E. W. Scripps Company

The E. W. Scripps Company is an American broadcasting company founded in 1878 as a chain of daily newspapers by Edward Willis Scripps. It was also formerly a media conglomerate. The company is headquartered inside the Scripps Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its corporate motto is "Give light and the people will find their own way."

History

The E. W. Scripps Company was incorporated on December 1, 1987, but it traces its history to November 2, 1878, when Edward Willis Scripps published the first issue of the Cleveland Penny Press.

In 1894, E. W. Scripps and his half-brother, George H. Scripps, organized their various papers into the first modern newspaper chain. In July 1895, it was named the Scripps-McRae League with the addition of Cincinnati Post general manager Milton A. McRae as a partner. On November 29, 1921, it was renamed Scripps-Howard Newspapers, to recognize Roy W. Howard.

On November 23, 1922, the company was placed in trust for E. W. Scripps' children and grandchildren. The company's shares were divided into two types: Class A Common Shares, which were traded on the New York Stock Exchange, and common voting shares, which were not publicly traded and elected a majority of the company's directors. A number of media companies, including the New York Times Company and the Washington Post Company, are governed by this system so that the descendants of the company's founders can keep control of the company.