{"id":36975,"date":"2025-07-25T18:59:16","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T18:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/36975\/"},"modified":"2025-07-25T18:59:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T18:59:16","slug":"scripps-news-group-launches-unified-graphics-with-keeper-concept-ncs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/36975\/","title":{"rendered":"Scripps News Group launches unified graphics with ‘keeper’ concept – NCS"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\tSubscribe to NCS for the latest news, project case studies and product announcements in broadcast technology, creative design and engineering delivered to your inbox.<\/p>\n

The E.W. Scripps Company<\/a> has launched a comprehensive graphics overhaul for its television stations, debuting a new visual package that unifies the look of its local news broadcasts under the Scripps News Group banner. The rollout began with WFTS<\/a> in Tampa, followed by WEWS<\/a> in Cleveland, and represents the first phase of a company-wide implementation designed to create visual consistency across Scripps\u2019 61 local television stations.<\/p>\n

The project, developed in partnership with Los Angeles-based design agency Defiant<\/a>, centers around what the creative team calls \u201cthe keeper\u201d concept, a metaphorical interpretation of Scripps\u2019 lighthouse logo that positions the company as a beacon of information without literal nautical imagery.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are the ones who watch over the harbor to guarantee safe passage for how you navigate your life,\u201d said Micahel Vamosy<\/a>, founder and chief creative officer at Defiant (formerly Vivid Zero), describing the philosophical foundation of the design. \u201cWe are in the middle of it. So that view of the graphics, that kind of big arc is us first in the middle. And everything revolves around it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new package addresses several operational challenges that Scripps faced with its previous graphics system.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rob Wright, senior art director for news at Scripps News Group, noted that the company needed something that worked across multiple technical platforms while serving both local market needs and national branding goals.<\/p>\n

The visual refresh was driven by a larger reorganization of Scripps\u2019 local stations into a new unit called the Scripps News Group.<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of that is revamping the graphics to make them not only more unified and beautiful, but also easier to use,\u201d said Wright. \u201cThe Defiant team was just instrumental in understanding that quickly and helping us come up with something that solved all those problems for us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Technical complexity drives design decisions<\/p>\n

The implementation required coordination across three different live production platforms, five traffic systems and two weather platforms \u2014 a technical challenge that initially influenced the design approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you design an open that can serve Las Vegas and Tampa?\u201d Vamosy asked. \u201cHow do you make sure you\u2019re creating a graphics package that can really resonate with the markets?\u201d<\/p>\n

The answer involved focusing on modular design elements rather than flashy opening sequences. The team prioritized the lower third graphics and banner systems that appear throughout broadcasts, treating the show opens as secondary elements.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of agencies focus on opens, where we focus on the lower third, the system, the engagement of the viewer,\u201d Vamosy explained. \u201cAnd that secret sauce of the open trickles down and connects through all of the elements.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen design is done right, the package almost designs itself. That modularity is what allowed us to move fast and still adapt to each market,\u201d said Gilbert Avila, executive creative director at Defiant.<\/p>\n

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The design incorporates what Defiant calls a \u201cFresnel lens\u201d approach, inspired by lighthouse optics. Concentric circles emanate from central points in the graphics, creating depth while maintaining a clean information hierarchy. The system allows for both real-time rendering and pre-rendered assets, depending on each station\u2019s technical capabilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spent a lot of time looking at how we can look at the lighthouse motif\u2026 from a slightly different angle,\u201d said Alex Ishida, creative director at Defiant, on the Fresnel approach to the lower third and 3D elements in the package.\u00a0\u201cYou\u2019re seeing the 3D shapes as this expanse, the perspective from the keeper at the top of the lighthouse. It\u2019s about the experience of being the one who sees far and shines the light outward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Market-specific challenges inform strategy<\/p>\n

Tampa\u2019s selection as the launch market reflected both strategic timing and specific market dynamics. Dennis Elsbury, who oversees marketing for WFTS and WFTX in Fort Myers, described Tampa as \u201ca very competitive market, very crowded market\u201d with seven local newscasts potentially airing simultaneously.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re market 11 in the Nielsen world, and we have just as many stations as in New York, Chicago, and LA,\u201d Elsbury said. \u201cAnd so to have something stand out is a challenge, especially when you have that many stations all operating at any given time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The timing aligned with Scripps\u2019 acquisition of Tampa Bay Lightning broadcast rights for their second station in the market, creating an opportunity to launch both new graphics and expanded sports programming simultaneously.<\/p>\n

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The development process deliberately avoided traditional client-agency hierarchies. Wright\u2019s team established what they called \u201cground rules\u201d that emphasized collaborative decision-making and rapid iteration.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had an audit where we came up with everything that we needed to have them designed for,\u201d Wright said. \u201cMichael and Gilbert came up with some great initial design ideas that we looked through and, you know, honestly didn\u2019t make too many changes because it really captured the essence of everything that we needed to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

The compressed timeline \u2014 described by multiple participants as \u201cunbelievably quick\u201d \u2014 actually enhanced creative flow rather than hindering it. Larry Morris, vice president of the Scripps Creative Studio, noted that the time pressure eliminated overthinking.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s amazing how creativity flows, you know, the spigots turn on and the creativity flows, you know, and you get really interesting, great product from that,\u201d Morris said.<\/p>\n

Scripps assembled a core advisory team including news directors and executives from across their station group to review and provide input on the design. This approach created buy-in before the package reached individual stations.<\/p>\n

Viewer response exceeds expectations<\/p>\n

Initial audience reaction in Tampa surprised station management with its positivity. Morgigno had prepared for typical resistance to change but found viewers embraced the updated look.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe were prepared. People don\u2019t like change,\u201d Elsbury said. \u201cSo the first thing we were prepared for is, you know, obviously the social media world. And, you know, you tend to get a lot of the negative as being the louder voices. But that didn\u2019t happen for us at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The most detailed feedback came through WFTS chief meteorologist\u2019s online viewer interaction show, where audience members discussed specific visual changes in detail.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was surprised at how detailed they could get into some of the stuff that was different,\u201d Elsbury said. \u201cBut, you know, he was also very engaging with them to kind of get some of that stuff out of people that you wouldn\u2019t normally get.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Scripps initiative reflects broader industry trends toward visual sophistication after a period of minimal, flat design approaches. Wright connected this to viewer expectations for television as a visual medium.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe went through that era a few years ago of everything has to be flat. Everything has to be an iPhone interface,\u201d Wright observed. \u201cThis is a visual medium why are we why did we have things that were so flat.\u201d<\/p>\n

The package design philosophy also responds to changing news consumption patterns.<\/p>\n

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With sports programming increasingly valuable for linear television, the graphics system needed flexibility to serve both news and sports content seamlessly. The customization of weather graphics particularly demonstrates the package\u2019s attention to local market needs. Rather than using standard vendor-supplied icons, Scripps invested in custom weather graphics that maintain visual consistency with the overall brand.<\/p>\n

Implementation timeline remains aggressive<\/p>\n

While the rollout will be driven by many market specific factors, Wright indicated that it will continue at an \u201caggressive\u201d pace. The implementation schedule depends on technical considerations including different control room configurations and playout systems across markets.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s dependent on the live playout systems. We have to design for all of those and, of course, test and code that,\u201d Wright said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a small but mighty team, and they\u2019re definitely on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The project includes ongoing development of additional elements beyond the initial package, with weather and traffic vendor customization representing near-term priorities.<\/p>\n

Patrick Magee, Scripps\u2019 in-house composer, worked with 11 One\/Music<\/a> to create new music to integrate with the visual package.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Alongside the graphics rollout, Scripps also aligned their group of stations under the Scripps News Group banner. This unified branding positions Scripps to share content more effectively across platforms while maintaining local market identity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about harnessing the power of local and connecting it to the national \u2014 and vice versa,\u201d said Brent Chapin, director, creative, at Scripps. \u201cWe can be there before anyone else \u2014 that\u2019s the power of local. With this structure, we\u2019re faster, more flexible, and better positioned to deliver the best product to viewers across the board.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Project credits<\/p>\n

Scripps Marketing and WFTS News Teams<\/p>\n

Keisha Taylor Starr \u2013 EVP, CMO Scripps; GM, Scripps Networks
\nSherry Pitkofsky \u2013 SVP, Marketing
\nLarry Morris \u2013 VP, Creative Director, Marketing
\nMarnye Hall \u2013 Sr. Director, Creative and Strategy
\nBrent Chapin \u2013 Director, Creative, Marketing
Teresa Morgan \u2013 VP, General Manager, WFTS
\nDennis Elsbury \u2013 Director, Creative Services WFTS
\nSarah Moore \u2013 Sr. Director, News WFTS<\/p>\n

Scripps Graphics Team<\/p>\n

Rob Wright \u2013 Sr. Art Director, News\u00a0
\nNick Sanders \u2013 Director, Creative Design & Technology
\nJoshua Coats \u2013 Sr. Manager, Newsroom Artists, Developer, Xpression, Softron
\nNicole Fantozzi \u2013 Lead Technical Project Engineer
\nJohn Felton \u2013 Sr. Technology Project Manager
\nAmanda Daniels \u2013 Manager, Marketing Project Management
\nSandra Scagliotti \u2013 Sr. Motion Designer, Project Lead Artist
\nAndrew Lawler \u2013 Sr. Motion Designer
\nPaul Newton \u2013 Sr. Motion Designer
\nMichele Omran \u2013 Creative Developer, VizRT
\nRobert Brown \u2013 Sr. Creative Developer, Chyron
\nTressa Smith \u2013 Creative Developer, NewsTicker
\nBrendan Danielsson \u2013 3D Artist, Motion Designer
\nJeff Young \u2013 3D Artist, Motion Designer
\nJason Proudler \u2013 3D Artist, Motion Designer<\/p>\n

Defiant<\/p>\n

Gilbert Avila \u2013 Executive Creator Director
\nAlex Ishida \u2013 Creative Director
\nDiana Horowitz \u2013 Graphic Producer
\nMichael Vamosy \u2013 Founder and Chief Creative Officer>\/li><\/p>\n

Subscribe to NCS for the latest news, project case studies and product announcements in broadcast technology, creative design and engineering delivered to your inbox.<\/p>\n

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