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Cater Lee returns to Scripps as VP of programming

Sept. 10, 2015 By Rebecca McCarter

CINCINNATI – Cater Lee, a development executive, business entrepreneur, award-winning journalist and producer of original television shows, returns to The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE: SSP) as vice president of programming, effective Sept. 14.

“We know what an impressive and talented leader Cater is and we are fortunate to be able to welcome her back to the company,” said Brian Lawlor, senior vice president of broadcasting for Scripps. “She has a tremendous instinct for what makes a successful show; has the connections to get the right people in the right spots; and has broad experience in taking a show from its early development concepts all the way to national syndication.”

Lee, 52, played a key role when Scripps reemerged as a producer of original programming. She was the senior director of TV program development for the Scripps broadcast division from 2011-2014. During that time she helped launch multiple shows for Scripps stations including the daily infotainment program The List, which is currently ranked as one of the top 10 programs in all of syndication. Lee also managed for Scripps, the nationally syndicated program, Right This Minute, a viral videos show created in partnership between Scripps, MagicDust Television, Cox Media Group and Raycom Media, Inc.

In 2000, she founded a production company, Turning Point Productions, where she created and produced two long-running series – Who Knows You Best? – a relationship game show which totaled 195 episodes, and Head 2 Toe, a reality makeover series that aired on Lifetime Television from 2003-2008.

Lee began her television career as a journalist. She is a five-time Emmy Award-winning news anchor, reporter and producer with a wide range of experience in network, cable and local broadcast outlets in Los Angeles and Phoenix. She also produced for NBC’s Today Show and CNN.

In addition to her work in the industry, Lee also has shared her expertise as an adjunct professor of broadcast journalism at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. She has a master’s degree in specialized journalism from USC and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia.

In her new role, Lee will be based in Los Angeles.

About Scripps
The E.W. Scripps Company serves audiences and businesses through a growing portfolio of television, radio and digital media brands. Scripps is one of the nation’s largest independent TV station owners, with 33 television stations in 24 markets and a reach of nearly one in five U.S. households. It also owns 34 radio stations in eight markets. Scripps also runs an expanding collection of local and national digital journalism and information businesses, including podcast industry leader Midroll Media, over-the-top video news service Newsy and weather app developer WeatherSphere. Scripps also produces television shows including The List and The Now, runs an award-winning investigative reporting newsroom in Washington, D.C., and serves as the long-time steward of the nation’s largest, most successful and longest-running educational program, the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Founded in 1878, Scripps has held for decades to the motto, “Give light and the people will find their own way.”

Media contact:
Valerie Miller, The E.W. Scripps Company, 513-977-3023, [email protected]