News Release

Scripps February Revenues Increase 12 Percent

CINCINNATI, March 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The E.W. Scripps Company's consolidated revenues increased 12 percent in February to $132 million, compared to $118 million in February 1999.

Newspaper advertising revenues increased 8.7 percent to $57.1 million. Classified advertising revenues increased 11 percent to $23.4 million. Local advertising revenues increased 2.6 percent to $22.1 million. Total newspaper revenues were up 6.4 percent to $74.7 million.

Broadcast television revenues increased 5.6 percent to $23.3 million.

Category television revenues increased 59 percent to $23.5 million. The number of subscribers at Home & Garden Television reached 60.1 million in February, up 400,000 from the previous month, according to the Nielsen Homevideo Index. Home & Garden Television now reaches more than 75 percent of all domestic cable households. The number of Food Network subscribers reached 45.6 million in February, up 500,000 from the previous month, according to the Nielsen index.

The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE: SSP) operates 19 daily newspapers; 10 broadcast television stations; three TV networks, Home & Garden Television, the Food Network and Do It Yourself; and a TV programmer, Scripps Productions. The company also operates United Media, a worldwide syndicator and licensor of news features and comics; the Scripps Howard News Service; and publishes independent Yellow Pages directories. Scripps operates 31 revenue-producing Web sites, including hgtv.com, foodtv.com, diynet.com and comics.com.

                           THE E.W. SCRIPPS COMPANY
                  Unaudited Revenue and Statistical Summary
                               Period: February
                          Report date: March 9, 2000

                               February ****               Year-to-date
                         2000     1999        %      2000      1999        %
    CONSOLIDATED REVENUE
    Newspapers          $74.7    $70.2    6.4 %    $149.9    $144.5    3.7 %
    Broadcast
      Television         23.3     22.1    5.6 %      47.7      45.0    6.1 %
    Category
      Television         23.5     14.8   58.5 %      45.4      29.4   54.2 %
    Licensing and
      Other Media        10.5     10.6   (1.7)%      18.6      19.0   (2.0)%

    TOTAL              $131.9   $117.7   12.1 %    $261.6    $237.9     9.9 %


    NEWSPAPERS ***
      Revenue ( in millions )
      Local           $  22.1  $  21.5    2.6 %   $  43.8   $  43.8    (0.1)%
      Classified         23.4     21.0   11.3 %      48.3      44.1     9.5 %
      National            2.8      2.6   10.2 %       5.6       5.2     7.1 %
      Preprints and other 8.8      7.4   18.4 %      17.5      15.3    14.7 %
      Newspaper
        advertising      57.1     52.5    8.7 %     115.2     108.4     6.3 %
      Circulation        12.5     13.0   (4.3)%      25.6      26.8    (4.8)%
      Other *             5.1      4.6   10.4 %       9.1       9.3    (1.4)%

      Newspapers      $  74.7  $  70.2    6.4 %  $  149.9  $  144.5     3.7 %

      Ad inches (in thousands)
      Local               806      777    3.7 %     1,609     1,608     0.1 %
      Classified          932      851    9.5 %     1,897     1,747     8.6 %
      National             77       63   22.4 %       154       126    23.0 %
      Full run ROP      1,814    1,690    7.3 %     3,660     3,481     5.2 %

    BROADCAST TELEVISION
      Revenue
      Local             $12.3    $12.3    0.0 %     $26.0     $25.1     3.5 %
      National            9.1      8.3    9.5 %      18.4      16.5    11.0 %
      Political           0.8      0.1                1.2       0.2
      Other               1.1      1.3  (17.0)%       2.1       3.1   (32.6)%

    Broadcast
      Television        $23.3    $22.1    5.6 %     $47.7     $45.0     6.1 %

    CATEGORY TELEVISION
      Revenue
      Advertising     $  18.3  $  10.4   75.2 %   $  35.2   $  20.0    75.8 %
      Affiliate fees      4.8      3.9   23.0 %       9.3       7.9    17.8 %
      Other               0.4      0.5  (16.1)%       0.9       1.5   (42.1)%

    Category
      Television      $  23.5 $  14.8   58.5 %   $  45.4   $  29.4    54.2 %

    Subscribers **( homes in millions )
    HGTV                                             60.1      51.3    17.2 %
    Food Network                                     45.6      38.5    18.4 %

  • Includes share of profits of JOA newspapers not managed by the Company and commercial printing.

** According to Nielsen Homevideo Index of homes that receive cable networks.

*** For comparative purposes, certain 1999 amounts have been reclassified to conform to 2000 classifications.

****February 2000 had 5 Tuesdays, versus 4 in 1999. SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company

CONTACT: Tim Stautberg of The E.W. Scripps Company, 513-977-3827, or stautberg@scripps.com/