ESPN will reportedly begin its next round of layoffs this week as part of The Walt Disney Company’s elimination of 7,000 jobs across all of its divisions in an effort to cut an estimated $5.5 billion in costs.
Jimmy Pitaro, who serves as the chairman of ESPN, has reportedly informed department heads to closely look at their divisions at this time, presumably in an effort to streamline processes and cut operating costs. During the last wave of layoffs, ESPN let several people go that have been with the network for many years. ESPN Radio was affected by the layoffs in a particularly gruesome manner, terminating the employment of Scott McCarthy, Ryan Hurley, Amanda Brown and Louise Cornetta among others.
The ESPN layoffs have largely impacted those behind the scenes thus far, but it is expected to eventually impact the network’s talent. Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reported that there will be no “sacred cows,” and identified Joe Buck, Stephen A. Smith and Scott Van Pelt as names who would be safe.
“I do not want to minimize the enormous toll of saying goodbye to dedicated colleagues that have worked tirelessly to strengthen ESPN and deliver for sports fans,” Pitaro said in a company-wide memo. “The people of ESPN and their constant resolve to get the job done, to excel and to innovate have built this place. We will act with compassion, respect for our colleagues and professionalism as we face these hard circumstances.”
These layoffs are the latest in what has become somewhat of a trend for the Worldwide Leader over the last decade as it continues to innovate in the sports media industry. In 2015, 2017 and 2020, ESPN engaged in some level of layoffs, with the most recent occurrence resulting in 300 employees losing jobs and 200 positions remaining unfilled.
