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Segment Information
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2025
Segment Reporting [Abstract]  
Segment Information Segment Information
We determine our operating segments based upon our management and internal reporting structure, as well as the basis that our chief operating decision maker makes resource-allocation decisions.
Our Local Media segment includes more than 60 local television stations and their related digital operations. It is comprised of 18 ABC affiliates, 11 NBC affiliates, nine CBS affiliates and four FOX affiliates. We also have 11 independent stations and 10 additional low power stations. Our Local Media segment earns revenue primarily from the sale of advertising to local, national and political advertisers and retransmission fees received from cable operators, telecommunications companies, satellite carriers and over-the-top virtual MVPDs.

Our Scripps Networks segment includes national news outlets Scripps News and Court TV as well as popular entertainment brands ION, Bounce, Grit, ION Mystery, ION Plus and Laff. The Scripps Networks reach nearly every U.S. television home through free over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite, connected TV and/or digital distribution. These operations earn revenue primarily through the sale of advertising.
Our segment results reflect the impact of intercompany carriage agreements between our local broadcast television stations and our national networks. The intercompany carriage fee revenue earned by our local broadcast television stations is equal to the carriage fee expense incurred by our national networks. We also allocate a portion of certain corporate costs and expenses, including accounting, human resources, employee benefit and information technology to our segments. These intercompany agreements and allocations are generally amounts agreed upon by management, which may differ from an arms-length amount.
The other segment caption aggregates our operating segments that are too small to report separately. Costs for centrally provided services and certain corporate costs that are not allocated to the segments are included in shared services and corporate costs. These unallocated corporate costs would also include the costs associated with being a public company. Corporate assets are primarily cash and cash equivalents, property and equipment primarily used for corporate purposes and deferred income taxes.

Our President and Chief Executive Officer is the Company's chief operating decision maker. He evaluates the monthly operating performance of our segments, including budget-to-actual variances, and makes decisions about the allocation of resources to our segments using a measure called segment profit. Segment profit excludes interest, defined benefit pension plan amounts, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, impairment charges, divested operating units, restructuring activities, investment results and certain other items that are included in net income (loss) determined in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Information regarding our segments is as follows:
Three Months Ended September 30, 2025
(in thousands)Local Media Scripps NetworksTotal
Revenues from external customers$320,636 $200,956 $521,592 
Intersegment revenues4,820 — 4,820 
Reportable segments revenues325,456 200,956 526,412 
Other revenues(a)
4,262 
Intersegment eliminations(4,820)
Total consolidated operating revenues$525,854 
Less:(b)
Employee compensation and benefits105,115 22,120 
Programming(c)
124,659 86,858 
    Other segment items(d)
42,881 38,679 
Segment profit for reportable segments52,801 53,299 $106,100 
Other segment profit (loss)(a)
(7,598)
Shared services and corporate(21,387)
Restructuring costs(2,718)
Depreciation and amortization of intangible assets(37,208)
Gains (losses), net on disposal of property and equipment434 
Interest expense(59,219)
Loss on extinguishment of debt(7,622)
Other financing transaction costs(6,466)
Defined benefit pension plan income (expense)(338)
Miscellaneous, net(1,165)
Income (loss) from operations before income taxes$(37,187)
(a) Reflects revenues and profit (loss) from operating segments below the reportable quantitative thresholds. These operating segments include our Tablo business, the Scripps National Spelling Bee and operational aspects of the Scripps News and Scripps Sports business units. None of these operating segments have ever met any of the quantitative thresholds for determining reportable segments.
(b) The significant expense categories and amounts align with the segment-level information that is regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker.
(c) Programming includes the cost of national television network programming, carriage agreements with local television broadcasters, programming produced by us or for us by independent production companies, rights acquired under multi-year sports programming agreements and programs licensed under agreements with independent producers.
(d) Other segment items for each reportable segment includes marketing and advertising expenses, research costs, certain occupancy costs and other administrative costs.
Three Months Ended September 30, 2024
(in thousands)Local Media Scripps NetworksTotal
Revenues from external customers$440,785 $201,672 $642,457 
Intersegment revenues4,768 — 4,768 
Reportable segments revenues445,553 201,672 647,225 
Other revenues(a)
3,843 
Intersegment eliminations(4,768)
Total consolidated operating revenues$646,300 
Less:(b)
Employee compensation and benefits111,767 31,364 
Programming(c)
124,747 87,693 
    Other segment items(d)
48,354 40,554 
Segment profit for reportable segments160,685 42,061 $202,746 
Other segment profit (loss)(a)
(7,744)
Shared services and corporate(20,969)
Restructuring costs(12,665)
Depreciation and amortization of intangible assets(38,861)
Gains (losses), net on disposal of property and equipment(727)
Interest expense(54,442)
Defined benefit pension plan income (expense)152 
Miscellaneous, net447 
Income (loss) from operations before income taxes$67,937 
(a) Reflects revenues and profit (loss) from operating segments below the reportable quantitative thresholds. These operating segments include our Tablo business, the Scripps National Spelling Bee and operational aspects of the Scripps News and Scripps Sports business units. None of these operating segments have ever met any of the quantitative thresholds for determining reportable segments.
(b) The significant expense categories and amounts align with the segment-level information that is regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker.
(c) Programming includes the cost of national television network programming, carriage agreements with local television broadcasters, programming produced by us or for us by independent production companies, rights acquired under multi-year sports programming agreements and programs licensed under agreements with independent producers.
(d) Other segment items for each reportable segment includes marketing and advertising expenses, research costs, certain occupancy costs and other administrative costs.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025
(in thousands)Local Media Scripps NetworksTotal
Revenues from external customers$971,414 $604,728 $1,576,142 
Intersegment revenues14,197 — 14,197 
Reportable segments revenues985,611 604,728 1,590,339 
Other revenues(a)
14,185 
Intersegment eliminations(14,197)
Total consolidated operating revenues$1,590,327 
Less:(b)
Employee compensation and benefits314,599 64,949 
Programming(c)
393,509 252,105 
    Other segment items(d)
133,962 114,334 
Segment profit for reportable segments143,541 173,340 $316,881 
Other segment profit (loss)(a)
(20,982)
Shared services and corporate(65,778)
Restructuring costs(7,475)
Depreciation and amortization of intangible assets(112,866)
Gains (losses), net on disposal of property and equipment31,922 
Interest expense(161,622)
Loss on extinguishment of debt(10,594)
Other financing transaction costs(44,537)
Defined benefit pension plan income (expense)(1,013)
Miscellaneous, net(2,692)
Income (loss) from operations before income taxes$(78,756)
(a) Reflects revenues and profit (loss) from operating segments below the reportable quantitative thresholds. These operating segments include our Tablo business, the Scripps National Spelling Bee and operational aspects of the Scripps News and Scripps Sports business units. None of these operating segments have ever met any of the quantitative thresholds for determining reportable segments.
(b) The significant expense categories and amounts align with the segment-level information that is regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker.
(c) Programming includes the cost of national television network programming, carriage agreements with local television broadcasters, programming produced by us or for us by independent production companies, rights acquired under multi-year sports programming agreements and programs licensed under agreements with independent producers.
(d) Other segment items for each reportable segment includes marketing and advertising expenses, research costs, certain occupancy costs and other administrative costs.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024
(in thousands)Local Media Scripps NetworksTotal
Revenues from external customers$1,149,021 $619,670 $1,768,691 
Intersegment revenues14,294 — 14,294 
Reportable segments revenues1,163,315 619,670 1,782,985 
Other revenues(a)
12,702 
Intersegment eliminations(14,294)
Total consolidated operating revenues$1,781,393 
Less:(b)
Employee compensation and benefits324,062 91,126 
Programming(c)
378,603 275,329 
    Other segment items(d)
146,279 123,753 
Segment profit for reportable segments314,371 129,462 $443,833 
Other segment profit (loss)(a)
(23,377)
Shared services and corporate(64,195)
Restructuring costs(18,653)
Depreciation and amortization of intangible assets(116,017)
Gains (losses), net on disposal of property and equipment(717)
Interest expense(161,482)
Defined benefit pension plan income (expense)506 
Miscellaneous, net16,849 
Income (loss) from operations before income taxes$76,747 
(a) Reflects revenues and profit (loss) from operating segments below the reportable quantitative thresholds. These operating segments include our Tablo business, the Scripps National Spelling Bee and operational aspects of the Scripps News and Scripps Sports business units. None of these operating segments have ever met any of the quantitative thresholds for determining reportable segments.
(b) The significant expense categories and amounts align with the segment-level information that is regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker.
(c) Programming includes the cost of national television network programming, carriage agreements with local television broadcasters, programming produced by us or for us by independent production companies, rights acquired under multi-year sports programming agreements and programs licensed under agreements with independent producers.
(d) Other segment items for each reportable segment includes marketing and advertising expenses, research costs, certain occupancy costs and other administrative costs.
Other segment disclosures are as follows:
Three Months Ended 
September 30,		Nine Months Ended 
September 30,
(in thousands)2025202420252024
Depreciation:
Local Media$9,290 $10,842 $28,211 $31,028 
Scripps Networks4,971 4,698 14,767 14,242 
Total depreciation for reportable segments14,261 15,540 42,978 45,270 
Other53 56 151 186 
Shared services and corporate366 215 1,098 625 
Total depreciation$14,680 $15,811 $44,227 $46,081 
Amortization of intangible assets:
Local Media$8,075 $8,550 $24,756 $26,211 
Scripps Networks12,977 12,838 38,930 38,791 
Total amortization of intangible assets for reportable segments21,052 21,388 63,686 65,002 
Other171 450 692 1,346 
Shared services and corporate1,305 1,212 4,261 3,588 
Total amortization of intangible assets$22,528 $23,050 $68,639 $69,936 
Additions to property and equipment:
Local Media$12,746 $7,474 $24,917 $40,878 
Scripps Networks2,017 4,393 3,938 10,847 
Total additions to property and equipment for reportable segments14,763 11,867 28,855 51,725 
Other— 175 — 902 
Shared services and corporate305 1,409 709 1,870 
Total additions to property and equipment$15,068 $13,451 $29,564 $54,497 

A disaggregation of the principal activities from which we generate revenue is as follows:
Three Months Ended 
September 30,		Nine Months Ended 
September 30,
(in thousands)2025202420252024
Operating revenues:
Core advertising$323,436 $315,849 $978,450 $986,141 
Political5,549 131,403 11,915 176,850 
Distribution188,267 191,772 572,595 593,931 
Other8,602 7,276 27,367 24,471 
Total operating revenues$525,854 $646,300 $1,590,327 $1,781,393 
Total assets by segment were as follows :
(in thousands)As of 
September 30, 
2025		As of 
December 31, 
2024
Assets:
Local Media$2,293,883 $2,323,964 
Scripps Networks2,618,654 2,753,971 
Total assets by reportable segments4,912,537 5,077,935 
Other(a)
32,268 34,800 
Shared services and corporate144,783 85,840 
Total assets$5,089,588 $5,198,575 
(a) Reflects assets of operating segments below the reportable quantitative thresholds. These operating segments include our Tablo business, the Scripps National Spelling Bee and operational aspects of the Scripps News and Scripps Sports business units.