…Multiple ESPN employees in speaking with SI said the atmosphere in Bristol is tense, especially in the SportsCenter division. Asked to characterize how employees are feeling, one longtime on-air anchor offered one word: “Queasy.”
ADVERTISING
The latest
This follows the 2015 layoffs of
around 300-350 employees (4.3 per cent of ESPN’s estimated 8,000-person workforce at that time) who were mostly involved in production and other behind-the-scenes roles, and the April layoffs of
over 100 employees, including many TV anchors and analysts as well as numerous digital reporters. The reported hit to
SportsCenterappears to be additional evidence of that franchise’s diminishing role at ESPN, and suggests that they’re further de-emphasizing straight news and highlights on TV.
It should be noted that this comes following some moves in ESPN’s senior executive ranks.
In June, Connor Schell was promoted from senior vice president and executive producer for ESPN original content to executive vice president, content, essentially ESPN president John Skipper’s old job as content chief. That led to executive vice-president Norby Williamson (production, executive editor), senior vice-president Rob King (
SportsCenter, news and information) and senior vice-president Stephanie Druley (events, studio production) all reporting to Schell rather than directly to Skipper, and to executive vice-presidents Marie Donoghue (global business and content strategy) and John Kosner (digital and print media) leaving the company.
In September,
further changes were made, with Williamson taking over
SportsCenter in addition to the rest of his studio production duties and King shifting to oversee
30 for 30, ESPN Films, stats and information, the ESPN app and “ESPN’s entire portfolio of newsgathering and storytelling assets.” So this marks the first major changes to
SportsCenter with Schell and Williamson fully in charge of the property.
, 
, 
, 
, 
