On Friday, sports giant ESPN laid off 20 employees as per the Washington Post which comprised on-camera positions. The network’s primary NBA colour commentator, former coach Jeff Van Gundy and reporter Suzy Kolber were the ones who were slacked off.
Jimmy Pitaro— ESPN president had said on April 24 about the sports news network’s plan of cutting off an unspecified number of employees which would will mainly affect management positions, as per the Sports Business Journal.
Jeff Van Gundy and Jalen Rose— National Basketball Association analysts are among those who were laid off, according to CNBC’s report on Friday. So are morning-show host and boxing commentator Max Kellerman, National Football League reporter Suzy Kolber as well as NFL analysts Keyshawn Johnson and Steve Young, according to multiple reports.
On her Twitter account, Kolber said her layoff was “heartbreaking, but 27 years at ESPN was a good run”.
“So grateful for a 38[-year] career,” Kolber’s tweet added. “Longevity for a woman in this business is something I’m especially proud of. Next step – a project that gives back.”
CNBC reported that the job eliminations are part of an effort by ESPN to meet fiscal goals for this year and beyond. This round took aim at on-air employees with large salaries, with ESPN hoping that such an approach would let it retain more staffers across the platform, according to CNBC.
ESPN’s primary owner, Disney, recently finished slacking off about 7,000 employees. Disney’s layoffs were meant to gain more than $5bn in savings as streaming gains slowed, among other factors, and are considered separate from ESPN’s job cuts.
CNBC reported that more prominent departures at ESPN are expected when some on-air personalities do not have their contracts renewed in the coming months.
On Friday, a statement from ESPN did not address particulars on the day’s cuts but said they were “necessary” to achieve “additional cost savings”.
“This … will include a small group of job cuts in the short-term and an ongoing focus on managing costs when we negotiate individual contract renewals in the months ahead,” ESPN’s statement said.
Disney’s television division, which includes ABC, ESPN, FX, the Disney Channel and National Geographic, reported $7bn in revenue in fiscal year 2022, up 3% from a year earlier, with a $2.5bn operating profit, a 13% increase.
In a different high-profile US cable TV job cut, Geraldo Rivera made his last appearance on Fox News on Friday. The network said Rivera’s exit from Fox was “amicable” while the ex-correspondent and weekend anchor said he had resigned after being fired from the show known as The Five.
Rivera nonetheless said Friday: “I love the people at Fox, I always will.”
On Friday, sports giant ESPN laid off 20 employees as per the Washington Post which comprised on-camera positions. The network’s primary NBA colour commentator, former coach Jeff Van Gundy and reporter Suzy Kolber were the ones who were slacked off.
Jimmy Pitaro— ESPN president had said on April 24 about the sports news network’s plan of cutting off an unspecified number of employees which would will mainly affect management positions, as per the Sports Business Journal.
Jeff Van Gundy and Jalen Rose— National Basketball Association analysts are among those who were laid off, according to CNBC’s report on Friday. So are morning-show host and boxing commentator Max Kellerman, National Football League reporter Suzy Kolber as well as NFL analysts Keyshawn Johnson and Steve Young, according to multiple reports.
On her Twitter account, Kolber said her layoff was “heartbreaking, but 27 years at ESPN was a good run”.
“So grateful for a 38[-year] career,” Kolber’s tweet added. “Longevity for a woman in this business is something I’m especially proud of. Next step – a project that gives back.”
CNBC reported that the job eliminations are part of an effort by ESPN to meet fiscal goals for this year and beyond. This round took aim at on-air employees with large salaries, with ESPN hoping that such an approach would let it retain more staffers across the platform, according to CNBC.
ESPN’s primary owner, Disney, recently finished slacking off about 7,000 employees. Disney’s layoffs were meant to gain more than $5bn in savings as streaming gains slowed, among other factors, and are considered separate from ESPN’s job cuts.
CNBC reported that more prominent departures at ESPN are expected when some on-air personalities do not have their contracts renewed in the coming months.
On Friday, a statement from ESPN did not address particulars on the day’s cuts but said they were “necessary” to achieve “additional cost savings”.
“This … will include a small group of job cuts in the short-term and an ongoing focus on managing costs when we negotiate individual contract renewals in the months ahead,” ESPN’s statement said.
Disney’s television division, which includes ABC, ESPN, FX, the Disney Channel and National Geographic, reported $7bn in revenue in fiscal year 2022, up 3% from a year earlier, with a $2.5bn operating profit, a 13% increase.
In a different high-profile US cable TV job cut, Geraldo Rivera made his last appearance on Fox News on Friday. The network said Rivera’s exit from Fox was “amicable” while the ex-correspondent and weekend anchor said he had resigned after being fired from the show known as The Five.
Rivera nonetheless said Friday: “I love the people at Fox, I always will.”
