Indiana Broadcast History Archive

Seymour, Indiana, native Ed Spray earned his bachelor’s degree in radio-television with a minor in journalism from Indiana University. He worked as a producer-director for IU Radio and Television Services and then became a film editor and cameraman at WISH-TV in Indianapolis. In 1966, Spray became producer-director for WMAQ-TV in Chicago and won five Emmy Awards. In 1974, he moved across town to WBBM-TV, the CBS-owned station, where as program director he led one of commercial television’s most honored programming operations, winning nearly all of television’s best-known awards, including National Emmys, two Peabody Awards, and more than 75 local Emmys. Spray transferred to CBS-owned KCBS-TV in Los Angeles in 1986 and served as station manager before being promoted to vice president of programming and development for all CBS-owned stations. In 1994, he joined the E.W. Scripps Company where he was a co-founder of the Home and Garden Cable Television Network, HGTV. The company later acquired the Food Network and under Spray’s leadership launched two more cable networks: DIY and Fine Living. Spray retired as president of Scripps Networks in 2005.

Spray was inducted to Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame in 2019.

-Indiana Broadcast Pioneers