ESPN is laying off about 100 employees, including former athletes-turned-broadcasters Trent Dilfer, Len Elmore and Danny Kanell, in a purge designed to focus the sports network on a more digital future.

The cuts will trim ESPN's stable of on-air talent and writers by about 10 percent.

The 36-year-old network has been squeezed by rising fees to broadcast live events at the same time hordes of cord-cutting TV viewers have been canceling their ESPN subscriptions. ESPN has lost about 10 million subscribers during the past six years, based on estimates by Nielsen Media Research.

The downturn prompted an even bigger round of layoffs affecting about 300 workers in 2015, but on-air talent was mostly spared from those cuts.

ESPN chief John Skipper said Wednesday the Bristol, Conn.-based company wants to provide distinctive content all the time on multiple screens, with more personality-oriented "SportsCenter" broadcasts, and is keeping people best suited to the new strategy.

ESPN isn't saying who has been fired. Many are releasing the news on social media, including Dilfer, NFL reporter Ed Werder and baseball reporter Jayson Stark.

Former morning host Jay Crawford, football columnist Jane McManus, ESPNU host Brendan Fitzgerald, hockey reporter Pierre LeBrun, soccer reporter Mike Goodman, baseball analyst Jim Bowden and baseball reporter Mark Saxon were among the others to announce their departures.

"Our goal continues to be to maximize our unparalleled scale in every medium with storytelling that stands out and makes a difference," Skipper said in a memo to employees. "We are well-equipped to thrive going forward by embracing those themes."

ESPN's recent troubles have become a drag on the profits of its parent, The Walt Disney Co.

Jim Miller, who co-wrote a book on ESPN's history, said Wednesday that "around 50 names you will recognize; another 50 you may not" will be losing their jobs. Those who are part of the network's daily programming lineup are more likely to be retained, a reflection of Skipper's line about "versatility and value" in his memo.

Werder was among the first to announce he had been laid off, on the eve of the NFL draft. If there was proof Wednesday that no one was safe, this was it. Werder was among the network's most respected NFL voices. He tweeted:

"After 17 years reporting on NFL, I've been informed that I'm being laid off by ESPN effective immediately. I have no plans to retire. While surprised and disappointed, I was fortunate to have worked ESPN with so many devoted, talented journalists. I will always be grateful."

An updated list of people let go by ESPN, from the Awful Announcing blog.

The network is reportedly also shuttering its ESPNU studio in Charlotte, in favor of moving it to the headquarters in Bristol. The move won't result in mass layoffs, however; the Charlotte Observer reports fewer than 10 people are expected to lose their jobs.

The Associated Press and the Washington Post contributed to this report.