The E. W. Scripps Company has promoted Matt Simon to the role of Vice President of Scripps News, the organization said on Thursday.
Simon has worked at Scripps News as a deputy managing editor and senior executive producer, where he is responsible for the production of content that airs on the streaming news channel and in syndication on some local Scripps-owned broadcast stations.
His promotion comes at a time when Scripps News is evolving the product in a way that will see the end of its over-the-air simulcast on Scripps-owned stations in favor of exclusive distribution on free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) platforms. As part of that transformation, Scripps says its national news product will synergize more with the 60-plus local TV stations that produce regional stories.
In his new role, Simon will build on that synergy and ensure that the national Scripps News team and the local newsrooms are working efficiently and collaboratively. He will report to Dean Littleton, the Senior Vice President of Local Media.
“Matt has been a key member of the Scripps News leadership team over the last six years, overseeing several award-winning productions, reimagining prime-time programming and leading joint reporting initiatives between our national and local teams,” Littleton said on Thursday. “I look forward to working alongside Matt to deepen the integration between Scripps News and Local Media.”
In a statement of his own, Simon acknowledged that Scripps News is going through a turbulent moment that has seen a number of layoffs and the impending departure of Scripps President of News Kate O’Brian.
“We are in the process of saying goodbye to hundreds of colleagues across the company as we reboot, refresh and reinvent what we are doing — and how we are doing it,” Simon wrote on social media. “Yes, there is opportunity to seize right now. And as exciting as that is, the process to get there is proving to be painful.”
But, he expressed that Scripps News is still destined for greatness, and that the brand’s commitment to original, facts-first and impactful journalism remains unchanged.
“The team that will be here after November 15 should be larger,” Simon wrote, referencing the day that Scripps will end the over-the-air simulcast of Scripps News. “My extremely talented colleagues who will still be here should have even more of our hard-working, smart, and dedicated peers with them. But I know they are up to the task and the legacy of what we have built together will live on.”
Simon affirmed that Scripps News will continue providing real-time and enterprise-level reporting long after mid-November, which will also include its award-winning brand of investigative reporting.
“Our linear production will continue with broad distribution across our streaming platforms,” Simon said. “Our integration with Scripps local stations will deepen as we ramp up our collaboration. That’s not a branding line — it is a real commitment.”
