Scripps is seeing high growth profits in its new media properties while its traditional profit market, its newspaper division is sluggish.
New media growth is on the rise at record paces as more and more advertisers are heading online instead of towards traditional print. The profit margins for producing content online are much higher than having a traditional print division.
More and more I think traditional print companies will be shedding there print divisions this year and heading more towards an online approach.
Media company E.W. Scripps Co., increasingly focusing on its growing cable television and Internet-based businesses, is taking a hard look at the future of its sluggish newspaper operations.
Scripps management told analysts at a conference in Las Vegas this week that the company is considering options for its newspaper division and didn’t rule out a sale or spinoff. That news drove Scripps’ stock to a new 52-week high with analysts saying investors would respond well to some type of separation of the newspaper division from the company’s higher-growth assets.
Scripps owns daily and community newspapers in 18 markets, but its highest growth is in Scripps Networks – including HGTV, Food Network, DIY Network, Fine Living and Great American Country – and Scripps Interactive Media – including online search and comparison shopping services Shopzilla and uSwitch.
Source: Centre Daily
Originally posted on January 13, 2007 @ 2:29 pm