ESPN Is Pathetic
- Thread starter Lose Remerswaal
- Start date
ESPN will lay off around 100 of its on-air and online anchors, reporters and analysts today, sources tell THE DAILY. So far, no specific names have been confirmed; they are expected to start becoming public this morning. ESPN is not announcing officially who is getting let go. Most of the people who are being laid off are not based in Bristol, which means much of the talent will learn their fate via a phone call. Execs making those calls this morning include Senior VP/Event & Studio Production Stephanie Druley, Senior VP/”SportsCenter” & News Rob King and Senior Coordinating Producer Seth Markman.
Rumors of the job cuts have been swirling for months. With a declining subscriber base (ESPN has lost more than 1 million subs since January, according to Nielsen) and increased rights fees (ESPN’s new multi-billion dollar deal for the NBA started last fall), ESPN needed to make budget cuts. A year and a half ago, ESPN laid off around 300 employees for many of the same reasons. Back then, the names were not well known to most of ESPN viewers. Today’s cuts will include names that viewers know well.
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Morning-Buzz/2017/04/26/ESPN-cuts.aspx
Rumors of the job cuts have been swirling for months. With a declining subscriber base (ESPN has lost more than 1 million subs since January, according to Nielsen) and increased rights fees (ESPN’s new multi-billion dollar deal for the NBA started last fall), ESPN needed to make budget cuts. A year and a half ago, ESPN laid off around 300 employees for many of the same reasons. Back then, the names were not well known to most of ESPN viewers. Today’s cuts will include names that viewers know well.
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Morning-Buzz/2017/04/26/ESPN-cuts.aspx
ESPN has taken a lot of criticism for moving politically to the left. And for moving away from sports and to pop culture and hot takes. It will be interesting to see what direction these layoffs go in terms of hosts
Ed Werder has been laid off.
Ed WerderVerified account @Edwerderespn 5m5 minutes ago
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 WerderVerified account @Edwerderespn 5m5 minutes ago
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
So they fire people like Werder, but pay big $$$ to idiots like Rex Ryan and SAS??
If you think Ed Werder has the same impact on ratings as those two, or any impact for that matter, I don't know what to tell you.
Jim Miller says to expect 50 names that we all know that will be let go and around 50 we don't.
Wingo's twitter, guessing he's safe.
trey wingoVerified account @wingoz
Too many dear friends to mention..but in a very tough business.. this is one of the toughest days I can remember.
trey wingoVerified account @wingozToo many dear friends to mention..but in a very tough business.. this is one of the toughest days I can remember.
I don't give a shit. Anyone could give hot takes as bad as SAS/ Skip Baylee's for half of what they pay them.. You can't say the same for the quality of work that Werder has done. One is easily replaceable while the other isn't.
Wingo is going to be replacing Greenberg on Mike and Mike so yes he's safe.Wingo's twitter, guessing he's safe.
Too many dear friends to mention..but in a very tough business.. this is one of the toughest days I can remember.
These are odd days inside of a building if anyone has ever gone through a corporate slaughter day like today. Just an eerie feeling with co-workers all day. You never feel like it is over, just that you made it through round 1, or 2, or whatever. Once you see corporate is capable of this, you never feel safe. Completely understandable for a public company, but its an odd feeling at the workplace.
And that's why you don't run ESPN. ESPN cares about eyeballs because eyeballs means money. Nobody cares if Schefter, Werder, Rappaport, or whomever gets a scoop anymore and they're certainly not watching Sportscenter for Ed Werder.
Hockey writer Scott Burnside is done.
Scott Burnside @OvertimeScottB 23s24 seconds ago
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 23s24 seconds ago
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.
Any higher-ups going? You know...the people responsible for the decisions and/or lack of foresight that created this mess?
Ultimately, given the absolute rancid shit (other than actual live sports) that passes for "programming," they should just put a salary cap on all employees and just hire young cheap good-looking men and women to scream at each other while offering uninformed hot takes. Saves lots of money, while not diluting the product, since what they offer outside of live sports is beyond dilution. Its got the substance of the final pre-colonoscopy BM.
Ultimately, given the absolute rancid shit (other than actual live sports) that passes for "programming," they should just put a salary cap on all employees and just hire young cheap good-looking men and women to scream at each other while offering uninformed hot takes. Saves lots of money, while not diluting the product, since what they offer outside of live sports is beyond dilution. Its got the substance of the final pre-colonoscopy BM.
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Joe McDonaldVerified account @ESPNJoeyMac 2m2 minutes ago
After nearly eight years of covering the NHL, MLB and the NFL at ESPN, it's time for the next chapter in my career.
Another Casualty
After nearly eight years of covering the NHL, MLB and the NFL at ESPN, it's time for the next chapter in my career.
Another Casualty
Local guy Joey Mac is gone. Hope he lands a job back in Boston.
Joe McDonaldVerified account @ESPNJoeyMac 2m2 minutes ago
After nearly eight years of covering the NHL, MLB and the NFL at ESPN, it's time for the next chapter in my career.
Joe McDonaldVerified account @ESPNJoeyMac 2m2 minutes ago
After nearly eight years of covering the NHL, MLB and the NFL at ESPN, it's time for the next chapter in my career.
Was there any question that the folks getting the ax were going to be the true "beat" reporters? They're the ones doing the unglamorous, at-best-ratings-neutral stuff that are only appreciated by hardcore sports fans. The corporate folks look at these 10-15+ year vets who are making fair salaries for their experience and think they can be replaced by cheap, fresh out of college kids whose only advantage is they're far better using social media.
The business has changed. When the Romo news broke a few weeks ago, I was on the way to the gym listening to Mike/Mike in my car. Greenberg teases the news "we have breaking news from Adam Shefter regarding Tony Romo as soon as we return from the break...". I switch to NFL network and immediately check twitter. Never returned to the channel again. 15 years ago the tease works and I probably sit in my car in the parking lot until I have the info. Today I get it in literally seconds. If they don't understand the changing landscape of sports news, its on them. They pretty much invented it.
Pierre LeBrun too
Pierre LeBrun @PierreVLeBrun 1m1 minute ago
Well folks, as you can tell by my new Twitter handle, I was also among the cuts today at ESPN.
Pierre LeBrun @PierreVLeBrun 1m1 minute ago
Well folks, as you can tell by my new Twitter handle, I was also among the cuts today at ESPN.
Barry Melrose is gonna be all that remains of their pathetic hockey "coverage" isn't he?
This sucks. I know Joe personally and is a great guy. One can only hope that he can get back on the Bruins beat.
So it looks like ESPN will be giving less of a shit about hockey than they normally did. Wonder if Barry Melrose survives.
All that's left of the hockey crew is Custance and Corey Pronman who are behind the pay wall.
The only thing worse than doing this once is doing it twice. I expect it to be a bloodbath.
And absent a brand new guy or gal at the VERY top, which is not the case here, no, the people at the helm business wise are not going to pay. They will protect each other.
And, no, Greenie at $6.5 per is not going to save them. But he is smart enough to know this and save his money.
Dana O'Neil is gone too. She covered college football and basketball.
Dana O'NeilVerified account @ESPNDanaOneil 3m3 minutes ago
Add me to the list. Just got the 'call.' I've been informed my contract will not be renewed at ESPN.
Dana O'NeilVerified account @ESPNDanaOneil 3m3 minutes ago
Add me to the list. Just got the 'call.' I've been informed my contract will not be renewed at ESPN.
Please tell me Trent Dilfer, and Jemele Hill are among the cuts? Then I'd feel little better about the rest of them (Lebrun, Joey Mac, Werder, Dana) gone and people like Ravech getting their roles reduced.
I really don't understand ESPN's evaluation of talent.
They really need to bring back Charissa and bring in Katie.
Edit: thanks lose
Must have been my nightmares acting up again
I really don't understand ESPN's evaluation of talent.
They really need to bring back Charissa and bring in Katie.
Edit: thanks lose
Must have been my nightmares acting up again
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I pretty much guarantee Jemele Hill is going NOWHERE. She has become one of the "faces" of the network right now, and they have gone all in with her and Michael Smith on the 6 p.m. "Sports" Center broadcast.
I think the message is pretty clear. ESPN is getting out of, or at least de-emphasizing, actual news gathering in favor of "entertaining" on-air content.
Bucci gone:
.@SportsCenter anchor John Buccigross, whose @ESPN contract is up this summer, also gone in talent purge.
.@SportsCenter anchor John Buccigross, whose @ESPN contract is up this summer, also gone in talent purge.
The calls to layoff Hill and Smith are asnine. They just spent a nice chunk of change to promote their new 6PM SportsCenter. They each received new contracts. They're not going to pay them to play golf or tweet for the duration of their deals.
ESPN kind of following the MTV playbook where the main programming (music videos/sports events & coverage) got phased out for other programming. it's gone so well for MTV:
Forbes
When I'm looking for info on a breaking story, I go to twitter or I come here. I tune in to games literally at kickoff if they are on ESPN, or anywhere really. I avoid their non-live content like the plague. While I like some of the people supporting broadcasts, they are normally telling me stuff I/we already know if we're looking at our phones. It's a different business.
I read a book on the history of MTV about 10 years ago. The book referenced that by the late 80s they knew they had to change because they did not make one dime playing videos. When MTV began the shift with Remote Control and the Real World, it was like throwing spaghetti on a wall to see if something stuck before they shut off the lights.
That's not ESPN's problem. Their problem is that they've gone from printing money to losing subs. This all happened during a time when they have loaded up on massive guaranteed broadcasting contracts. ESPN has finally reached a point where it cannot pass all of those costs thru to tv providers/customers.
The interesting thing going forward is that we have never seen a decline in television contracts for major sports, but logic says that it should happen. I guess in theory, the leagues could tell their broadcast partners that they don't care that they are losing money on what they are selling them - just make sure their next bid is higher than the last.
Marisa GuthrieVerified account @MarisaGuthrie 4m4 minutes ago
Sources now saying #JohnBuccigross not gone, but will not say if his contract, up this summer, renewed or reduced .
Sources now saying #JohnBuccigross not gone, but will not say if his contract, up this summer, renewed or reduced .
This is what is holding the dam together. When the bidding prices from networks start plummeting and the market for a la carte/streaming for live sports becomes more viable, the full implosion will occur. Same thing applies to cable news, although I think they have more of a shelf life than sports networks.
Don't they still have the TV rights to the NCAA hockey tournament? Buccigross is their main guy for that.
Others that have been let go
--Brendan Fitzgerald: ESPNU host
--Mike Goodman--ESPN FC Soccer writer
--Austin Ward: Big 10 football writer/host
--Jesse Temple: Big 10 and Wisconsin writer
--Brendan Fitzgerald: ESPNU host
--Mike Goodman--ESPN FC Soccer writer
--Austin Ward: Big 10 football writer/host
--Jesse Temple: Big 10 and Wisconsin writer
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They've got a year to pick someone else to do it. They might as well go full bore with their lackluster coverage of the tournament by removing the one (prominent) guy in their ranks who had genuine enthusiasm for it.