ESPN Lays Off 100 Staffers, Including On-Air Personalities
Less than two years after ESPN let go of 300 employees, the Worldwide Leader has announced that they will be trimming another hundred from its staff. And those impacted include a number of on-air personalities.
In a message posted on the network’s website, president John Skipper stated that a “necessary component of managing change involves constantly evaluating how we best utilize all of our resources.” Explaining that ESPN’s focus will be on “personality-driven SportsCenter TV editions” and that this will be through “versatility and value,” Skipper wrote that they will be “engaged in the challenging process of determining the talent” needed moving forward.
“These decisions impact talented people who have done great work for our company,” Skipper noted. “I would like to thank all of them for their efforts and their many contributions to ESPN.”
While he didn’t name any of those employees affected, some took to Twitter to let it be known that they were out:
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
Add me to the list. Just got the ‘call.’ I’ve been informed my contract will not be renewed at ESPN.
— Dana O’Neil (@ESPNDanaOneil) April 26, 2017
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
According to The Hollywood Reporter, other on-air figures will see their jobs and airtime reduced.
Other ESPN personalities are seeing their roles “significantly reduced,” a person with knowledge of the situation told The Hollywood Reporter. They include Baseball Tonight’s Karl Ravitch, ESPN Radio’s Ryen Russillo and Hannah Storm, who has been a mainstay at ESPN for a decade and hosted various iterations of flagship SportsCenter,
And some have already left: Kaylee Hartung, who covered college sports for the network for the past several years, will shift to CNN.
It was reported last month that the network was looking at “significant” downsizing over the coming months. Besides these recent layoffs and the ones in 2015, ESPN also cut staff in 2013.
[image via ESPN]
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