News Release

CINCINNATI, Sep 12, 2003 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- The E. W. Scripps Company's (NYSE: SSP) consolidated revenues for August increased 8.8 percent year-over- year to $149 million. The company is reporting its August revenue comparisons as if it had owned the Shop At Home Network since January 2002. Excluding Shop At Home, consolidated August revenues were up 9.4 percent, year-over-year.

Revenues from the company's fastest growing division, Scripps Networks, were up 22 percent to $39.9 million. Advertising revenues during the month at Scripps Networks were up 25 percent and affiliate fee revenues increased 9.2 percent. Scripps Networks includes the company's portfolio of national cable and satellite television networks -- Home & Garden Television, Food Network, Fine Living and DIY -- Do It Yourself Network.

HGTV was available in about 82 million television households during August and Food Network reached about 81 million households. DIY can be seen in about 22 million households and Fine Living reaches about 19 million homes.

August revenues at the company's newspapers were up 7.0 percent year-over- year to $59.0 million. Newspaper revenues and the company's share of operating profits from its joint newspaper operations were favorably affected by having 5 Sundays in August 2003 versus 4 Sundays in 2002. Newspaper advertising revenues for the month, broken down by category, were:

     - Local, about even at $13.4 million.
     - Classified, up 7.3 percent to $18.8 million.
     - National, up 22 percent to $3.4 million.
     - Preprints and other, up 15 percent to $10.9 million.

The company's share of profits from its four joint newspaper operations, before editorial costs, was up 18 percent to $6.9 million.

At the company's 10 broadcast television stations, revenues for the month were $23.7 million, down 1.1 percent from August 2002. Broadcast television revenues were negatively affected by the relative absence of political advertising this year versus last and the loss of revenue tied to the power blackout in Detroit and Cleveland during the month. Political advertising for August was about $300,000 compared to $1.6 million for the month in 2002. Local television advertising in August was up 6.4 percent to $14.6 million and national advertising was down 1.0 percent to $7.7 million.

August revenues at the Shop At Home Network increased 4.0 percent to $18.0 million on an apples-to-apples basis as if the company had owned the network since January 2002. Shop At Home was available in an average 44.7 million full-time equivalent homes during the month, down 1.8 percent from August 2002. The year-over-year decline in distribution is consistent with the company's announced strategy of pruning low-yielding households.

Celebrating its 125th anniversary, The E.W. Scripps Company is a diverse media concern with interests in newspaper publishing, broadcast television, national television networks, interactive media and television-retailing. Scripps operates 21 daily newspapers, 10 broadcast TV stations, four cable and satellite television programming services and a home shopping network. All of the company's media businesses provide content and advertising services via the Internet.

Scripps Networks brands include Home & Garden Television, Food Network, DIY -- Do It Yourself Network and Fine Living. Home & Garden and Food Network each can be seen in about 80 million U.S. television households. Scripps Networks Web sites include FoodNetwork.com , hgtv.com , DIYnetwork.com and fineliving.com . Scripps Networks programming can be seen in 33 countries.

The company's home shopping subsidiary, Shop At Home Network, markets a growing range of consumer goods directly to television viewers and visitors to the Shop At Home Web site, shopathometv.com . Shop At Home reaches about 45 million full-time equivalent U.S. households.

Scripps also operates Scripps Howard News Service and United Media, which is the worldwide licensing and syndication home of PEANUTS and DILBERT.

        THE E.W. SCRIPPS COMPANY               For more information:
        Unaudited Revenue and Statistical
        Summary                                Tim Stautberg
        Period: August                         The E.W. Scripps Company
        Report date: September 12, 2003        513-977-3826

    For comparative purposes, this report excludes divested operations and
     unusual items, and includes acquired operations as if they had been
                          purchased January 1, 2002.

    (amounts in millions,
     unless otherwise             August (e)              Year-to-date
     noted)                2003     2002     %        2003     2002     %

    SEGMENT OPERATING
     REVENUES
    Newspapers            $59.0    $55.1    7.0%    $456.2   $445.5    2.4%
    Scripps Networks       39.9     32.8   21.5%     337.4    262.8   28.4%
    Broadcast Television   23.7     24.0  (1.1)%     194.1    187.4    3.6%
    Shop At Home (a)       18.0     17.3    4.0%     152.3    136.5   11.5%
    Licensing and
     Other Media            8.4      7.7    8.8%      69.1     60.5   14.2%

    TOTAL                $149.0   $137.0    8.8%  $1,209.1 $1,092.7   10.7%

    NEWSPAPERS (b)
      Operating Revenues
      Local               $13.4    $13.5  (0.1)%    $108.5   $111.2  (2.5)%
      Classified           18.8     17.5    7.3%     142.6    140.6    1.4%
      National              3.4      2.8   22.0%      25.2     21.7   16.1%
      Preprints and
       other               10.9      9.5   15.1%      79.9     72.2   10.6%
      Newspaper
       advertising         46.5     43.2    7.6%     356.2    345.8    3.0%
      Circulation          11.4     11.1    3.0%      91.2     91.8  (0.6)%
      Other                 1.1      0.9   27.6%       8.8      7.9   10.5%

      Newspapers          $59.0    $55.1    7.0%    $456.2   $445.5    2.4%

      Ad inches
       (excluding JOAs)
       (in thousands)
      Local                 577      611  (5.5)%     4,721    4,937  (4.4)%
      Classified            945      874    8.1%     7,083    6,845    3.5%
      National              104       87   19.1%       860      729   17.9%
      Full run ROP        1,627    1,572    3.4%    12,664   12,512    1.2%

      Share of JOA
       operating
       profits (c)         $6.9     $5.8   17.8%     $48.4    $46.2    4.8%

    SCRIPPS NETWORKS
      Operating Revenues
      Advertising         $31.6    $25.3   24.9%    $272.3   $207.1   31.4%
      Affiliate fees, net   7.8      7.1    9.2%      61.2     52.3   17.1%
      Other                 0.5      0.4   23.1%       4.0      3.4   18.2%

      Scripps Networks    $39.9    $32.8   21.5%    $337.4   $262.8   28.4%

      Subscribers (d)
      HGTV                                            82.4     79.5    3.6%
      Food Network                                    80.9     76.3    6.0%

    BROADCAST TELEVISION
      Operating Revenues
      Local               $14.6    $13.7    6.4%    $119.1   $111.4    6.9%
      National              7.7      7.8  (1.0)%      63.1     62.2    1.5%
      Network compensation  0.7      0.6   21.4%       6.0      5.1   17.1%
      Political             0.3      1.6               1.5      4.4
      Other                 0.4      0.3   30.6%       4.3      4.2    2.6%

      Broadcast
       Television         $23.7    $24.0  (1.1)%    $194.1   $187.4    3.6%

    SHOP AT HOME (a)
      Operating Revenues
      As reported         $18.0                     $152.3
      Pro forma            18.0    $17.3    4.0%     152.3   $136.5   11.6%

      Avg. full-time
       equivalent homes    44.7     45.5  (1.8)%      47.0     40.1   17.2%

     (a) Shop At Home was acquired October 31, 2002.

     (b) For comparative purposes, certain 2002 newspaper revenues have been
         reclassified to conform to 2003 classifications.

     (c) Excludes editorial costs.

     (d) Subscriber counts are according to the Nielsen Homevideo Index of
         homes that receive cable networks.

     (e) August 2003 had 5 Sundays, versus 4 in 2002.

SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company

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

http://www.scripps.com