E.W. Scripps and Journal Communications, the publisher of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, said on Wednesday that they planned to merge and then spin off their combined newspapers, leaving behind a company focused on broadcast television.

The complicated transaction is the latest move by media companies to focus on either television or print operations, with nearly all choosing to leave behind the slower-growing print business. Operators ranging from Time Warner to 21st Century Fox to Tribune have divided their assets, or are in the process of doing so. MORE…