ESPN Layoffs

[Ebonhawke]

ESPN with a massive layoff today - over 100 employees, including a lot of on air personalities

Running List

http://deadspin.com/a-running-list-o...ffs-1794664091

[Joey]

Never realized they had so many abstract positions ... "SEC Recruiting Analyst" is a Full-Time job?! Lol

It obviously sucks for those losing their jobs, but clearly ESPN had a lot of "bloat" on the Staff.

[slaw]

High fixed costs + plummeting revenues is generally bad. ESPN overpaid for tv rights. It is on track for ~$8 billion in broadcast costs fro 2017 while it's lost something around 12-15,000,000 subscribers in the last 6 years. The numbers are staggering. They are losing 10,000 subscribers per day. You add in the screaming carnival barkers yelling at each other all day giving their endless series of "hot takes", typically on matters they know little to nothing about, and it's not hard to comprehend why ESPN's ratings are taking a beating as well. Take it all together with the expansion into social and political commentary, which people can get elsewhere in about a billion places, that has turned off loyal viewers.

It's not good. Firing a bunch of people won't fix the fundamental problems....

[Bendit]

It seems that cable is not the panacea anymore for printing money. The issue/major reason isn't new...it's technology advancement which has fragmented as well as made fairly instantaneous delivery of news on all manner of platforms. The Espn model of delivery is no longer relevant for many of the consumers....and as was mentioned they have very large sunk costs in rights fees.

I hear people rather have alerts of scores on their phones with an accompanying vid of the play in question and screw parking yourself on a couch for a couple of hours!...rather than paying heavy view costs. This must give advertisers and cable honchos heartburn.

One significant specific development....it seems ESPN by firing the best of their hockey writers have signalled that they are no longer interested in getting to be players in bidding for the game.

[rocwell]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Informed I&#39;m among ESPN&#39;s layoffs.*But basketball, as they say, never stops. To readers/viewers/listeners/countless colleagues ... grateful</p>&mdash; Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/858075448160522243">April 28, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Damn,

[rocwell]

Marc Stein did a really really great job covering the NBA.

If guys like Stein getting fired, why the hell Mel Kiper is still employed?

[Apollo]

Marc Stein did a really really great job covering the NBA.

If guys like Stein getting fired, why the hell Mel Kiper is still employed?

Don't underestimate the power of politics in a giant corporate machine.

I'm not saying that Mel is an ass kisser but it wouldn't be a shocker if it turned out that Marc Stein wasn't an ass kisser.

[DanH]

Chad Ford gone too. Just gutting the entire structure.

This only makes any sense if ESPN is buying out the Vertical and getting Woj's team to replace these guys.

[Bendit]

And so is Henry Abbott.

The death of print journalism (in general) taking it's toll. People just do not read hardcopy much anymore I suppose. Pity.

[rocwell]

Chad Ford gone too. Just gutting the entire structure.

This only makes any sense if ESPN is buying out the Vertical and getting Woj's team to replace these guys.

Not sure if they're buying the Vertical, but Woj is joining the ESPN, SI is reporting. ESPN landed a legend.

[Doc]

Not sure if they're buying the Vertical, but Woj is joining the ESPN, SI is reporting. ESPN landed a legend.

They had to lay-off all those ESPN personalities in order to afford Woj.

[Apollo]

Wow, I can't believe Ford got canned.