Scripps Networks has announced that after 11 years of dedicated service, Robert Gerrard Jr. will retire from his position as executive vice president and general counsel, effective Jan. 31. He will continue to advise Scripps Networks on a consulting basis through the first half of 2009, focusing on ongoing legal matters involving the company.

A.B. Cruz III, executive vice president, chief legal officer, and corporate secretary of parent company Scripps Networks Interactive Inc., will assume Gerrard’s responsibilities at Scripps Networks in addition to maintaining his current corporate duties.

Gerrard joined Scripps Networks in 1997 and has been responsible for representing the operating division in all legal matters. Until January 2007, he oversaw the division’s human resources department, setting policy in employee relations, compensation, recruiting, hiring, retention, and benefits for the division’s 1,200-plus employees located in seven U.S. cities.

Before joining Scripps, Gerrard served 12 years (1982 to 1994) as senior counsel for Home Box Office, where he advised HBO and HBO Homevideo executives and was responsible for drafting and negotiating distribution agreements for HBO and Cinemax. Gerrard also served three years (1994 to 1997) as vice president and general counsel for the Sega Channel, a joint venture created by Time Warner, Tele-Communications Inc., and video game creator, Sega.

Scripps Networks is the largest operating division of Scripps Networks Interactive, the publicly traded company that was created as a result of the spin-off transaction from E.W. Scripps earlier this year. Scripps Networks includes the company’s television and interactive lifestyle brands, including HGTV, Food Network, DIY Network, Fine Living Network, and the Great American Country television network.