CINCINNATI – Craig Allison, a 25-year broadcast television sales and management veteran, has been named station manager of television stations KSHB-TV in Kansas City, Mo., and KMCI-TV in Lawrence, Kan.The two stations, which both broadcast to the Kansas City television market, are owned and operated as a “duopoly” by The E. W. Scripps Company. “Duopoly” is broadcast television industry terminology that describes the common ownership of two television stations in the same market. In the newly created position of station manager, Allison will be responsible for strengthening and further developing the joint operations of the two television stations. Allison will report to Jim D. Swinehart, vice president and general manager of KSHB. “Craig’s appointment to this important new position reflects our commitment at Scripps to take full advantage of the duopoly we’ve created in the Kansas City television market,” said John F. Lansing, senior vice president of the Scripps television station group. “We’re tapping his solid sales and management expertise to build the KSHB/KMCI franchise and strengthen its position in the local market.”Allison has worked for the Scripps television station group for 22 years. He joined KSHB in 1994 as general sales manager and later was named director of sales. During his tenure in Kansas City, Allison led the station’s sales team through KSHB’s transition from being a Fox affiliate to NBC affiliation and he has overseen the development of the KMCI duopoly. KMCI, an independent station, was programmed and marketed by KSHB under a local marketing agreement from 1996 until it was acquired by Scripps in March 2000. Before joining KSHB, Allison was national sales manager for the Scripps television station in Cincinnati, WCPO-TV. He also worked for 11 years at the Scripps station in Tulsa, Okla – KJRH-TV – serving as an account executive and as local and national sales manager. Allison began his career as an account executive at KATV-TV in Little Rock, Ark. He is a graduate of The University of Kansas at Lawrence.The E.W. Scripps Company is a diverse media concern with interests in newspaper publishing, broadcast television, national television networks and interactive media. Scripps operates 21 daily newspapers, 10 broadcast TV stations and four cable television networks.Scripps national television network brands include Home & Garden Television, Food Network, DIY — Do It Yourself Network and Fine Living.The company also operates Scripps Howard News Service, United Media, the worldwide licensing and syndication home of PEANUTS and DILBERT, and 31 Web sites, including hgtv.com, foodtv.com, diynet.com and comics.com.