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Executives at Law&Crime Network say they plan to maintain Court TV as a linear television network and a distinct brand, pushing back on assertions from current and former employees that the channel’s days are numbered.
The affirmation came hours after The Desk published a story Tuesday evening that cited anonymous employees at Court TV who received layoff notices by the E. W. Scripps Company and were told that Court TV’s television channel was shutting down in mid-March.
Two workers said managers at Scripps warned that Court TV would transition to a digital-only brand on March 11, with the linear TV network shutting down around 10 p.m. Eastern Time. The workers, who received layoff notices this week, asked to remain anonymous because of non-disclosure agreements they signed in order to remain at the channel while the business was being transferred from Scripps to Jellysmack, the parent of Law&Crime Network.
A spokesperson at Scripps declined to comment on the layoffs or the shutting down of Court TV, referring inquiries to Law&Crime Network and Jellysmack.
Hours after the story was published, Law&Crime founder Dan Abrams said the channel was not shutting down and would continue to offer live trial coverage and legal reports once the acquisition was completed.
Rachel Stockman, the President of Law&Crime, reiterated the same in a phone call with The Desk on Wednesday, adding that the mid-March wind-down communicated to Scripps employees was the date that the linear network is handed off from its current Atlanta studios to its new home in New York City.
Some Court TV employees will join Law&Crime once the hand-off is complete, Stockman said, adding that the network is still working out its long-term schedule. She affirmed Law&Crime will continue to distribute Court TV on broadcast stations through a long-term agreement with Scripps and that it will offer the linear network to more than 200 distribution partners, including free streaming platforms.
The surprise sale of Court TV on Monday came amid a broader effort at Scripps to part with certain media-related assets deemed non-essential to the company’s long-term success as the broadcaster works to pay down billions of dollars in debt associated with its acquisition of Katz Broadcasting and Ion Television.
“This move is consistent with the way Scripps has operated for nearly a century and a half: We identify where consumer behavior is headed, build and grow businesses that meet those evolving interests and make strategic decisions about how we unlock their greatest value – whether in our portfolio or through exits that strengthen our balance sheet and position us for the future,” Adam Symson, the CEO of Scripps, said on Monday.
