The Coming ESPN Bloodbath/Dilfer, Schlereth out

[JonRam99]

Stopped listening / watching ESPN the day they drug Indiana University's athletic director on the Mike & Mike show, just to threaten him with the suggestion that Indiana's politics was going to harm his recruiting efforts. The E$PN / ABC / Disney conglomerate came out with an all-out media blitz to shame the state of Indiana that day, across all their platforms. Completely turned me off, and haven't listened or watched or even gone to their website since.

Sports is something I enjoy as an escape from the craziness of life, which I don't want creeping into my escape pod. I understand the off-the-field things that they have to cover (cough-Kap-cough), but having a political issue shoved down my throat due to some parent corporation's crusade was unwelcome. As for ESPN, too often they envision themselves as 'agents of change', trying to right social wrongs through sports reporting. If they can just resist the temptation to dive into the cesspool of polarizing politics, they might start attracting viewers back to their media outlets.

 

[Antonius]

ESPN's declining viewership has less to do with attitudes towards the network and more to do with shifting attitudes towards watching television as a whole.

More people are cutting the cord these days. If you still have cable or satellite and you have ESPN on your channel list, you're paying them whether you watch them or not.

I still think they do quality TV from time to time. I enjoy the hell out of the 30 for 30 documentaries.

 

[Prime Time]

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/espn-will-cut-100-air-personalities-today-123057142.html

ESPN will cut 100 on-air personalities today
Daniel Roberts/Yahoo Finance

ESPN’s “First Take.” (Philly.com)

ESPN will cut more than 100 employees today, Yahoo Finance has learned.

It has been widely reported for weeks that big cuts are coming to ESPN—so widely reported, and dissected, and gossiped about, in fact, that ESPN moved up its schedule and is notifying people earlier than it originally planned.

The 100 people getting cut are all “on-air talent,” a label ESPN uses for TV personalities, radio hosts, and writers who regularly appear on TV and radio. (ESPN says it has 1,000 such people, prior to these cuts.)

In addition to those 100, a “limited number of other positions will also be affected,” according to a note sent to all employees on Wednesday morning from ESPN president John Skipper.

A source tells Yahoo Finance the number of non-talent getting cut is indeed a “very limited” number, but nonetheless, the number is on top of the 100 on-air talents.

As examples of success in its current strategy, the statement touts: the midnight SportsCenter hosted by Scott Van Pelt; the new 6pm SportsCenter (“The Six”) hosted by Jemele Hill and Michael Smith; the ESPN app, with “increased personalization”; and “numerous examples this year of ESPN’s multi-screen approach around big events” such as the College Football Playoff Championship and fantasy football.

ESPN also says in the statement that in May it will relaunch “two of our biggest journalism brands,” the shows Outside the Lines and E:60, with a “larger presence digitally, socially and across all our screens.”

ESPN’s subscriber numbers have dropped steadily, weighing on parent company Disney, forcing a new round of cost-cutting. When Disney demands cuts, ESPN can make those cuts however it chooses.

As ESPN’s content strategy evolves and it looks to reach consumers on platforms other than traditional cable, it expects more from its on-air people than ever before. A source at ESPN frames the cuts this way: “We are focusing on people that can be versatile and appear cross-platform.

If you’re making X, are you justifying that salary? It’s all about versatility.” Translation: old-school veterans that appear only on TV, and don’t do much else, may be the ones in trouble.

Of course, the problems ESPN faces are not exclusive to ESPN. It’s not news to anyone that media is a struggling business these days—print, broadcast, and digital. But sports television is especially brutal right now: programming costs keep rising, while viewership is falling. Something has to give.

 

[Prime Time]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/04/26/longtime-nfl-reporter-ed-werder-laid-off-by-espn/

Longtime NFL reporter Ed Werder laid off by ESPN
Posted by Michael David Smith on April 26, 2017

Getty Images

One of ESPN’s most experienced NFL reporters is out, effective immediately.

Ed Werder, who has a strong reputation for covering football and particularly the Cowboys, has been let go, he said on Twitter this morning.

“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,” Werder wrote.

ESPN is expected to lay off around 100 employees this week, as the network tries to reduce costs as it deals with declining revenues thanks to cord cutting. At least one other NFL reporter, longtime Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky, has also been let go, and it’s likely that several notable names in the NFL media world will be without jobs soon.

 

[LACHAMP46]

To me....espn gave birth to sports television...and ended my personal avoidance of television. It's a shame it got so big that it had to trim some fat. Trust me, the world was a much lonelier place without them...It'll be interesting to see who they replace/cut. I bet they keep the young, sexy women....and all the old guys are out.

 

[Debacled]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/04/26/longtime-nfl-reporter-ed-werder-laid-off-by-espn/

Longtime NFL reporter Ed Werder laid off by ESPN
Posted by Michael David Smith on April 26, 2017

Getty Images

One of ESPN’s most experienced NFL reporters is out, effective immediately.

Ed Werder, who has a strong reputation for covering football and particularly the Cowboys, has been let go, he said on Twitter this morning.

“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,” Werder wrote.

ESPN is expected to lay off around 100 employees this week, as the network tries to reduce costs as it deals with declining revenues thanks to cord cutting. At least one other NFL reporter, longtime Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky, has also been let go, and it’s likely that several notable names in the NFL media world will be without jobs soon.

Cuts like these are why it sucks. Its not the changes to the ESPN TV channel anyone cares about, we are going to be missing out on a LOT of side pieces and articles from guys like Werder who actually supplied content to the sports news world.

Can only hope the good ones being shown the door can be picked up somewhere else so they can keep producing pieces.

 

[Picked4td]

let Danny kannell go ruining the last show I watched on that network. back to games only for me i guess

 

[12intheBox]

I listened to Mike and Mike a bit this morning for the first time in a long time and it felt like they spent more time on commercial break than they did on the show. And the radio commercials they run are just intolerable.

 

[Prime Time]

http://deadspin.com/a-running-list-of-espn-layoffs-1794664091

A Running List Of ESPN Layoffs
Kevin Draper

With phone calls and meetings beginning informing some ESPN employees that they have been laid off, word will slowly trickle out all day long about who they are. There will be plenty of names you have heard of, as ESPN reorients their daily lineup of shows, and their online video and stories to match.

NFL Analyst Trent Dilfer

Big Ten Reporter Brian Bennett

MLB Writer Jayson Stark

SEC Reporter David Ching

ESPNW Reporter Jane McManus

Big 12 Reporter Max Olson

Dodgers Reporter Doug Padilla

Columnist Johnette Howard

Radio Host Danny Kanell

College Basketball Reporter C.L. Brown

SEC Recruiting Analyst Derek Tyson

ESPN Dallas Columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor

College Basketball Writer Eamonn Brennan

College Football Recruiting Reporter Jeremy Crabtree

College Football Reporter Brett McMurphy

Baseball Reporter Mark Saxon

MLB Analyst Jim Bowden

Big Ten Football Reporter Austin Ward

Wisconsin And Big Ten Football Reporter Jesse Temple

Soccer Writer Mike Goodman

ESPNU Anchor Brendan Fitzgerald

College Basketball Reporter Dana O’Neil

NHL Columnist Pierre LeBrun

Hockey Writer Joe McDonald

NHL Columnist Scott Burnside

NFL Reporter Ed Werder

Titans Reporter Paul Kuharsky

Additionally, The Hollywood Reporter reports that Karl Ravech, Ryen Russillo, and Hannah Storm will see their roles “significantly reduced.” THR originally reported that ESPN would allow SportsCenter Anchor John Buccigross’s contract to expire, but has since walked that back.

 

[SteezyEndo]

To me....espn gave birth to sports television...and ended my personal avoidance of television. It's a shame it got so big that it had to trim some fat. Trust me, the world was a much lonelier place without them...It'll be interesting to see who they replace/cut. I bet they keep the young, sexy women....and all the old guys are out.

Soon civilization will be replaced by these...

 

[Selassie I]

I have a 40 minute each way daily commute.

Mike and Mike on the way in, and Jalen and Jacoby on the way home.
This is the first I've heard of the break up of Mike and Mike.

This news is hitting me pretty hard.

(Almost as hard as when I saw a post on facebook from a buddy that said: "RIP Cluck Norris". I sure read that post wrong. For a few minutes I was completely devastated about the loss of his Rooster at the hands of their neighbor's dog)

This is the 1st I've heard about Greenie going solo. Not sure what to think about that. He's obviously gonna have a different guest host or something everyday.

I honestly can't stand Golic anyway... and it's not because of his golden dome homerism. It's because of his horrible, ridiculous, fucking annoying fake laughter. It grates on me unbelievably. So, I do look forward to Golic's exit.

 

[Prime Time]

http://deadspin.com/a-running-list-of-espn-layoffs-1794664091

NFL Analyst Ashley Fox

New Orleans Pelicans Reporter Justin Verrier

Radio Host Robin Lundberg

College Basketball Analyst Len Elmore

Houston Rockets Reporter Calvin Watkins

ESPNW and ESPN Chicago Columnist Melissa Isaacson

SportsCenter Anchor Jay Crawford

NBA Reporter Ethan Sherwood Strauss

Pac 12 Reporter Ted Miller

 

[Psycho_X]

Lolol, f*** Trent Dilfer. Sucks for the other people that actually relied on it as a living though. Haven't like ESPN since the 90s though.

 

[Merlin]

Cutting Pierre Lebrun was idiotic. Dude is one of the best in the hockey world. Their NHL cuts demonstrate they don't care about that content, which is sad to me. Lebrun will be out of a job approximately 5 minutes I'm sure, if that. Although nowadays dudes like him can just be a twitter personality or blogger.

I'll bet some of the people who stay will be some of their worst and most hated too. Just watch.

 

[Mikey Ram]

I haven't heard of about 75% of these people..Seems like most are regional folks, though I could be wrong...I wouldn't lose any sleep if ESPN went away altogether, it's basically useless for me any more...

 

[nanotech]

http://deadspin.com/a-running-list-of-espn-layoffs-1794664091

NFL Analyst Ashley Fox

New Orleans Pelicans Reporter Justin Verrier

Radio Host Robin Lundberg

College Basketball Analyst Len Elmore

Houston Rockets Reporter Calvin Watkins

ESPNW and ESPN Chicago Columnist Melissa Isaacson

SportsCenter Anchor Jay Crawford

NBA Reporter Ethan Sherwood Strauss

Pac 12 Reporter Ted Miller

You made up that "New Orleans Pelicans" thing, didn't you.

 

[simonblaze]

I used to watch ESPN all the time, it was the only thing i watched...but i cant remember the last thing i watched on there that wasnt a 30 for 30 docu...

 

[12intheBox]

I understand them deciding to get out of hockey if it isn't lucrative - although they let some talent go on that end. But Jason Stark? And look at some of the jabroneys they are keeping ....

 

[Prime Time]

You made up that "New Orleans Pelicans" thing, didn't you.

Nah, copy/paste only. No fake news here unless it's them.
**********************************************************
http://deadspin.com/a-running-list-of-espn-layoffs-1794664091

Predictive Analytics Expert Rufus Peabody

College Sports Reporter Chantel Jennings

 

[Debacled]

I understand them deciding to get out of hockey if it isn't lucrative - although they let some talent go on that end. But Jason Stark? And look at some of the jabroneys they are keeping ....

Not lucrative or just never featuring literally anything about the sport unless a dude left the ice on a stretcher?

No money from it if they never even let anyone know they cover it.