CINCINNATI—The E.W. Scripps Company has reached an agreement to sell WFTX, its local Fox-affiliated station in Fort Myers, Florida, to Sun Broadcasting for $40 million.

Sun Broadcasting is a private broadcaster operating radio and television properties exclusively in the Fort Myers-Naples market.

Scripps anticipates closing the transaction in the fourth quarter following receipt of regulatory and other customary approvals. Unlike many of the other station deals announced this summer, the transaction does not require relief from any of the current rules governing television station ownership.

In July, Scripps announced it had agreed to swap stations in five mid-sized and small markets with Gray Media. That transaction, which does require relief from current television station ownership rules, is now in front of federal regulators for review.

Scripps intends to use cash from the sale of WFTX to pay down debt, Scripps president and CEO Adam Symson said.

“The sale of WFTX to Sun Broadcasting will put the station in the hands of a locally based company with deep roots in the Southwest Florida community,” Symson said. “When opportunities like this arise, we evaluate our business strategies to determine whether we are the best owners for that station or whether a swap or sale makes the most sense. In this case, we believe WFTX and its viewers will be well cared for by the new owners, and Scripps is able to use the transaction to reduce debt and improve our station portfolio’s financial profile.”

CINCINNATI—E.W. Scripps has announced that Ramon Pineda is joining the company to take over as vice president and general manager of Scripps’ NBC affiliate (KRIS), CW station and independent station (KDF) in Corpus Christi, Texas, effective June 29.

Pineda comes to Scripps after having most recently served as president and regional director for Univision Communications, where he led news and sales teams in Puerto Rico, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Raleigh, N.C. Before he was promoted to president and regional director roles, Pineda held senior leadership roles at several TV and radio stations for Univision.

“Ramon is a highly skilled broadcaster whose vast industry experience and dedication to serving the community make him an ideal candidate to lead our Corpus Christi operations, said Brian Lawlor, Scripps’ local media president.

Pineda added: “I am thrilled to bring my experience serving Hispanic America to the team at KRIS. I look forward to helping the station further expand its audience and deepen its commitment to the Corpus Christi community.”

For more information, visit www.scripps.com.  

MONTGOMERY, ALA.—Raycom Media and The E.W. Scripps Company are putting their heads together as part of a new partnership to develop new and original programming for their broadcast and digital operations.

The partnership between the companies will see these programs reach 29 percent of U.S. households, including 12 markets in the top 40 DMAs, according to the press release. The two companies are currently moving toward production on multiple projects, with an anticipated launch date of 2017. The companies say they welcome other local broadcasters and/or media companies to join in the venture.

Raycom, Scripps and Cox Media Group have a separate development agreement for syndication of the viral video series “Right This Minute.”