Scripps eliminates 431 jobs in latest round of nationwide television station layoffs

The E.W. Scripps Company eliminated 431 positions nationwide on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, in another round of sweeping layoffs affecting its local television stations as the broadcaster continues restructuring its news operations around digital platforms, streaming and automation.

The cuts, confirmed by the Cincinnati-based broadcaster, affect newsroom, production, engineering and technical employees at stations across the country.

Scripps also announced plans to create more than 100 new positions, including reporting and community engagement roles, as part of what executives describe as a companywide transformation.

In a memo to employees, Scripps president and CEO Adam Symson acknowledged the impact of eliminating existing positions while simultaneously creating new ones.

“I recognize it can be difficult to see positions eliminated while we are also creating new roles,” Symson wrote in the memo, which was obtained by The Wrap. “Both are part of the significant changes we’re making to position Scripps for the future.”

Symson said the company hopes to fill as many of the newly created positions as possible with employees whose jobs were eliminated. He also indicated that most of the major restructuring has been completed, although additional, smaller-scale job reductions are expected.

The latest round follows significant cuts earlier this year, including the elimination of 268 positions in August and a September restructuring that eliminated 27 jobs as Scripps consolidated management of its local television stations into 11 regions.

At WCPO in Cincinnati, between 11 and 16 employees reportedly lost their jobs, according to WVXU media reporter John Kiesewetter. The reductions included approximately half of the station’s 12-person photography staff, two producers, assignment editors, a video editor and engineers.

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A Scripps spokesperson told WVXU that the eliminated positions were primarily associated with traditional newscast production. The station will continue airing live newscasts while adopting new workflows intended to allow journalists to produce more reporting in the field.

In Milwaukee, more than a dozen employees at WTMJ were laid off, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The reductions affected producers, video journalists, production employees and assignment editors. None of the station’s 33 on-air employees were among those laid off.

Additional reports of station-level reductions have emerged from employees and others posting in broadcasting industry discussion forums. In an Oct. 27 Reddit thread, contributors reported cuts involving producers, photographers and other newsroom personnel in Salt Lake City, while another commenter claimed at least 11 positions were eliminated at the combined WLEX–WTVQ operation in Lexington, Kentucky.

Other contributors reported reductions in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Richmond and Waco. One commenter claimed WEWS in Cleveland was preparing to eliminate nine photographer positions and five editor positions effective Nov. 24. Those specific figures have not been independently confirmed.

The company has not released a complete station-by-station breakdown of the latest reductions or identified how many of the 431 eliminated positions were filled by employees versus other staffing arrangements.

Scripps is scheduled to report its third-quarter financial results in early November, when investors are expected to receive further details on the company’s restructuring and financial outlook.