WEWS named official broadcast TV and digital partner of the Cleveland Browns starting in 2015

CLEVELAND, Nov. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- WEWS NewsChannel 5, the ABC affiliate of The E.W. Scripps Company SSP, has announced a new media partnership with the Cleveland Browns beginning with the 2015 season. NewsChannel 5 will broadcast all of the team's preseason games and provide innovative year-round programming that will satisfy the hungriest of Browns fans.

"Our consistent goal is to continually communicate with our fans and connect with them in unique ways," said Alec Scheiner, president of the Cleveland Browns. "We are excited about this partnership with WEWS and this new opportunity to give our fans inside access to the players and organization throughout the entire year. Along with their talented production team, we look forward to continuing to produce exceptional preseason game broadcasts and year-long weekly programming that will offer our fans in-depth Browns content." 

"As the first TV station in Cleveland, NewsChannel 5 is incredibly proud to partner with one of the most iconic sports franchises in the country," said Ed Fernandez, divisional general manager of Scripps. "As the new official TV and digital partner of the Cleveland Browns, we promise to provide our audiences with a 52-week, multi-platform experience so they can get closer to the team they love the most."

After the 2014 season, NewsChannel 5 and the Cleveland Browns will jointly determine and announce more details of the multi-year deal including the broadcast schedule, the talent for the Browns shows and additional partnership opportunities for fan engagement. 

About Scripps 
The E.W. Scripps Company (www.scripps.com) serves audiences and businesses through a growing portfolio of media brands. In July, Scripps announced a deal with Journal Communications to merge its 21 local television stations with Journal's 13 television stations and 34 radio stations, which will make Scripps the nation's fifth-largest broadcasting group. The two companies also agreed to spin off their combined newspaper interests to form a new publicly traded company, to be called Journal Media Group. Scripps runs an expanding collection of local and national digital journalism and information businesses, including mobile video news service Newsy and weather app developer Weathersphere. Scripps also produces television shows including The List and Let's Ask America, 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 1879, Scripps' motto is "Give light and the people will find their own way."

About the Cleveland Browns:
A member of the National Football League's AFC North division, the Cleveland Browns have long been among the most iconic and historic professional football clubs. Bolstered by eight league titles, 13 division championships and 16 Pro Football Hall of Famers, the Browns were established in 1945 as a charter team of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). The Browns played their inaugural season in 1946 and finished in first place during each of the league's four years of existence (1946-49). Cleveland was one of three AAFC teams selected to merge with the NFL in 1950 and appeared in the league's title game in each of its first seven seasons, claiming three of its four NFL championships overall (1950; 1954-55; 1964) during that stretch. The Browns' 16 Pro Football Hall of Famers, the sixth-most in the NFL, include founder Paul Brown, legends Jim Brown, Otto Graham and Lou Groza, as well as Marion Motley and Bill Willis, two of the first African-Americans who helped break professional sports' race barrier in 1946. After relocation to Baltimore in 1995, Cleveland was awarded an expansion franchise that returned to play in 1999, retaining all of the club's history and its namesake. In 2012, owner Jimmy Haslam purchased a controlling interest of the Cleveland Browns. Led by President Alec Scheiner, General Manager Ray Farmer and Head Coach Mike Pettine, the Browns play their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium in downtown Cleveland.

SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company