Ken Lowe
Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer
Scripps Networks Interactive
Career
In 2008 Ken Lowe was elected chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. Previously he was president and chief executive officer of the E. W. Scripps Company from October 2000 to June 2008, after being named president, chief operating officer and a director in January 2000.
Prior to rejoining the corporate office in Cincinnati, Lowe was chairman and CEO of Knoxville-based Scripps Networks. He built the company's Scripps Networks division into one of the nation's fastest-growing and most successful creators of unique brands for television and the Internet. He founded and launched HGTV in 1994, oversaw the acquisition and transformation of the Food Network into an American pop culture icon, presided over the launches of the DIY Network in 1999 and the Fine Living Network in 2002, and the acquisition of the Great American Country (GAC) television network in 2004. Lowe also laid the groundwork for and guided the development of the company’s leading interactive food and shelter category businesses, and oversaw the acquisitions in 2005 and 2006 of leading online comparison shopping services Shopzilla and uSwitch.
Lowe joined Scripps in 1980 as general manager of the company's radio properties. In 1988, he became vice president of programming, promotion and marketing for the company's nine network-affiliated television stations.
Lowe began his career in radio with Southern Broadcasting in 1969 and continued with various management positions in radio and television with Harte-Hanks Broadcasting in the late 1970s.
Honors
- Avatar Award, from the Broadcast and Cable Financial Managers Associations, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the communications industry and his commitment to community affairs projects, May 2008.
- Vanguard Award for Programmers, from the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), recognizing the highest level of excellence reached in the cable and telecommunications industry, May 2008.
- Executive Leadership Award, from the T. Howard Foundation, a tribute to individuals and corporate leaders who have shown a clear commitment to diversity in the multimedia and entertainment industries, April 2008.
- American Horizon Award, from the Media Institute, recognizing individuals who have made important contributions to the vitality and independence of American media and communications, October 2007.
- Broadcasting Hall of Fame, North Carolina, in recognition of individuals who have made outstanding, career-long contributions to their field, inducted April 2007.
- Golden Mike Award, from the Broadcasters Foundation of America, conferred annually in recognition of extraordinary lifetime contributions to the media industry and the community at large, February 2007.
- Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, honoring the industry’s leading pioneers, innovations and stars of the electronic arts, inducted October 2005.
- Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award, presented by the National Association of Television Programming Executives (NATPE), recognizing excellence in the creation of television programming, and celebrating a select group of television professionals who exhibit extraordinary passion, leadership, independence and vision in the process of creating television programming, January 2004.
- Finalist, Young Entrepreneur of the Year program, Ernst & Young, honored at award ceremonies in Northern Kentucky and Palm Springs, Calif., 2004.
- The Order of West Range, Pi Kappa Alpha Educational Foundation, established in 1986 to recognize the Fraternity's most outstanding alumni for achievement in their careers, service to society and/or service to Pi Kappa Alpha, inducted August 2002.
Activities
- Board of Trustees – the Paley Center for Media (2006-2008)
- Board of Directors – Cincinnati Business Committee, economic development task force, government affairs task force (2005-2008)
- President – the Commercial Club (2007-2008); Executive Committee (2005-2008)
- Board of Directors – Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (2004-2008)
- Board of Trustees, Vice Chair/Executive Committee – Cincinnati Museum Center (2002-2008)
- Board of Directors – the Associated Press (2006-2008)
- Board of Directors – Fifth Third Bancorp (2004-2007)
- Board of Directors/Executive Committee – Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce (2004-2006)
- Trustee – Cincinnati Fine Arts Fund (2003-2006); 2005 campaign chair
- Board Chair (2004-2005) – Cincinnati USA Partnership (GCCC Partnership for Greater Cincinnati)
- Board of Directors – Newspaper Association of America (2004-2006)
- Member – UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Visitors (2000-2004)
Education
Bachelor of Arts in radio, television and motion pictures – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Personal
Ken and his wife, Mary, reside in Cincinnati, Highlands, N.C., and Scottsdale
