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In a move that surprised many sports fans and underscored the challenges for media companies, ESPN announced on friday It had laid off some broadcast journalists in the hope of saving money.
ESPN said in a statement that it needed to cut costs “in the area of public-facing commentators’ salaries”, including “a small group of job cuts in the short term”. The layoffs included some of the network’s biggest names.
Suzy Kolber, an NFL reporter and host of the pregame show “Monday Night Countdown”, publicly acknowledged twitter post He was fired from his job on Friday afternoon. “Today I join the many hardworking colleagues who have been laid off,” she said. “Heartbroken, but a good 27-year stint at ESPN.”
Former New York Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy, who was an NBA analyst with ESPN, was also let go. According to him Van Gundy had worked at ESPN since 2007 company biography, Jalen Rose, studio analyst and member of the University of Michigan’s storied “Fab Five”, was also among those fired. Who was the first to report the layoffs of Van Gundy and Rose? new york post And it was confirmed by the New York Times.
Jun Lee, a baseball reporterAnd Ashley Brewer, an anchor who had worked on the network’s flagship show “SportsCenter,” also said on Twitter that he had left the company.
In total, about 20 commentators were laid off, and the company told staff members it would renegotiate some contracts at lower pay or let some expire at the end of their terms, a person familiar with the situation said. Said, who was not authorized to disclose it. The details and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Background: An uncertain time in media.
The news comes a day after National Geographic announced its second round of layoffs this year, joining The Los Angeles Times, Vox Media, BuzzFeed and The Washington Post on the list of media companies that have recently laid off their employees. Have tightened your loins.
ESPN’s parent company Disney has struggled to contain losses related to its streaming services due to the decline in traditional television viewing. In May, Disney announced on its earnings call that revenue from its networks, which includes ESPN, fell 7 percent. Earlier this year, the company’s chief executive, Robert A. Iger announced plans to cut $5.5 billion in costs by eliminating 7,000 jobs, which is 4 percent of Disney’s worldwide workforce.
Why this matters: High-profile ESPN personality.
Kolber said in her announcement that “the longevity for a woman in this business is something I am particularly proud of.” Her company biography states that she is “widely admired for elevating the NFL sideline role” and notes that she was the first woman to win the Maxwell Football Club’s Sports Broadcaster of the Year award. In 2019, he was inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.
Van Gundy has become a familiar voice in professional basketball. He was on the court for coverage on both ESPN and ABC, working with one of his former players, Mark Jackson, and Mike Breen to call some of the NBA’s biggest games. This month, he provided commentary during the NBA Finals.
Rose first gained national attention as a point guard at the University of Michigan, where his team reached consecutive NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament finals in 1992 and 1993, losing both times. His star-studded recruiting class was known as the Fab Five, and Michigan made history as the first team to start Five new players in the last four, He reached the 2000 NBA Finals with the Indiana Pacers. Rose had been with ESPN since 2007.