CINCINNATI—The E.W. Scripps Company has completed the previously announced sale of WRTV, its ABC-affiliated station in Indianapolis, to Circle City Broadcasting for $83 million.

The WRTV sale follows Scripps’ recent completion of the sale of WFTX, its Fox-affiliated station in Fort Myers, Florida, to Sun Broadcasting for $40 million.

Combined, the two transactions generated $123 million in cash proceeds, which the company says will be used toward debt paydown and the purchase of 23 ION-affiliated stations that it divested to INYO Broadcast Holdings in connection with its acquisition of ION in January 2021.

The current aggregate purchase price of the INYO stations is approximately $54 million pending timing of a deal close. Station ownership caps required Scripps to divest the stations when it acquired ION in 2021.

Scripps said that it will seek waivers from the FCC to the extent such rules are still in effect for the acquisition. Scripps also reported that ownership of the INYO stations would be immediately accretive to Scripps Networks division segment profit and margin, and would support coordination with Scripps’ other stations to develop potential new local programming opportunities.

Scripps also has an agreement to swap stations in five markets with Gray Television, a transaction that will strengthen Scripps’ competitive position in key Mountain West markets. That transaction, which requires relief from current television station ownership rules, is still in front of federal regulators for review.

CINCINNATI—The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) has hired Charlie Grisham as the vice president and general manager for WRTV, the Scripps-owned ABC affiliate in Indianapolis, effective June 10.

Grisham comes to Scripps from WSIL-TV in Carterville, Illinois, where he has been the vice president and general manager since 2019. During his time at WSIL, the ABC affiliate serving Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky and Southeast Missouri, Grisham has led a technical and strategic transformation of the station with a focus on serving the community, financial results and cultural alignment, and has helped steer the station to record revenue and ratings growth.

Grisham previously was director of sales for KSDK-TV in St. Louis, general sales manager and VP of local content development for KUSI-TV in San Diego and VP of sales for Bitcentral, a media software solutions company. He also has served in on-air roles for stations in Oklahoma, Nebraska and Iowa and as a meteorologist and military officer for the U.S. Air Force.

"Charlie is a seasoned local media executive who understands the changing media landscape and has a successful track record leading station operations in the Midwest," said Kathleen Choal, regional vice president and general manager. "He is well positioned to take WRTV to new heights as the general manager."

Grisham has served on the board of the Illinois Broadcasters Association and is co-founder of Give SI, an initiative aimed at fostering community engagement and philanthropy for local nonprofit organizations. The initiative has raised nearly $1 million since 2020.

He holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Science in atmospheric sciences from Creighton University. He and his wife, Naomi, have two children. In his free time, Grisham runs half marathons, golfs and is active in the classical music community. 

WAYNE, N.J.—When drivers were putting the pedal to the metal back in May during the Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis’ ABC affiliate WRTV ran a test of JVC’s Private MESH Video network. The result of the test, according to WRTV Chief Engineer Jeff Walker, was the doubling of HD video delivery over traditional microwave equipment during the race.

Designed for single and multi-camera location shoots, the JVC Private MESH network combines JVC’s encoding technology in ProHD and 4KCAM cameras with the Silvus Bi-Directional Radio System to transmit high-quality HD video with high stream reliability. The network provides a secure encoded video stream while avoiding bandwidth congestion.

With a fixed relay antenna on top of the pagoda structure at the finish line of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, JVC was able to put multiple roaming cameras with a Silvus transceiver in different locations on the track. These cameras then used the Private MESH network within the station’s licensed microwave spectrum to transmit footage. Two JVC cameras were able to fit as one traditional, allowing for double capacity, per Walker. The MESH network was able to help provide live shots from areas like Pit Lane, garages, campgrounds, and the Snake Put live music pavilion.

“Now, twice as many live shots are available to the director at any time, and you have two-way communication, so you don’t need a separate system,” said Walker.