Gemini

GPT

The E.W. Scripps Company Q4 2023 Earnings Report & Transcript
Scripps Investor Relations Website (Presentations, SEC Filings)
Public financial data from Yahoo Finance for SSP
Company 'About Us' and 'Leadership' pages
Industry reports on broadcast media and CTV advertising trends

Strategic pillars derived from our vision-focused SWOT analysis

Dominate local markets with indispensable journalism.

Grow Scripps Networks' audience and ad revenue.

Transition audience and revenue to CTV/digital.

De-lever and optimize free cash flow.

What You Do

Produce and distribute news and entertainment

Target Market

Local communities and national advertisers

Differentiation

Portfolio of national networks (ION, etc.)
Strong local news brands in key markets

Revenue Streams

Advertising (Local, National, Political)
Retransmission consent fees

Ew Scripps Operations and Technology

AI-Powered Insights

Claude

Gemini

GPT

The E.W. Scripps Company Q4 2023 Earnings Report & Transcript
Scripps Investor Relations Website (Presentations, SEC Filings)
Public financial data from Yahoo Finance for SSP
Company 'About Us' and 'Leadership' pages
Industry reports on broadcast media and CTV advertising trends

Company Operations

Organizational Structure: Two primary divisions: Local Media, Scripps Networks
Supply Chain: Content creation, acquisition, and distribution
Tech Patents: Focus on broadcast tech and ad platforms
Website: https://scripps.com/

Top Clients

Board Members

Ew Scripps Competitive Forces

Threat of New Entry

LOW: High capital costs and the scarcity of FCC broadcast licenses make creating a new broadcast television group very difficult.

Supplier Power

MODERATE: Studios and sports leagues have leverage for content costs, but Scripps' scale provides some negotiating power.

Buyer Power

HIGH: Advertisers have many choices, and large pay-TV distributors (Comcast, Charter) exert significant pressure on retransmission fees.

Threat of Substitution

HIGH: Audiences can substitute traditional TV news with social media, news apps, and streaming services, eroding viewership.

Competitive Rivalry

VERY HIGH: Intense rivalry from other station groups (Nexstar, Sinclair) and digital giants (Google, Meta) for ad revenue.

Analysis of AI Strategy

Updated: October 3, 2025 • 2025-Q4 Analysis

The E.W. Scripps AI SWOT analysis underscores a significant opportunity to redefine media operations, but it's fraught with peril. The company's unique and vast archive of proprietary local news content is a world-class, defensible dataset—its single greatest AI strength. This asset can fuel hyper-targeted advertising and unprecedented content automation. However, this potential is constrained by a lack of specialized AI talent and legacy infrastructure. The strategic path forward is not to chase generative AI for news creation, which risks brand erosion, but to apply AI ruthlessly to the business itself: automating workflows, optimizing ad yield, and empowering journalists with data analysis tools. By focusing AI on operational efficiency and monetization, Scripps can fund its core journalistic mission and build a sustainable model for the future. The imperative is to build an ethical framework first, then deploy AI to enhance, not replace, human journalism.

Nexstar Media Group Sinclair Broadcast Group TEGNA Gray Television Fox Corporation

No past cycles

Mission & Vision SWOT Analysis OKR Plan Retrospective AI Strategy Data Acquisition

To create a better-informed world by being the leader in objective journalism and next-generation media.

Strengths

CONTENT: Massive, proprietary archive of 40+ years of local video news.
METADATA: Rich, structured metadata from news scripts and archives for training.
DISTRIBUTION: Existing broadcast and digital platforms to deploy AI tools.
AD TECH: Foundational ad infrastructure to integrate AI-based targeting.
TRUST: Established news brands provide a trusted vessel for AI-aided content.

Weaknesses

TALENT: Shortage of in-house AI/ML engineering and data science expertise.
SILOS: Data may be siloed across 61 stations, hindering unified AI models.
WORKFLOWS: Legacy news production workflows are not optimized for AI.
COMPUTE: Lack of scaled, in-house GPU compute resources for model training.
STRATEGY: No clearly articulated, company-wide AI vision or strategy yet.

Opportunities

AUTOMATION: AI to automate master control, clipping, and content summaries.
HYPER-TARGETING: Use AI to predict audience behavior for ad targeting/yield.
INVESTIGATIVE: AI tools to analyze large datasets for investigative stories.
PERSONALIZATION: Deliver personalized news streams to users in digital apps.
EFFICIENCY: Generative AI for creating initial story drafts and ad copy.

Threats

MISINFORMATION: AI-generated deepfakes and fake news could erode brand trust.
COPYRIGHT: Legal risks of training models on copyrighted material (AP, etc).
COMPETITION: Digital-native competitors could leverage AI more quickly/effectively.
BIAS: Risk of algorithmic bias in news presentation or ad delivery.
DEVALUATION: AI content generation could commoditize the value of journalism.

Key Priorities

EFFICIENCY: Deploy AI for back-office and production automation to cut costs.
MONETIZATION: Integrate predictive AI into ad tech stack to increase CPMs.
CONTENT: Use AI tools to help journalists analyze data, not replace them.
GOVERNANCE: Establish strict ethical guidelines for AI use in newsgathering.

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Ew Scripps Financial Performance

AI-Powered Insights

Claude

Gemini

GPT

The E.W. Scripps Company Q4 2023 Earnings Report & Transcript
Scripps Investor Relations Website (Presentations, SEC Filings)
Public financial data from Yahoo Finance for SSP
Company 'About Us' and 'Leadership' pages
Industry reports on broadcast media and CTV advertising trends

Profit: FY 2023 Net Loss: ($811 Million)

Market Cap: $150-$200 Million (as of early 2024)

Stock Performance

Annual Report: Available on Scripps investor relations website

Debt: Total Debt: ~$3.0 Billion (as of Q4 2023)

ROI Impact: High debt load pressures profitability metrics

SWOT Index

Composite strategic assessment with 10-year outlook

/ 100

Legacy Transformer

ICM Index

STRATEGIC ADVISOR ASSESSMENT

Scripps' high ambition is severely constrained by its balance sheet, creating a significant achievability gap. The SWOT reflects a company with powerful, cyclical upside (political ads) but facing immense secular downside (debt, linear decline). The OKRs are exceptionally well-crafted to use the former to solve the latter. The AI potential is high but unrealized. The low growth multiplier reflects the high risk and defensive nature of its current strategic cycle—success means survival and transformation, not exponential expansion.

SWOT Factors

Upside: 78.7 Risk: 84.0

OKR Impact

AI Leverage

Top 3 Strategic Levers

Deleveraging via political ad revenue.

Accelerating CTV revenue to offset linear decline.

Leveraging proprietary news archive for AI-driven ad tech.

AI Disclosure

This report was created using the Alignment Method—our proprietary process for guiding AI to reveal how it interprets your business and industry. These insights are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial, legal, tax, or investment advice.

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