Yahoo, Scripps in Local TV Partnership

Scripps is partnering with Yahoo to increase the broadcaster's advertising reach at WXYZ Detroit and WEWS Cleveland. The deal combines the local ad solutions of Scripps with "the audience and display advertising leadership of Yahoo," said Scripps in a statement.

"The collaboration adds Yahoo's display inventory to the portfolio of products sold by the advertising reps at Scripps television stations," said Scripps. "As a result, local advertisers will benefit from expanded digital reach and increased behavioral targeting opportunities that can deliver more meaningful results based on the geography, demographics and interests of potential customers."

Scripps says WXYZ and WEWS are first up for the Yahoo partnership within the group. The Scripps stations currently provide market-specific content to Yahoo properties, including its ubiquitous homepage.

"WXYZ and WEWS have long been pioneers that know how to deliver large and engaged audiences," said Brian Lawlor, Scripps senior vice president of television, "but the partnership with Yahoo takes the stations' commitment to the local businesses of Detroit and Cleveland to a significantly higher level. Marrying one of America's oldest media companies with one of the world's savviest new-media brands is great for both organizations, but the real winners are the businesses in Michigan and Ohio who have an effective new way to boost their revenues."
Stations are increasingly working alongside major tech outfits to increase their reach. In July, Gannett announced a similar partnership with Yahoo for some of its stations and all of its newspapers.

"Yahoo is committed to ensuring local businesses reach high quality target audiences, and only Yahoo offers all the elements needed for great advertising today: the science to understand and target an audience, the art to create lasting engagement with consumers through context, and the scale to reach the right person in the right setting in meaningful numbers" said Lem Lloyd, Yahoo's vice president, North America channel sales and small business. "This partnership meaningfully expands our local offering and offers advertisers access to the technology and scale they need to effectively reach online consumers."

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.