OT: More Significant Layoffs Are Coming to ESPN

[Carnac]

November 09, 2017 -
ESPN will lay off more than 100 staffers after the Thanksgiving holidays, multiple sources tell Sports Illustrated. The layoffs, which were described by a person briefed on the plans, will hit positions across ESPN including front-facing talent on the television side, producers, executives, and digital and technology staffers. The SportsCenter franchise is expected to be hit hard—including on-air people—given the frequency of the show has lessened considerably on main network ESPN.

[LINK]

 

[BigBird]

I would begin by rank ordering my employees by salary. The ones at the top of the lunch line would be subject to the greatest scrutiny. If the magnitude of the ratings generated aren’t correlated with their wages, that person should be quite worried.

The midnight Sportscenter from LA is such bovine dung that it would be a good idea to trash the entire production.

Show me sports events, not people talking about sports events.

 

[tomcat]

Start with the guy who called the Stanford game.

 

[cbraarj]

My cousins 2 sons work there since graduating from college. Both played baseball in college. Seem to think they are safe from the cuts for now. Tomcat agree about the announcer. Why not just Kara and Rebecca by themselves? They would have saved money!

 

[kibblesnbits]

I never understood the rationale behind the midnight LA show. Do they get more West Coast viewers solely because the show originated in their time zone?

 

[manbyrd]

 

[Vowelguy]

Why not just Kara and Rebecca by themselves? They would have saved money!

A broadcast without someone on play by play? Yeah that’s a good idea.

 

[Bestiarius]

Start with the guy who called the Stanford game.

The second game of that double header was Ohio State vs Lousiville. It was an exciting. close game, I believe was called by the same ESPN crew. He stuck to calling the game much more closely than the UCONN game. Probably because ESPN feels they need to entertain the fans during blowouts.

 

[Checkmate]

I never understood broadcasting football and basketball games where the ESPN crew is almost larger than the attendance ..... must be a big financial loss

 

[MilfordHusky]

I never understood broadcasting football and basketball games where the ESPN crew is almost larger than the attendance ..... must be a big financial loss

Sunday Night Football is another example: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michelle Tafoya, Mike Tirico, Dan Patrick, Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, and Mike Florio. Plus, I think Bob Costas chimes in at times. That's 8 or 9. I think 3-4 is sufficient.

 

[RoyDodger]

A broadcast without someone on play by play? Yeah that’s a good idea.

What play by play? As I recall, it was almost all gabbing and little or no attention to what was going on on the court.

 

[Shades]

I wonder if Chiney Oqwumike has or will get the ax? Haven't seen her doing commentary for the college game yet. She could have NBA crossover appeal similar to Rosalyn Gold-Onwude.

 

[cbraarj]

A broadcast without someone on play by play? Yeah that’s a good idea.

Maybe one of the two can handle it! They been around it enough to pretty much know how to do it! Have alittle faith!

 

[Checkmate]

Sunday Night Football is another example: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michelle Tafoya, Mike Tirico, Dan Patrick, Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, and Mike Florio. Plus, I think Bob Costas chimes in at times. That's 8 or 9. I think 3-4 is sufficient.

I agree that is to many people needed for an NFL game. However, I was referring to small school vs small school football or basketball game - where ESPN brings 25-50 (?) people and there are a few hundred in the stands. And maybe a few thousand watching.

 

[Vowelguy]

Maybe one of the two can handle it! They been around it enough to pretty much know how to do it! Have alittle faith!

Um no. PBP is a very specific, skilled job. To suggest anyone can just step and do it is pretty insulting to everyone who have trained to do it.

 

[Vowelguy]

What play by play? As I recall, it was almost all gabbing and little or no attention to what was going on on the court.

You do understand that all these folks have a producer/director in their ear who is directing the broadcast? It is highly unlikely he was doing something that the producer did not want.

 

[BigBird]

Um no. PBP is a very specific, skilled job. To suggest anyone can just step and do it is pretty insulting to everyone who have trained to do it.

Thank you. Without sounding condescending, I have tried to say to my BY friends that if you think it’s so easy, try to do it. I worked at it for most of 50 years without really mastering it. I got better as I went, but I never felt as though I knew it all. Something like flying an aircraft. The day you think you can’t learn anything new, park the damned plane and walk away.

 

[RoyDodger]

You do understand that all these folks have a producer/director in their ear who is directing the broadcast? It is highly unlikely he was doing something that the producer did not want.

Oh, I understand that there are producers, and if they told Adam Amin, Kara Lawson, and Rebecca Lobo, to pretty much ignore the game and chat about everything else, then the blame goes beyond the TV announcers. But I suspect that wasn't quite the case.

 

[bags27]

Sunday Night Football is another example: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michelle Tafoya, Mike Tirico, Dan Patrick, Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, and Mike Florio. Plus, I think Bob Costas chimes in at times. That's 8 or 9. I think 3-4 is sufficient.

Just cut Al Michaels. Huge salary and the only time he says anything about football, aside from b*s*, is when he just agrees with Collinsworth. Although, I have to admit, I've turned the sound off for years, so maybe he's better?

 

[JordyG]

Just cut Al Michaels. Huge salary and the only time he says anything about football, aside from b*s*, is when he just agrees with Collinsworth. Although, I have to admit, I've turned the sound off for years, so maybe he's better?

Nope. He remains unwatchalistenable.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I recall the early years of Monday Night Football with Gifford, Meredith, and Cosell in the booth. Many fans didn't like at least one of them. As a result, they watched the game with the sound off and listed to Jack Buck and Hank Stram on the radio. Jack Buck (Joe's father) was a true professional.

Jack Buck - Wikipedia

 

[bags27]

I recall the early years of Monday Night Football with Gifford, Meredith, and Cosell in the booth. Many fans didn't like at least one of them. As a result, they watched the game with the sound off and listed to Jack Buck and Hank Stram on the radio. Jack Buck (Joe's father) was a true professional.

Jack Buck - Wikipedia

yup. that was me.

there's even a radio you can buy that has an adjustable delay so that you can synch the radio with the TV:
SportSync | The AM/FM Radio with Sports Audio Delay

 

[tomcat]

Oh, I understand that there are producers, and if they told Adam Amin, Kara Lawson, and Rebecca Lobo, to pretty much ignore the game and chat about everything else, then the blame goes beyond the TV announcers. But I suspect that wasn't quite the case.

So you think the three of them just, "SQUIRREL!!" decided to be distracted by something else and to talk about it? They developed ADD, perhaps? No, that's not how it works. Someone in the control facility (not called control for nothing) told them to dial back the play by play and to drag out the anecdotes they had undoubtedly prepared against just this possibility.

It's not the first time this has happened, and it is caused by a broadcasting philosophy that says, basically, that the audience ceases to care about the mechanics of the game as soon as the score gets out of reach. I believe there';s a basic flaw in such thinking. IMHO, if people are not going to care about the game because it's getting to be a blowout, they will change the channel.ESPN believes the best way to guard against that is for the broadcast team to start telling stories by which they think the audience will be fascinated. My theory is that audiences cease to care about the score, but are willing to be entertained by the game, if the call of the game contains enough game-related information to make it entertaining. In other words, you don't stop the play-by-play. You include more information on the ins and outs of the plays people are watching. Few others seem to think this is a good idea, by the way, which is why I and others like me always end up grumpy listening to airhead commentary during games that are not close.

 

[Vowelguy]

So you think the three of them just, "SQUIRREL!!" decided to be distracted by something else and to talk about it? They developed ADD, perhaps? No, that's not how it works. Someone in the control facility (not called control for nothing) told them to dial back the play by play and to drag out the anecdotes they had undoubtedly prepared against just this possibility.

+1

 

[MilfordHusky]

Ros Gold----sizzle sizzle---

Thanks for the correction of her first name. Chiney is pretty good for a newcomer. I think Ros is quite good.