The Disney corporation is reportedly set to kick off yet another wave of layoffs at its cable sports network, ESPN.
While the situation is “fluid,” insiders are telling the New York Post that top network brass is going over their lists and will soon begin the process of informing employees who are slated for layoffs.
(L-R) NFL analysts Suzy Kolber, Steve Young, Robert Griffith III, Alex Smith, and Booger McFarland interact before the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field on November 14, 2022, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Reportedly, on-air employees with high salaries, but a relatively lighter workload, including Suzy Kolber and Steve Young, may be facing the ax.
Insiders claim that the high-dollar employees are especially vulnerable, and the network will also take a harder view of the number of hours being worked by such employees. As a result, insiders expect there to be far fewer members of the camera-facing elite, and those that remain will be doing far more work and will be seen by viewers more often.
ESPN has already engaged in two rounds of layoffs, But to meet Disney’s plans to lay off upwards of 7,000 employees, there may be more than one wave still to come.
In May, insiders insisted that no one was “immune” to the layoffs and that they would come off despite the company’s reported profits of $23.51 billion, which slightly exceeded expectations of $23.44 billion.
ESPN commentators Mark Jones and Doris Burke report before the game between the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings during Round 1 Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 15, 2023, at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. (Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
ESPN staffers have also been told that all cost-saving measures are on the table, and no one’s job is safe, with the most vulnerable being the on-air personalities.
In any case, the coming layoffs will likely be far worse than the 2017 round of layoffs that were said to be a “blood bath” when 100, mostly camera-facing employees were trimmed.
There have been more extensive layoffs since then, too. In 2015, the company dumped 350 workers, and in 2020 the company released 300 workers.
ESPN has been on a losing trend, though. Last year it was reported that ESPN lost another 10 percent of its subscribers and was down 8 million customers since 2020 as more customers cease being cable customers.
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