More staff cuts at ESPN today.

[Darth_VadEER]

Most of the good talent had left ESPN before this staff cutback. They left because ESPN is extremely politically correct and controlling. CBS Sports Network, NBC Sports Channel and Fox Sports 1 all feature former ESPN talent. And that includes off camera staffers as well. I work in TV production as a camera operator and have worked on a freelance basis for all of them at one time or another. And without question ESPN was the worst.

I believe Linda Cohen mentioned that politics has hurt ESPN, but she stopped short of saying to what degree.

 

[Rootmaster]

Subscriber loss and bad (way too rich) contracts to sports entities for content are the issues. On air talent means very little. Advertisers are not willing, or going to, pay projected spot rates for less eyeballs. Cord cutting will eventually lead to program retrenchment and less lucrative contracts which will in turn lead to less money payout at conference schools...which will lead to cut backs on sports spending at schools...which will lead to new delivery systems of individual school streaming and the need to get folks to actually show up for games again.

 

[3xWVUenginEER]

Regardless of cord cutting, which is a big factor financially (from a revenue standpoint), less viewers have been tuning in to watch espn. NBA ratings are down (40% according to Colin Cowherd), MNF ratings were down (SNF ratings killed MNF by a weekly average of more than 30%), and college basketball ratings were horrible (probably not much of a change cause other than the tournament nobody has watched much of the regular season in years). I won't even mention baseball (nobody watches that either). I don't know whether it's politics/social commentary, but something is making less people who use to tune in, tune in.

I don't watch ESPN except for college football. Nothing else they have on that network is of any interest to me. The original programming is the same show arguing all day with different people on the same topics, and most of the commentators come off as loud and ignorant and fake.

I dropped espn some time back. I will get it again for Sept - Mid Jan.

 

[Op2]

Regardless of cord cutting, which is a big factor financially (from a revenue standpoint), less viewers have been tuning in to watch espn. NBA ratings are down (40% according to Colin Cowherd), MNF ratings were down (SNF ratings killed MNF by a weekly average of more than 30%), and college basketball ratings were horrible (probably not much of a change cause other than the tournament nobody has watched much of the regular season in years). I won't even mention baseball (nobody watches that either). I don't know whether it's politics/social commentary, but something is making less people who use to tune in, tune in.

I don't watch ESPN except for college football. Nothing else they have on that network is of any interest to me. The original programming is the same show arguing all day with different people on the same topics, and most of the commentators come off as loud and ignorant and fake.

I dropped espn some time back. I will get it again for Sept - Mid Jan.

I agree with you completely. I get ESPN via Sling TV for college football season (and MNF) and that's it. And I'm at the point where I dislike ESPN so much that I'm considering not even getting it for college football season although when the time comes I don't think I'll be able to resist.

Last fall when I had ESPN for about four months I watched a grand total of about 20 minutes of stuff other than football games and about half of that was to watch SportsCenter and marvel at how bad it is. The channel is a wasteland. The talk shows are terrible.. And even with the games the coverage by ESPN is often crappy but since it's the only channel that has the game on you have no choice but to watch ESPN if you want to see the game.

I'm reveling in their decline. I'm like Cartman at the end of that one South Park episode where he was drinking Scott Tenerman's tears.

 

[older gold]

So far, they've been cutting non-big names. Only person of note thus far is Danny Kanell, and I never cared for his commentary, although I do hate to see people lose their jobs.

What about Andy Katz and Brett McMurphy?

 

[topdecktiger]

I don't know whether it's politics/social commentary, but something is making less people who use to tune in, tune in.

The ratings are down in general, not just on ESPN.

 

[spartanEER]

I believe Linda Cohen mentioned that politics has hurt ESPN, but she stopped short of saying to what degree.

Yep, they've taken PC to extremes.