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Ed Werder, Trent Dilfer among 100 on-air talent and writers laid off by ESPN

National
National

ESPN will look very different in terms of on-air talent and writing staff.

The Worldwide Leader in Sports announced they will lay off close to 100 employees as the network moves into the digital realm.

The cuts will reduce their on-air talent and writing pool by about 10 percent.


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ESPN, headquartered in Bristol, Conn. since 1979, has been victim of rising fees to broadcast live events.

For example, ESPN committed $15.2 billion to extend their deal with the National Football League in 2011. They also put up $12 billion to broadcast the National Basketball Association for nine years, and $7.3 billion for the rights to televise the College Football Playoff.

At the same time, the network has lost viewers. According to estimates provided by Nielsen Media Research, ESPN has lost close to 10 million subscribers in the last six years.

The network laid off close to 300 employees in October 2015. Those layoffs didn’t affect on-air talent or writers.

ESPN president John Skipper said Wednesday the network wants to shift towards providing distinctive content across multiple platforms. The focus will be on more personality-oriented SportsCenter broadcasts. They are keeping the on-air talent they feel will best suit that new objective.

“Dynamic change demands an increase focus in versatility and value,” Skipper said in a statement, “And, as a result, we have been engaged in determining the talent—anchors, analysts, reporters, writers, and those who handle play-by-play—necessary to meet those demands.”

Some of the former employees confirmed their employment status on Twitter.

One of them is longtime NFL reporter Ed Werder. Werder joined ESPN in 1998 and was a staple of their NFL broadcasts. He posted on Twitter.

Former NFL quarterbacks Trent Dilfer and Danny Kanell are no longer with the network.

Dilfer, a Super Bowl winning quarterback with the Baltimore Ravens, joined ESPN as an analyst after his 2007 retirement. He was featured on the network’s pregame shows: Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown.

Kanell joined ESPN as a color commentator for college football and college baseball games. He was co-host of the Russillo and Kanell radio show. Kanell tweeted:

 

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