Scripps Begins to Move Katz Networks to Ion TV Stations

[MA]

https://www.nexttv.com/news/scripps-...on-tv-stations

The E.W. Scripps Co. said it will start moving its Katz digital multicast networks on March 1 to the TV stations it acquired when it bought Ion Media.

Scripps also announced that it is cutting 120 jobs across its corporate and national networks units. The company said it expects to realize $500 million in cost savings over the next six years by combining Ion’s operations with its own.

The Ion Television Network will continue to be broadcast on the primary channel of Scripps’ 48 Ion station, but the company said it will shut down Ion Plus, Qubo and Shop Ion, which had been airing on multicast channels, effective Feb. 28.

One of the reasons Scripps bought Ion Media for $2.65 billion in September was so it could stop paying stations to broadcast the Katz Network, which are Bounce, Court TV, Court TV Mystery, Grit and Laff.

“The distribution expansion of the Scripps multicast networks through ION’s broadcast spectrum is the first major step in our realizing the tremendous synergies of the ION transaction,” said Scripps CEO Adam Symson. “National Networks president Lisa Knutson and her team are working quickly and effectively to uphold Scripps’ commitment to executing our plan. Once again, Scripps is doing what we said we would do.”

Scripps closed its purchase of Ion earlier this month.

[mikey0581]

Does this mean we will see Grit, Bounce or Court Tv on these channels or just disappear? I rather have channels I don't have like This Tv, or like Decades that I have troubles getting sometimes cuz its on a lower frequency channel. I have Grit and the other channels on other stations.

[Charley Knox]

Sounds like their is going to be some major channel shuffling in the near future.

[BigManMike]

This could be great news. It would free up space so hopefully Decades could move to a full power station so I could have it back.

[mikey0581]

Originally Posted by Charley Knox

Sounds like their is going to be some major channel shuffling in the near future.

That's what I'm hoping for and good channels at that. I miss Light Tv already. Had decent shows on there.

[cnnbcbs]

I hope for some decent replacement channels, but probably not.

[RetroTVNitekatt]

Originally Posted by cnnbcbs

I hope for some decent replacement channels, but probably not.

Actually, there are several good channels that have had issues getting decent clearances in several markets because there's not enough channel space. There's also decent channels stuck on low-powered stations because there's no room on the full-powers.

Boston is a good example - Antenna TV, RetroTV and Hartland all returned to the market recently on a piss-poor low-powered station transmitting from a low-powered station that's about 20 miles South of the City (And they just moved their transmitter to get better clearance into the city)

DECADES was dropped several years ago since CBS opted to pull it from their owned stations (WBZ-4) (I still don't understand why they stay partnered in the channel outside of it being an outlet to show stuff from the CBS Television Syndication Library - Viacom,CBS Studios, Paramount, Desilu, Spelling-Woldvision-Republic) MOVIES! was dropped when FOX sold WFXT-25.

What we're going to see is the Scripts channels migrate over to ION stations (owned and the 25 affiliated stations they had to sell to meet FCC guidelines) and the stations in the market losing channels will be scrambling to fill sub-channel space with good available channels.

RetroTV Might FINALLY make a comeback!

[mikey0581]

I would love to get Retro Tv, never ever had that channel.

[zeebre12]

Originally Posted by mikey0581

I would love to get Retro Tv, never ever had that channel.

Wonder will any brand new subchannels launch?

[favoriteshow]

In New York and Philly, Laff airs on the ABC owned station, WABC and WPVI. So Laff moves to the ION station. According to wikipedia entry Laff is already airing on the ION station, so maybe by then, it'd free up space on the ABC affiliate.

Retro TV is already cleared in Philly on WDPN.

Not sure though what WABC would put there though. I kind of doubt it'd be Retro TV. It's really old stuff.

Maybe it should pursue for getTV. I think getTV is still missing from Comcast systems in NY and Philly and other markets and if on the ABC owned affiliate, ABC can pressure Comcast to carry it. It's streaming platform Hulu with Live TV could also begin to air it.

And speaking of streaming, the Scripps/Katz company should try to get Court TV, Laff, Bounce and Grit carried on more streaming platforms. For example, You Tube TV carries Court TV, but doesn't carry Laff, Bounce or Grit. Sling has Grit but not the others. I've seen these channels scattered around but rare to see all four of the big ones carried. And ION isn't carried anywhere on streaming, not that I miss it.

[stevea]

So at some point Scripps bought ION but they sold HGTV et al to Discovery? HGTV is a highly rated cable channel--ION probably doesn't do badly but certainly not as well as HGTV.
I'll never understand big business I guess.

Like others I'd like to see Decades subbed for any one of those other sub-channels, as long as it's one that's already carried by Comcast here.

[mikey0581]

Originally Posted by zeebre12

Wonder will any brand new subchannels launch?

I would be down for new channels, as long as their decent ones.

[favoriteshow]

Originally Posted by stevea

So at some point Scripps bought ION but they sold HGTV et al to Discovery? HGTV is a highly rated cable channel--ION probably doesn't do badly but certainly not as well as HGTV.
I'll never understand big business I guess.

Like others I'd like to see Decades subbed for any one of those other sub-channels, as long as it's one that's already carried by Comcast here.

Apparently, back in 2008, EW Scripps spun off its cable properties into Scripps Network Interactive. So the companies were then independent but the spun off company still had Scripps in its name.

Discovery acquired the cable division Scripps Network Interactive in 2018.

Another spinoff was the AMC Networks (AMC, IFC, We TV, Sundance TV), originally tied to a cable company. At one time there was a channel called Romance Classics, but its roots were from Rainbow Media which was a subsidiary of Cablevision, a cable system in the greater NYC area. Now Cablevision was bought and is known as Altice USA.

[eng51squad51]

Originally Posted by favoriteshow

Apparently, back in 2008, EW Scripps spun off its cable properties into Scripps Network Interactive. So the companies were then independent but the spun off company still had Scripps in its name.

Discovery acquired the cable division Scripps Network Interactive in 2018.

Another spinoff was the AMC Networks (AMC, IFC, We TV, Sundance TV), originally tied to a cable company. At one time there was a channel called Romance Classics, but its roots were from Rainbow Media which was a subsidiary of Cablevision, a cable system in the greater NYC area. Now Cablevision was bought and is known as Altice USA.

Sundace TV used to be a Pay TV channel part of Showtime network until AMC network Purchase it and turn it into a Basic channel like rest of AMC Networks and started showing classic tv shows such as Andy Griffith show , Gomer Pyle and Hogan Heroes

[icecream]

Sundance is not a "basic" channel like the other AMC networks. My cable package has AMC, BBC America, and WE, but it does not have Sundance. I wish it did.