Estlow began his career as a reporter with the
Rocky Mountain News and worked his way up to Business Manager for the Rocky's owners,
Scripps-Howard (formerly the E.W. Scripps Company), a position he held from 1971 to 1976. In 1976, Edward Estlow became the first CEO at Scripps-Howard who was not from the Scripps or Howard families. Estlow had become general business manager at Scripps-Howard in 1971. Under his leadership, the Scripps-Howard Company bought 90 percent of the Media Investment Company, so that employees could own shares in the diversified E.W. Scripps Company. Also while he was CEO, the company spun off UPI, which had been originally established by E.W. Scripps, selling it to Media News Corporation. He retired from Scripps in 1985. ==Edward W. Estlow Printing Plant==