News Release

CINCINNATI, Oct 8, 2003 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE: SSP) is launching Democracy 2004, a public discourse initiative that will make free airtime available to political candidates on the nine network-affiliated television stations operated by the company.

The Scripps stations will provide five minutes of free airtime to candidates nightly between 5 p.m. and 11:35 p.m. in the 30 days preceding the general elections in 2004. The stations also will provide free airtime as needed during the 30 days preceding primary elections. The Scripps television station group successfully implemented a similar free airtime policy during the national elections in 2000 and 2002.

"Democracy 2004 was developed in support of our responsibility as journalists and broadcasters to promote public discourse and a strong democracy," said John Lansing, senior vice president/television for Scripps. "This effort by the Scripps broadcast television station group will concentrate on bringing individual citizens and groups of citizens into an active dialogue with candidates."

    Here are the key elements of Democracy 2004:

     - Scripps stations will provide a minimum of five minutes of free airtime
       to candidates daily between 5 p.m. and 11:35 p.m. in the 30 days
       preceding the general elections.  The stations will also provide free
       airtime as needed during the 30 days preceding primary elections. The
       free airtime will be offered to candidates in a variety of formats
       including debates, extended interviews, issue statements or responses
       to citizens' inquiries.

     - Internet sites operated by Scripps television stations will feature
       election-related content labeled, "Democracy 2004," that will include
       candidate positions on issues, voter registration information,
       information on the offices being sought and descriptions of political
       jurisdictional boundaries. Links to candidate Web sites will be
       included when available.

     - "Get out the vote" public service announcements will be given priority
       clearance in each station's public service inventory during the 30-day
       period prior to a primary and general election.

     - Scripps stations will concentrate editorially on exploring key local
       issues during each of the 30 days leading up to the general election.
       News coverage will be developed through an interactive process with
       local citizens and citizen groups.

     - Each Scripps station will concentrate on reviewing the context and
       accuracy of political advertisements.

     - Scripps stations will pursue special programming such as town meetings
       and debates during the 30 days leading up to the general election.

Making free airtime available to political candidates was one of the primary recommendations made in 2000 by the President's Advisory Committee on the Public Interest Obligations of Digital Television Broadcasters.

The Scripps television stations are concentrated in the top 50 U.S. markets and reach about 10 percent of the nation's television households. Participating in Democracy 2004 are the company's six ABC-affiliated stations, WXYZ, Detroit; WCPO, Cincinnati; WEWS, Cleveland; WFTS, Tampa, Fla.; WMAR, Baltimore; and KNXV, Phoenix. Also participating are the company's three NBC- affiliated stations, WPTV, West Palm Beach, Fla.; KSHB, Kansas City, Mo.; and KJRH, Tulsa, Okla.

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 44 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.

SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company

Mark Kroeger of The E.W. Scripps Company, +1-513-977-3827, or
email, mwkroeger@scripps.com

http://www.scripps.com