KNOXVILLE, Tenn — Cinetel Productions today changed its name to Scripps Productions and promoted Jim Zarchin to president and general manager of the company. “The name change to ‘Scripps Productions’ is in recognition of the value we place on the talented staff, and the opportunity we see to become a primary supplier of high-quality non-fiction programming to cable, broadcast and the Internet,” said Frank Gardner, The E.W. Scripps Company’s senior vice president for all television operations. Scripps purchased Cinetel and its state-of-the-art production facility in 1994. Zarchin had been executive vice president & general manager of Cinetel since 1997. He succeeds Eric Ober, who last week was named president and CEO of the Food Network, also operated by The E.W. Scripps Company. Zarchin will oversee all day-to-day operations of Scripps Productions — one of the largest independent producers of programming for cable television networks. The company has offices and facilities in New York, Los Angeles and Knoxville. “Jim Zarchin is a talented producer and executive. His creative vision and leadership will be vital in ensuring that Scripps Productions plays an important role in the evolution of programming and content across many media formats and platforms,” said Gardner. Prior to joining Cinetel, Zarchin spent seven years as news director at WCPO, the Scripps-owned ABC affiliate in Cincinnati. Under his leadership, WCPO’s news organization received numerous awards and honors, including the DuPont Award in 1993; the Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast In The Country in 1995; the Sigma Delta Chi Award for Investigative reporting in 1994; the Sigma Delta Chi Award for Spot News in 1994; and the Jack R. Howard Award for Journalism Excellence in 1996. Prior to joining WCPO, Zarchin was news director at television station WCBS in New York; executive producer at WBBM in Chicago; and news director at WMC in Memphis. He also was a news executive with WABC and WNYW, both serving the New York market. Zarchin, his wife Cathy, and their 14-year-old son, Max, live in Knoxville. Some of Scripps Productions’ most recent work includes “America’s Castles” for the Arts & Entertainment Network; “The Greatest Trials of All Time” for Court TV; “Club Dance,” “Shadetree Mechanic,” and “Unspoiled Country” for The Nashville Network; and “Peyton Manning” for ESPN. In addition to Scripps Productions, The E.W. Scripps Company operates 20 daily newspapers; nine network-affiliated television stations; the Scripps Networks, which includes Home & Garden Television, Food Network and the soon-to-be launched Do-It-Yourself Network; independent Yellow Pages directories in Florida and Tennessee; and United Media, a worldwide syndicator and licensor of news features and comics.