It was a dark day for The Worldwide Leader in Sports. ESPN laid off a whopping 100 staffers Wednesday, as the network continues to shift its daily lineup of shows, and their online video and content, to match. (TVNewser)
The 100 on-air staffers—out of 1,000 across the company—were told Wednesday they will no longer be utilized, though the network will honor their contracts. The vast majority of those people will not be seen on the air for ESPN again, though in a handful of cases others will make final appearances in the coming days or weeks. The layoffs include college basketball reporter Dana O’Neil and Danny Kanell, who hosted ESPN’s radio Rusillo and Kanell. (THR)
Other notable exits include Ed Werder, a veteran NFL reporter, and Jayson Stark, a veteran MLB reporter. ESPN executives published a blog post with context, pointing to some of its newer shows and recent successes as examples of where ESPN is headed. (Mashable)
Others who are leaving include Scott Burnside, an NHL columnist for ESPN.com; ESPNU anchor Brendan Fitzgerald; and MLB analyst Jim Bowden. As part of the ESPN review, some employees who are not part of the current round of layoffs could find their duties changed as a result of later contract negotiations, a person familiar with the situation said. (Variety)
Former First Take host Jay Crawford is leaving, along with fellow SportsCenter anchors Jaymee Sire, Jade McCarthy, Darren Haynes and Chris Hassel, college basketball analyst Len Elmore, golf voice Dottie Pepper and ESPN Radio host Robin Lundberg. (New York Post)