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ESPN cleans house

TheReff said:
Does anyone watch ESPN anymore except for actual games? Rare occasion might watch SVP late.
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I watch it just about every weekday for the hour I’m home eating lunch and most nights just before I go to bed. 🤷🏽‍♂️
 
Spot the Wonder said:
ESPN canned a bunch of top talent today

Max Kellerman
Keyshawn Johnson
Jalen Rose
Laphonso Eliis
Matt Hasselback
Suzy Kolber

Live sports costs a ton of money. Gotta cuts costs somewhere. Jesus, they canned Suzy Kolber.
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Disney is bleeding $$. . . they could easily not, but they continue to be political.

gotta make the cuts somewhere. hate to see some of the good ones get the axe as a result
 
I mostly stopped watching sportscenter when they did that "Who's Now" series-it was so stupid, and yet a symbol of everything that Sportscenter had become. It was fun in the 90s when they showed most every out-of-market game highlights and the anchors were still entertaining, but by the mid-to-late 2000s it was just over-covering whoever they thought was the biggest newsmaker of the moment (Favre, Jeter, Tiger, Lebron, etc). PTI was and still is an entertaining show, but overall ESPN put way too much into the talking heads side of their enterprise.
 
DeaconiousHooz said:
Disney is bleeding $$. . . they could easily not, but they continue to be political.

gotta make the cuts somewhere. hate to see some of the good ones get the axe as a result
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Diasantis is bankrupting Disney lol 👍
 
I listened to Mike & Mike for years. It was a great show in its day.

Just because it worked I think the execs assumed 10 more just like it or similar would be even better. ESPN must have content beyond games but the balance and type go-forward will be interesting.

The term "reinvent themselves" is way overdone but may apply here.
 
ESPN has spent a fortune over the last decade or so to acquire broadcast rights. That’s where their money is going. They’ve gotten some right and gotten some wrong.

The reality is that there are very few play-by-play or color guys that draw in an audience. I’m sure their are others, but Madden/Summerall in the 80s & 90s and maybe peak Gus Johnson calling college hoops are the only ones that come to my mind. Bottom line is I’m not watching more
or less NFL based on whether or not Suzy Kolber is involved. It’s kind of next man up where the announcers are a commodity.
 
Most of the fires aren’t play by play or color announcers during games. JVG is the only one I recall.

It’s talking heads and Sportscenter anchors which are where they can trim the fat although it sucks for them and people who do follow them.
 
TheAbster said:
I listened to Mike & Mike for years. It was a great show in its day.

Just because it worked I think the execs assumed 10 more just like it or similar would be even better. ESPN must have content beyond games but the balance and type go-forward will be interesting.

The term "reinvent themselves" is way overdone but may apply here.
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Didn't Greenberg and Golic have a big falling out of some sorts?
 
Liquid Karma said:
Didn't Greenberg and Golic have a big falling out of some sorts?
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They tried to say otherwise but I have read they did. I know toward the end, some of their shows were "awkward". Greenberg would be "on leave" or Golic would have a "scheduling conflict".

It's a shame because their show was fantastic for about 15 years.
 
the conflict was that ESPN offered greenberg a daytime TV show that would end mike & mike, and ultimately golic's tenure at ESPN, and golic was upset that greenberg took it without giving mike & mike a second thought
 
Part of the issue is that there’s so much sports broadcasting talent and the sports broadcasting landscape is so concentrated at ESPN.

I was watching the first half of the first NBA Summer League game. The color commentator was impressive. I looked her up and she’s the Kings broadcast studio host and G-League color commentator. Holly Rowe is doing color for Salt Lake league games. I always enjoy when she does play by play or color for Jazz broadcasts. Both talented women at different stages of their careers. Rowe probably will never get an ESPN or network color gig despite being a great sideline reporter.
 
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ESPN has discovered that people will watch even untalented announcers, who they can get for lots less money than the ones they have. Still, how can they let Suzie Kolber go and keep Hannah Storm? The station is still hugely profitable, though profits have declined in the last several years.
 
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