Linda Cohn isn’t holding back. The retired SportsCenter anchor says ESPN’s PR team fumbled its latest layoffs from start to finish.
What We Know: Cohn spent over three decades at ESPN before retiring earlier this year. She addressed the network’s newest layoff round on The Linda Cohn Show podcast. The cuts hit over 150 staffers, including on-air analyst Ryan Clark among other top names. Clark learned of his firing reportedly mid-broadcast during NFL Live this week. Cohn said the errors made by public relations and communications teams at the network allowed a single moment to overshadow everyone else cut from the network.
What They Said: (All quotes from The Linda Cohn Show)
Linda Cohn says ESPN PR dropped the ball with the layoffs: “The ESPN layoffs, that was awful. What made it even worse, if that could be possible was the way ESPN PR handled it or mishandled it. They treated everyone on this latest firing list with zero respect. Zero.”
Linda Cohn says Ryan Clark layoff handling made everyone else an afterthought: “If you knew there were media outlets going to break the news and you were concerned about Ryan finding out by looking at his phone during the show, then why didn’t you just tell him before the show? before he took the set? That is bumbling and fumbling. That buffoonery electrified this story in a negative way. Even more, the rippling effect of that mishandling of the Ryan Clark situation and why it got all the headlines regarding the mishandling by ESPN and the way they went about it. What it did when I mentioned the rippling effect how about everybody else they became an afterthought.”
Linda Cohn on the ESPN layoffs: “I felt sorry for those who were treated the way they were. How about the over 150 people behind the scenes that were let go? They have their own story. Just because they’re not on TV, it doesn’t mean their stories aren’t as significant… This really bothered me, the way ESPN treated these people. No dignity, no respect.”
What Remains Unclear: The process is which Clark was laid off from ESPN is still fully unknown. Whether the network will change its internal notification process is unknown at this time.
What It Means: Cohn’s remarks add a credible, insider voice to mounting criticism following ESPN’s layoff rollout. Her comments spotlight both the Clark spectacle and the overlooked staffers behind it. But also how longtime employees were made aware of their departures prior to being notified from corporate. Layoffs are never easy, and with networks as large as ESPN it only makes the process more difficult. Consequently, pressure builds on ESPN to retool its process.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.