Appleton to Become Scripps SVP, General Counsel When Company's Separation Is Completed in July

Appleton to Become Scripps SVP, General Counsel When Company's Separation Is Completed in July

CINCINNATI, March 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- William Appleton, a Cincinnati attorney with extensive experience in media, corporate and securities law matters, will become general counsel and a senior vice president of The E. W. Scripps Company (NYSE:SSP) when its proposed separation into two publicly traded companies is completed later this year.

Appleton, 59, has represented Scripps for 30 years as an attorney in private practice and partner with the law firm Baker Hostetler. Appleton will join Scripps on May 1 to assist the company in completing its proposed separation and to help with the transition in leadership within the company's legal department.

The company announced in October 2007 that its board of directors had unanimously authorized management to pursue a separation of Scripps into two publicly traded companies, one focused on national and global brands and the other focused on local media. The separation is expected to be completed by July 1.

Appleton will succeed Anatolio B. Cruz III, who will become chief legal officer, corporate secretary and an executive vice president of Scripps Networks Interactive Inc., the new company that will be created in the separation.

"Bill Appleton has an impressive legal mind and deep experience in the challenges and opportunities facing our evolving media businesses. He's been one of our key legal partners for many years and we're eager to have him join us on the senior management team," said Rich Boehne, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Scripps. Boehne will become president and chief executive officer of The E. W. Scripps Company when the separation is completed.

Appleton began his career with Baker Hostetler in Cleveland in 1978 and moved to the firm's Cincinnati office when it opened in 1997. He currently serves as partner-in-charge of the Cincinnati office.

Appleton is a member of Baker Hostetler's new business, audit letter and legal opinion review committees; is responsible for approving securities law matters taken on by the firm; and is co-chairman of the firm's merger and acquisition transactions practice team.

He is a past member of the board of trustees of the Cincinnati Opera and is a current member of the YWCA's Racial Justice Sub-Committee, which sponsors the annual Heart-to-Heart Breakfast to promote racial justice in Cincinnati.

Appleton is listed in Marquis' Who's Who in America and The Best Lawyers in America. He is recognized as a member of BTI Consulting Group's 2007 "Client Service All-Star Team for Law Firms," a designation shared by only 113 lawyers in the United States. In recent years, Appleton has been named an Ohio "Super Lawyer" by Law & Politics and the publishers of Cincinnati Magazine.

Appleton resides in Cincinnati with his wife, Eve. The couple has two children, Ted and Kathryn.

About Scripps

The E. W. Scripps Company (NYSE:SSP) is a diverse and growing media enterprise with interests in national cable networks, newspaper publishing, broadcast television stations, interactive media, and licensing and syndication.

The company's portfolio of media properties includes: Scripps Networks, with such brands as HGTV, Food Network, DIY Network, Fine Living and Great American Country; daily and community newspapers in 15 markets and the Washington-based Scripps Media Center, home to the Scripps Howard News Service; 10 broadcast TV stations, including six ABC-affiliated stations, three NBC affiliates and one independent; Scripps Interactive Media, including leading online search and comparison shopping services, Shopzilla and uSwitch; and United Media, a leading worldwide licensing and syndication company that is the home of PEANUTS, DILBERT and approximately 150 other features and comics.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: The E. W. Scripps Company

CONTACT: Tim Stautberg, The E. W. Scripps Company, +1-513-977-3826,
stautberg@scripps.com

Web site:

http://www.scripps.com/

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