Big Time ESPN Personalities Laid Off
Issue #126 — ESPN said good bye to many seasoned on-air staff as the network continues to pursue cuts ordered by its parent company, Disney.
Big-Time ESPN Personalities Laid Off
On Friday, the collective sports world was shocked as it learned the names of prominent personalities being let go by ESPN.
High-profile names such as 27-year veteran ESPN anchor and Monday Night Countdown host Suzie Kolber, former NBA head coach and game analyst Jeff Van Gundy, and former NBA player, NBA analyst, and former Get Up co-host Jalen Rose will no longer be seen on ESPN screens as they and 13 other on-air talent were let go in a move described by the network as one to find “additional cost savings in the area of public-facing commentator salaries.”
The other laid-off personalities included sports host Max Kellerman, former NFL player and NFL analyst Keyshawn Johnson, former NFL player and NFL Countdown analysts Matt Hasselbeck, former NFL player and NFL Countdown analyst Steve Young, former NFL player and College Game Day analyst David Pollack, NFL draft expert Todd McShay, college basketball analyst LaPhonso Ellis, SportsCenter anchor Ashley Brewer, boxing analyst Andre Ward, radio host Jason Fitz, sports betting insider Doug Kezirian show host Jordan Cornette, baseball writer Joon Lee and NBA reporter Nick Friedell.
Former NBA player turned NBA analyst Vince Carter is still with the network, but all signs have him leaving the network once his contract expires in September.
More names may be dropping in the coming days. Still, despite knowing that this news was coming, as ESPN’s parent Disney had earlier in the year ordered a staff reduction count of 7,000 jobs as part of a gambit to save $5.5 billion, it was shocking to see many high-profile talent who had helped be the face of ESPN for many years being shown the exit door.
There’s a report saying that these changes had nothing to do with the Disney mandate but were more so due to ESPN needing to recalibrate its financial targets and opting to dip into its roster of on-air talent rather than have more layoffs with its behind-the-scenes staff.
Not sure what to make of that report considering these moves were telegraphed much earlier in the year by Disney’s top management, which indicated that there would be cuts across the board, and clarified further by ESPN executives who said that on-air staff would be impacted in the early summer.
Also, the network recently lost longtime SportsCenter anchor Neil Everett, NFL analyst Rob Ninkovich, and NHL analyst Chris Chelios, which could have been seen as a prelude to these more significant cuts.
ESPN wanted to rid itself of legacy employees with expensive contracts with these latest cuts, so when their names were announced, despite their top-tier positioning within the network, they spread like wildfire and shocked many.
One name missing from these cuts is Sage Steele, who sued the network, alleging infringement of her free-speech rights. The impending lawsuit puts ESPN in a tough spot as if she was part of the cuts; she could claim it was done as a form of retaliation and further strengthened her case against the network.
ESPN will definitely feel their loss, but it has a deep roster of on-air talent to help take over from the recently departed ones, but for many, not seeing the familiar faces and/or hearing those familiar voices would be a stark reminder that a particular era of ESPN has come to a close.
(Deadline, Front Office Sports)
FOX NEWS RECAP
Fox News Settles With Abby Grossberg for $12 Million
Fresh off its $787 million settlement with Dominion Voting System, Fox News reached deep into its pockets to fork over another $12 million as it settled with former producer Abby Grossberg on Friday. Grossberg had sued the network claiming a hostile environment existed at the network as she was exposed to bullying, misogyny, and bigotry. Grossberg, in particular, referenced her time working on the formerly top-rated show Tucker Carlson Tonight where she was their chief booker. Her lawsuit, coupled with the Dominion settlement, led to Carlson’s ouster in April. Grossberg, after the settlement, said, "I am hopeful, based on our discussions with Fox News today, that this resolution represents a positive step by the network regarding its treatment of women and minorities in the workplace." (NPR, New York Times )
Fox News Announces A Revamped Primetime Lineup
A new Fox News primetime lineup is set to debut Monday, July 17, that sees Jesse Watters inherit Tucker Carlson’s former slot, moving up from his previous time period of 7 pm ET. No drastic changes took place with this revamped lineup, but some interesting moves were made. Chief among them was Laura Ingraham’s The Ingraham Angle moving from her longtime spot of 10 pm ET to the early prime spot of 7 pm ET. Late-night comic Greg Gutfeld, reeling off the success of his late-night show, is moving from 11 pm ET to 10 pm ET, while the 9 pm ET slot remains unchanged, with Hannity continuing to hold the fort. A pair of costly settlements have forced Fox News to limit what it can do when it comes to its programming moves. The network also announced that Carlson’s former show staff would be let go once the new schedule kicked in, and former producer Gregg Re was not happy with the news. (Sarah Ellison/Twitter, Mediaite)
Geraldo Rivera Leaves Fox News
After dropping a cliffhanger of a tweet last week regarding whether he will continue to work for Fox News, correspondent at large Geraldo Rivera revealed this past Thursday that he would be departing the network. In a video released via social media, Rivera said, “So it doesn’t look like I’m going to be on The Five. I mean, I’m not going to be on The Five. I’ve been fired from The Five. And as a result of that. I quit Fox. So I’ll have more to say about that on Fox and Friends tomorrow morning.” Geraldo made an appearance on the morning show on Friday, where the show’s trio gave him a warm send-off. “I’m deeply touched, I’m honored, I love Fox, I love the people at Fox, I always will,” Rivera said. “I’ll never let anyone separate us, but I am beyond grateful for this. This is so deeply affecting; I love you for it, thank you.” Fox News addressed Rivera leaving the network, saying, “We reached an amicable conclusion with Geraldo over the past few weeks.” (Geraldo Rivera/Twitter, Fox News, Mediatie)
QUICK RECAP
Award: WBD Sports’ Ernie Johnson to be inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. (Front Office Sports/Twitter)
Awards: The Buffalo Broadcasters Association names CBS News’ Jeff Glor to its Hall of Fame Class of 2023. (CBS News PR/Twitter)
Profile: CNN's Phil Mattingly on being a “straight news guy.” (N-Magazine)
Profile: How Greg Gutfeld and Fox News won the late-night comedy wars. (The New York Times)
2Q Ratings: NBC News’ Dateline is the most watched newsmagazine show. (The Wrap)
2Q Ratings: CNN and Fox News are down while MSNBC shines. (TVNewser)
Former CNN executive David Borhman passes away. (CNN/PR)
ABC News names Molly Shaker, executive producer of special events. (ABC News Public Relations)
David Culver and Eva McKend earn promotions at CNN. (TVNewser)
Jim Tremblay was named head of sales at Newsmax. (TVNewser)
JJ Watt joins CBS Sports as an NFL studio analyst. (Paramount Press Express)
Jon Champion joins NBC Sports to call matches for the 2023-2024 Premier League season. (World Soccer Talk)
Senior White House correspondent Kayla Tausche leaves CNBC. (TVNewser)
HBO and Max get a combined 20 nominations for the TCA Awards. (NextTV)
Warner Bros. Discovery lets go of diversity & inclusion leader Karen Horne amid internal restructuring. (Los Angeles Times)
TNT has surpassed ESPN in its NHL coverage in the studio and during game coverage. (Awful Announcing)
Talent development executive Ellena Nachmanoff headed to ABC News. (Dylan Byers/Twitter)
New free streaming channels from NBCUniversal headed to Freevee, Xumo. (Broadcasting+Cable)
Arizona Diamondbacks to remain on Bally Sports Arizona for now. (NextTV)
MSNBC is benefiting from CNN and Fox News’ drama. (The Daily Beast)
Netflix pivots to South Korea as writers’ strike persists. (Los Angeles Times)
CBS Mornings Nate Burleson caught up in travel delays drama. (TVNewser)
CBS News’ Weijia Jiang is the winner of an At-Large Seat on the White House Correspondents Association board for 2023-2026 – and serving as president in the third year, 2025-2026. (WHCA/Twitter)
CNN could be made available for Max's international subscribers. (Bloomberg)
NFL Redzone is to be available on DirecTV alongside NFL Network in a new carriage agreement with the NFL. (NFL Communications)
Dana Bash celebrates 30 years at CNN. (CNNPR/Twitter)
BBC News is the biggest news brand on Instagram. (PressGazette)
NBC Sports is reportedly in the mix for the next NBA media rights. (Awful Announcing)
CNN tweaks its recently launched graphics package. (NewscastStudio)
Paramount Plus and Showtime have officially become one. (Broadcasting+Cable)
No more free Peacock for Xfinity and Flex cable subscribers. (MediaPost)
ESPN's settlement offer was not welcomed by Sage Steele’s attorneys. (Awful Announcing)
Biographies are in the works for Tucker Carlson. (The Wall Street Journal)
ESPN's head of event & studio production David Roberts named to the National Association of Black Journalists' Hall of Fame Class of 2023. (NABJ)
Roku gets into live sports with Formula E racing series. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Fox Nation is floundering. (The Daily Beast)
Leguizamo Does America gets a second season at MSNBC and wins an award. (TVNewser)
Netflix removes the no-add $9.99 option for new and returning users in Canada. (NextTV)
The MLS nears Apple's required subscription threshold that kick-starts subscription revenue sharing agreement. (Awful Announcing)
Awards: ABC News’ chief justice correspondent Pierre Thomas receives the RTDNA's 2023 Paul White Award. (TVNewser)
Tucker Carlson to launch a new media company. (Puck)
Thanks for reading the Coverage Notes Newsletter. We’ll be back on July 16.
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A MarkHenry Media LLC publication - Issue #126 - 2023