Fox, Gannett and Scripps Share in Tampa

Local news service starts today

By Michael Malone -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/2/2009 12:55:28 PM

Tampa stations WTVT (Fox), WFTS (Scripps) and WTSP (Gannett) have created a local news service to share video in Tampa. The arrangement starts today and "will help the stations reduce costs through a pooling of video newsgathering resources and will allow each to strengthen their focus on specialized enterprise reporting," the stations said in a statement. The three will continue to operate independently in all other aspects of their businesses.

An independent managing editor will determine the stories to be covered each day by the news service and arrange the collection and delivery of the video footage for each of the participating stations.

The Big Four station not involved in the Tampa share is Media General's WFLA, which is part of Media General's newspaper/TV/Web collective known as Florida Communications Group.

Stations are increasingly looking for share partners on general news events to cut costs. Fox- and Scripps-owned stations are also sharing in Detroit and Phoenix.