Layoffs. Firings. Bloodbath.
The news around ESPN lately has been about the significant cuts involving many well-known reporters and anchors as the network reshapes its coverage to fit into Disney’s bottom line. But ESPN also wants to get the message out that news is not dead at the network.
Jeremy Schaap and Bob Ley are the face of that message.
ESPN is throwing more resources at its flagship news programs. “Outside the Lines” and “E:60” will share a brand new studio and will have locked-in time slots, which have eluded both programs through the years. “OTL” will be on daily at 1 p.m. on ESPN and “E:60” will have a weekly spot at 9 a.m. on Sundays — debuting this Sunday — after a decade of frustrating starts and stops and difficult-to-find specials.
“We are adding producers, adding head count and we have to because we have a lot more shows to do,” said Schaap, the host and lead correspondent for “E:60.” “At the same time, of course, it’s a tough, tough time when these are people I know for a long time, people I care about [being let go]. You worry about them and their families and it’s not fun. It’s kind of a strange dichotomy, too.
“There’s the big story recently with dozens of names — a lot of people I know — and at the same time, we are ramping up. We’re going weekly and redoubling our commitment to this. That might seem counterintuitive to people in the face of layoffs, but there is no one who believes more in the mission of journalism here than [ESPN President] John Skipper. … People should know that they can come to ESPN and see sports news covered exhaustively, definitively and authoritatively.”
Since the layoffs that commitment has been questioned by fans, reporters and some of those fired by ESPN. Most of those laid off were reporters who covered the day-to-day news of their particular sports. That coverage may suffer — and ESPN appears willing to take that risk — but the network is depending on viewers supporting and appreciating this in-depth, investigative journalism.
“We’ve been given a big portfolio here, we have an opportunity here and obligation here to do great work, to do serious work,” said Schaap, an 11-time Emmy winner. “The thing about ESPN, whatever happens at ESPN people are talking about it, people notice it. That’s what you want. You’re going from an average of 12 to 15 shows to 52 shows and you’re talking about exponentially increasing the volume of this high-end work.
“Everyone’s feeling the pressure. We are the face of a big, big team. And nobody wants to do that work more than we do and it’s important for ESPN and its relationship with their viewers and it’s important to their brand. I hate the word brand, but there it is.”
Both Schaap and Ley played critical roles in unearthing the horrific circumstances migrant workers have suffered and died under in the buildup to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and the FIFA corruption that led to the decision to play the tournament there.
This Sunday’s premiere of “E:60” includes the story of the Syrian national team (by Pulitzer Prize winner and senior writer Steve Fainaru) and a feature on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. There will be features on several New York athletes, including Schaap traveling to Kristaps Porzingis’ tiny hometown in Latvia.
“To do these types of stories has been phenomenal, but at the same time elsewhere on the television landscape that type of reporting has been in retreat because of the expense and the constant struggle for eyeballs,” Schaap said. “And we doubled our commitment to doing these types of stories. The feedback and reaction from the public reinforces that these are the types of stories we should be doing.”