The cuts that reportedly were coming for months at ESPN started happening Wednesday, with several big names with many years of experience at the sports media behemoth getting calls and being told they are now out of a job.
Several of them tweeted their goodbyes after hearing the news.
Among the biggest names: NFL reporter Ed Werder and MLB writer Jayson Stark, both of whom had been with ESPN for 17 years.
The cuts also include NHL talent Scott Burnside, Joe McDonald and Pierre LeBrun. MLB insider Jim Bowden and college basketball reporter Dana O'Neil are also part of the layoffs for ESPN, which is facing budget woes stemming from the increased cost of securing rights fees for major sports combined with a decline in subscriber revenue as more consumers ditch cable/satellite TV.
No matter what you think of ESPN, good people losing jobs is nothing to celebrate.
Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. michael.rand@startribune.com.
