Do It Yourself Network's The Queen of Clean Joins Forces With Shop At Home

Business Wire, May 14, 2003

Business Editors

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 14, 2003

The Queen is set to market her

Palace Picks(R) monthly on the shopping channel

DIY - Do It Yourself Network and Shop At Home Network, the newest addition to the E.W. Scripps Company's family of cable television networks, will begin airing co-branded programming this week to test a new concept for TV retailing.

DIY, the popular network that focuses on how-to projects for do-it-yourself enthusiasts, will loan Shop At Home Network its on-air cleaning authority, The Queen of Clean(R), to market various cleaning products - some of which will be exclusives to Shop At Home - and to share with viewers cleaning tips from her DIY special workshop, Spruce It Up with the Queen of Clean. The Queen of Clean, who in real life is best-selling author and featured talk show guest Linda Cobb, debuted on Shop At Home this morning and will air again this evening from 9 to 10 p.m. ET. She will host additional shows throughout the day on Thursday, May 15, as well.

The Queen of Clean has created an exclusive cleaning kit for Shop At Home customers, comprised of a lamb's wool extendable duster, lamb's wool mitt, the palace potty puff, the Queen's apron and two of her best selling books. In addition, she will introduce her Palace Picks(R) and the Dirt Devil(R) Featherlite Vision Vacuum, Wine Away Red Wine Stain Remover(TM), and ODORZOUT(R), a 100 percent natural deodorizer. Other products will include EntryMate(TM) Cleaning System, Leather CPR(TM), Red Erase(TM) and DeLonghi's air purifier, hand vacuum and upright vacuum cleaner, among other items. All of these products have been researched and tested by the Queen of Clean.

"This is a great expansion to the Shop At Home portfolio, not only in terms of the product offering, but in regard to introducing an on-air host who will instantly connect with the Shop At Home customer," said Frank Woods, president of Shop At Home. "Linda Cobb's unique brand of housekeeping humor, combined with her personal knowledge of the products every household needs is the perfect formula for the new direction that will lead to future growth of our network."

The Queen of Clean has been dispensing her housekeeping expertise through her national newsletter and as a guest on more than 70 local and national radio and television stations for the past five years. She moved into the national spotlight with the release of her first book, Talking Dirty with the Queen of Clean(R), a housekeeping guide filled with unique cleaning solutions and housekeeping tips that really work. Five best selling books followed that debut.

She has been a guest on LIVE with Regis and Kelly, NBC's The Today Show, The View, Dr. Phil, HGTV's Smart Solutions and most recently two five-part workshops on DIY - Spruce It Up with the Queen of Clean, and In the Castle with the Queen of Clean. She is the former owner of one of the largest cleaning and disaster restoration companies in Michigan, where she specialized in carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, wall and window washing and some of the most difficult cleaning tasks in the industry.

"Our viewers really seem to enjoy The Queen in her workshops and through the online chats we have hosted at DIYnet.com," said Jim Zarchin, president of DIY. "She has a genuine presence that I have to think will appeal to the Shop At Home customer as well."

About Shop At Home

Shop At Home Network, a 16-year-old nationally televised home shopping service, sells merchandise through interactive electronic media, including broadcast, cable, and satellite television; and over the Internet at www.shopathometv.com. Shop At Home produces programming in digital format at its facilities in Nashville. The programming is transmitted by satellite to cable television systems, direct broadcast satellite systems, and television broadcasting stations across the country. Shop At Home currently reaches approximately 47 million full-time households through its nearly 500 affiliated television, cable and direct broadcast satellite systems, including DIRECTV (Channel 234), and DISH Network (Channel 224).

Shop At Home is 70% owned by The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE:SSP), a diversified media concern, which also has interests in newspaper publishing, broadcast television, national television networks and interactive media. In addition to Shop At Home, Scripps operates 21 daily newspapers, 10 broadcast TV stations and four cable and satellite television programming services. All of the Company's media businesses provide content and advertising services via the Internet. Scripps Networks brands include Home & Garden Television, Food Network, DIY -- Do It Yourself Network and Fine Living. Scripps also operates Scripps Howard News Service and United Media, which is the worldwide licensing and syndication home of PEANUTS and DILBERT.