The E. W. Scripps Company says it will re-brand its free-to-air general news channel Newsy as Scripps News as part of a broader restructuring of its national news department.
The change will take place January 1, with Scripps News replacing Newsy’s free streaming video feed as well as its over-the-air broadcast signal carried on Scripps- and Ion-owned local stations across the country.
Kate O’Brian, a Scripps executive in charge of network news, will take the new title of Executive Vice President of the Scripps News division. She will continue to oversee Court TV, Scripps’ law and legal affairs channel, and will report to Scripps Chief Executive Officer Adam Symson.
“In the creation of Scripps News, we are leveraging the company’s collective resources and building upon the equity of the Scripps name and stellar reputation for journalism,” Symson said in a statement. “The American people need greater access to free, quality local and national journalism produced by a company committed to fact-based news and information.”
The re-brand of Newsy to Scripps News will create more synergy between the news channel, Scripps news bureaus and more than 60 local broadcast stations owned by the company. The Scripps Washington bureau will continue to produce political and investigative journalism that will air on its national news channel and local stations. Meanwhile, local reporters will contribute to Scripps News, while Scripps News will produce packages that are available to air during local news broadcasts.
“Since the company’s inception more than 140 years ago, we have served audiences with the highest ethics and standards of independent journalism,” Symson said. “The rebrand, merger of resources and reorganization reflects our company’s longstanding commitment and belief that journalism is central to our mission.”
Newsy was acquired by Scripps in 2014 for $35 million. The brand operated an aggregate channel that was free to stream on platforms like Pluto TV and Xumo, while also offering a pay television feed that contained live reports and original programs distributed through YouTube TV, Sling TV and Philo.
Early last year, Scripps said it would stop offering the pay television version of Newsy as it transitioned the network into a free broadcast channel. The transition was completed on October 1, with the free online stream simulcasting Newsy’s broadcast network.
Newsy’s free stream is carried on Paramount Global’s Pluto TV, Fox Corporation’s Tubi, Comcast’s Xumo, Redbox TV, Amazon’s Freevee and on the subscription-free version of Sling TV. Scripps News is expected to be available on those platforms when the channel launches next January.
