OT: ESPN Layoffs Have Begun
This was percolating for a while, but ESPN announced today it's laying off what is reportedly close to 100 people, including quite a few on-air and digital notables, which so far include NFL reporter Ed Werder and NHL columnist Scott Burnside (these are the only two that I saw tweet about their loss of job as of this posting...those laid off are tweeting them out when they get the call).
John Skipper has just sent memo to all @espn employees. Layoffs announced today. Around 50 names you will recognize; another 50 you may not.
— jamesmiller (@JimMiller) April 26, 2017
ESPN UPDATE: I have multiple sources at ESPN telling me they expect the number of layoffs to be closer to 100 people than 70. Awful news.
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) April 26, 2017
After 17 years reporting on #NFL, I've been informed that I'm being laid off by ESPN effective immediately. I have no plans to retire
— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) April 26, 2017
After 13 years of sticks and pucks can share that as of today my tenure at ESPN is at a close. I look forward to the next adventure.
— Scott Burnside (@OvertimeScottB) April 26, 2017
April 26th, 2017 at 11:47 AM ^
In the US you're probably looking at football, basketball/baseball, then hockey, then a steep drop down to soccer
I'm not sure how far a drop it is to soccer anymore. And I'm not the least bit a soccer guy and I love hockey.
This isn't quite apples to apples, but the English Premier League typically gets about 800,000-1,000,000 viewers for its Saturday matches.
By comparison, the NHL first round of the playoffs (just completed) averaged 750,000 viewers. Obviously, for some series (e.g., Maple Leafs; Canadians) fans in the U.S watch on TSN or CBC (or whatever channel its on now), but it shows that it is close.
April 26th, 2017 at 12:23 PM ^
April 26th, 2017 at 12:35 PM ^
Time to fire up the MGoMoney cannon and bring him back to MGoBlog where he belongs.
April 26th, 2017 at 10:32 AM ^
and Danny Kannel . Please Please Please
April 26th, 2017 at 10:37 AM ^
From the ESPN statement:
Perhaps the most noted example of this strategy is our recent approach to our flagship program, SportsCenter. SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt, the launch of SC6 with Michael Smith and Jemele Hill, and the debut of more digital-only content socially and on our App means SportsCenter in its many forms is easily accessible, informative and primed with personality.
I have a hard time believing she'll be cut.
Link: http://www.espnfrontrow.com/2017/04/espns-content-evolution-strategy/
April 26th, 2017 at 10:52 AM ^
"...primed with personality."
PRIMED, I say!
April 26th, 2017 at 11:02 AM ^
Hill is one of the worst. She's smug and not at all interesting to listen to.
April 26th, 2017 at 11:34 AM ^
I absolutely despised her long before I knew she was a sparty for exactly the reasons you pointed to above.
If ESPN keeps her on I'm not surprised they're falling apart.
April 26th, 2017 at 11:35 AM ^
Besides the trolling worthy of the best ex-Sparty's, she is so breathtakingly limited in her abilities I cannot believe she is failing up so successfully.
For an organization with people like Danny Kannell, Steven A, and (formerly) Skip Bayless that is saying something.
April 26th, 2017 at 12:28 PM ^
I don't much care either way about her on TV because that's all for show anyway, but she used to write some of the dumbest columns on the site years ago, and when they'd make the rounds on the blogs it would just be big, bolded sections of vapidity. But she's loud and is young enough to plausibly "appeal" to Millenials, which is apparently enough for ESPN.
April 26th, 2017 at 10:51 AM ^
ESPN needs to cut who is hurting their business. Keeping those two will accelerate the decline.
April 26th, 2017 at 11:28 AM ^
Jemele Hill moved into television when the cost cutting was already underway. I think most of these cuts are going to people who were hired when ESPN was still throwing cash around.
April 26th, 2017 at 11:32 AM ^
Unfortunately this is probably correct. They'll keep the cheap folks around even if they suck and let go of the people with the higher contracts from years ago.
April 26th, 2017 at 12:32 PM ^
Yeah. I read somewhere that her contract was supposedly around $500k a year, which sounds like a lot but considering a lot of the men on those shows make over $1M, it's pretty cheap. So I definitely see them keeping her around, even though I personally find her impossible to take seriously.
April 26th, 2017 at 12:08 PM ^
Would be way too much Social Justice Warrior pushback
April 26th, 2017 at 12:57 PM ^
During mass layoffs though? I doubt there'd be much pushback if they did it today. It would just get lost in the sea of names.
Doubtful. Al and Jesse need something to do.
April 26th, 2017 at 12:45 PM ^
One out of two so far. Kanell is gone.
April 26th, 2017 at 12:52 PM ^
Kannel was laid off, official per his twitter. Not holding back about him being upset either.
Poured my heart and soul into ESPN for last 8 years. Moved my wife and 3 kids to CT to go "all in" 5 years ago. Bummed it ended in 3 minutes
— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) April 26, 2017
I generally like Kanell and I would occasionally defend him against people upset about hottake of the week. But, honestly, it was pretty cheesy to accuse a player of faking an injury in the Orange Bowl. Yeah, I'm a fan of that player, but even if there are legit things to question Peppers about (the Dilute sample, etc) that was ultra cheap.
So I'm slightly less annoyed now. But I can understand how rough it is for him even if I disagree with his takes.
Of course, I wasn't trying to say that I think him being upset was unjustified, I'm just surprised he was airing it out over twitter. Although, based off of what I know about him, I am not surprised he is vocalizing his emotions on twitter.
April 26th, 2017 at 10:35 AM ^
If they keep Stephen A, Skipper deserves to lose his job, too.
April 26th, 2017 at 10:39 AM ^
Is Jamele Hill one of the names?
April 26th, 2017 at 10:40 AM ^
And yet, Darren Rovell will more likely than not still have a job at ESPN, after all of these layoffs.
April 26th, 2017 at 10:43 AM ^
Sad day across the industry. Lot of good people losing their job, ex: Ed Werder.
Yet the company will continue to employ dozens of complete idiots.
April 26th, 2017 at 10:46 AM ^
April 26th, 2017 at 11:05 AM ^
This is just upsetting. As others have said on twitter "loud mouths and hot takes" allow you to keep a job and get airtime. The intelligent, classy and experienced personnel get the boot.
April 26th, 2017 at 12:48 PM ^
but those people must get the highest ratings. It's like clickbait I guess. ESPN is really geared towards teenagers. And if you ever spend time with teenagers, you'll know all they do is talk over each other louder and louder with dumber and dumber comments to get attention.
April 26th, 2017 at 12:45 PM ^
April 26th, 2017 at 11:33 AM ^
For Werder to cover a game outside of NY, Philly or Dallas.
April 26th, 2017 at 11:53 AM ^
April 26th, 2017 at 10:45 AM ^
Yeah as much as I dislike ESPN as a whole, this is awful news for everyone losing their jobs.
April 26th, 2017 at 10:51 AM ^
While making more and more sporting events available to the viewing public, which in my mind is a good thing, ESPN has completely destroyed our sports culture as a form of entertainment and escapism. ESPN has elevated sports far beyond what it was meant to be -- turning into a pure dollars and cents equation; subjecting every aspect of every game and every athlete to overkill of analysis and criticism.
So, while there is more sports to enjoy -- it has become increasing joyless, due to ESPN. So, there's the irony.
April 26th, 2017 at 11:14 AM ^
April 26th, 2017 at 10:52 AM ^
April 26th, 2017 at 11:21 AM ^
April 26th, 2017 at 10:52 AM ^
Got greedy and tried to expland when it didn't have room to expland into. I don't get why businesses always try and grow beyond their ceilings.
April 26th, 2017 at 10:56 AM ^
They also made the MTV mistake...people tuned in for sports events not to listen to social commentary
April 26th, 2017 at 11:24 AM ^
I give MTV some credit, in that they got out of the music video business before music became absolutely horrible.
April 26th, 2017 at 12:25 PM ^
You don't get much worse musically than the 1980s.
Was there really any good or important music in the 80's? I mean, sure you had Purple Rain, Born to Run, Thriller, Like a Virgin - In 1984. But, shit man that was just one year. What else was there? I gues maybe U2, R.E.M. Bon Jovi, Run DMC, Metallica, The Police, Peter Gabriel, David Bowie, INXS, New Order, Whitney Houston but talk about a bunch of one hit wonders.