In a buzzword-filled memo that otherwise said very little, ESPN president John Skipper announced officially this morning what has been known for awhile: Layoffs are coming to ESPN, starting today.
A necessary component of managing change involves constantly evaluating how we best utilize all of our resources, and that sometimes involves difficult decisions. ... We will implement changes in our talent lineup this week. A limited number of other positions will also be affected and a handful of new jobs will be posted to fill various needs.
To explain the layoffs, ESPN also published a short memo titled “ESPN’s content evolution strategy,” written by six of Skipper’s top deputies. Using more buzzwords and saying even less, it explains that fewer people are watching ESPN’s TV shows, and so ESPN needs to change their TV shows to attract those fans, along with making sure there is plenty of interesting video online for them.
Various reports have pegged the number that will be laid off at around 100, with the understanding that this will include a number of well-known TV, radio, and online employees.