ESPN has announced that it is expecting to cut more than 100 on-air employees. It had been widely reported that cuts were looming for the sports giant. Initial news reports had speculated that only some 40-50 folks would be searching for new jobs, but the actual news is much more grim.
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All of the 100 people expected to be laid off are โon-airโ talent, which, Yahoo! Finance reports, could include on-air personalities, radio hosts and writers who regularly appear on TV.
A note sent to ESPN employees Wednesday morning from network President John Skipper added that a โlimited number of other positions will also be affected,โ according to Yahoo! Finance.
Skipperโs companywide memo added that the layoffs were in response to โdynamic change [that] demands an increased focus on versatility and value, and as a result, we have been engaged in the challenging process of determining the talentโanchors, analysts, reporters, writers and those who handle play-by-playโnecessary to meet those demands. We will implement changes in our talent lineup this week.โ
Many reports have speculated that the massive layoffs are because the sports networks spends billions to have exclusive rights to sports events like the college football playoffs, and subscription numbers are down drastically as many find alternative ways to watch sports.
A source at ESPN told Yahoo! Finance: โWe are focusing on people that can be versatile and appear cross-platform. If youโre making X, are you justifying that salary? Itโs all about versatility.โ In short, this means that those who can only do sports broadcasting may find themselves on the outside looking in.
So far, the biggest name coming out of the layoffs is NFL veteran reporter Ed Werder.
Damn.
Read more at Yahoo! Finance.
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