June 12, 2013

More bad news at ESPN today. Stay tuned for details.


A new missive, "Company Changes," sent moments ago from ESPN President John Skipper to employees of the Bristol-based sports giant:

On May 21st we initiated a restructuring plan across the company reflecting a changing marketplace and anticipated areas of future growth. This week will see a continuation of that effort with meetings among employees, managers and our HR staff.
While I am very confident in the strength of our overall position, our industry is changing and it is critically important that we use our resources to best support our continued growth. As we have in the past, we will also discontinue certain activities that are not performing at the levels we had anticipated. These decisions are difficult, but in making these changes we will continue to ensure that affected employees are treated with respect and appreciation. Each will be provided notice, severance and ongoing support from our HR team.
We ask anyone with questions or concerns to please speak to your HR business partner or manager.
Thank you.
John

Update at 8:35 a.m.: I'm told that despite the ominous sound of Skipper's email, this is actually just the conclusion of the layoffs announced last month, which will total between 300 and 400 positions, not necessarily that many people.

Update at 8:40 a.m.: Among the cuts are the closure of an office in Denver, the slicing of some outdated tech-related jobs and company-wide reductions that include overseas posts. While Bristol is feeling the ax, and the tension, many of the layoffs are elsewhere. Bristol has 4,000 of the company's 7,000 employees.

Update at 10:50 a.m.: One of the cuts is to drop ESPN 3D this year, which only has a couple of employees dedicated entirely to it.

Copyright 2013 All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

1 comment:

schmidt1090 said...

"Which will total 300 to 400. Not necessarily that many people." Tell that to one of the 300 to 400.