Stock has already ignored the news, Disney at a 52w high today.

Mike and Mike on your bike

I don't think you understand how investing works.

Cool? They are making the layoffs because they've spent way too much on sports rights, which if you ask some is a ticking time bomb. Today maybe alright for a quarter of p&l but it doesn't change the fact they are hemorrhaging subs at the same time margins are contracting. ESPN is the major part of Disney's cable division, these recent staff purges indicate they are facing significant short and long term challenges. Some their own doing and some a victim of the headwinds the industry is facing. Either way, Disney hitting 52w highs back to levels they were at before a terrible quarter sank the stock due to ESPN subs is why I mentioned how the stock was doing. I don't know much about investing though, you are right lol...

http://deadspin.com/espns-latest-lay...ime-1794678629

Also what will become of the Russillo and Kannell radio time slot?

(I'm just so happy Kannell went out like the ***** he is)

Why did Kanell work at ESPN for 3 years before bringing his family there?

Sarging w Berman obviously

Good point, former players spouting platitudes and having people actually watch it is over, can go anywhere for highlights now.

I just think everything besides NFL is going niche.

Lol @ people thinking it has to do with politics. Yeah I'm sure if they drop the politics and cover NHL and Nascar more that they will flourish.

and lol @ people on twitter acting like this is the financial crisis. Like the end result of all this is that Stephen A will make 50% of what he makes now for yelling into a TV.

This cracked me up and reminded me of this thread:

NYC Trip Report - Diablo as my wing

Oh, and obligatory "You're with me, Leather":
http://deadspin.com/166410/he--could--go--all--the--way

I stopped watching ESPN ages ago when they became the TMZ of sports.

No surprise that this happens when they put out such ****ty content.

ESPN terrible content aside, is there a pathway for them to get back to business as usual?

What could they really change? It isn't like putting Zach Lowe or Bill Barnwell on TV is going to do much. Talking analytics and Xs and Os is a no go. They had Numbers Never Lie and by the end of it, it was just Hugh Douglas and Jalen Rose.

More Hard Knocks type shows? Feels like that has been done?

Docs? 30 for 30 already seems like it is running out of ideas. Between the comp from HBO and Netflix, there is almost so much you can do.

Non-live sports programming just seems like it has such a low ceiling nowadays.

They used to have ESPN: The Life



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9ZgMpVuB5Y

https://twitter.com/ryenarussillo/st...81140005470209

I had forgotten that Papa Disney told them a couple of years ago to trim over a quarter billion from their budgets in 2016 + 2017. This is the natural result of that.

Show more random live sports like volleyball and snooker and college hockey or whatever. TV rights can't cost too much, and you can fill lots of hours with stuff that can/will be watched in bars and as the background noise. They have so much stuff that they put on ESPN3 already that doesn't see the light of day on actual tv.

Does that stuff get better ratings than the stuff they have on air already tho? Seems doubtful.

It's funny because this is pretty much how ESPN started.

I'm not sure how they get back to where they were. Broadcast rights costs are soaring at a time when people are turned elsewhere for content. I've not cut the cord up to now precisely because I still want to watch live sports on my big screen TV. You can get live sports on Twitter now ffs.

But if you're looking for someone to blame I think you blame the cable companies' gouging over SJW programming.

Says he's keeping his radio gig as well, wonder who they will pair him with? I think he's one of those who needs a wingman, don't really see him carrying a radio show all on his own.

My guess would be Adnan Virk.

Didn't dump Chris Berman or Mel Kiper Jr.

ESPN is so bad.

Probably not but it's not like the current model is working either.

I used to binge watch ESPN when they showed crazy and wacky sports like the World's Strongest Man and the Lumberjack stuff.

That was the appeal of ESPN to me. I think that goes for a lot of people that first started watching it 20-30 years ago.

ESPN needs to come to term that they will never get a huge market share of programming except for the random sporting event that occurs maybe once or twice a year.

Like, you are just not going to have high ratings on a random Tues night during prime time. Not in this day and age where customers have 500+ choices to choose from.

ESPN could start putting out elite content that all the viewers love and it would be a bandaid over a bullet wound.

Less people watch tv, less people have cable, and they paid up for tv deals. The blame on declining content quality is accurate but it's a small percentage of the total problem.

Thought someone posted hoping that Brit McHenry would be fired, maybe that was a diff subforum. Regardless, she gone.

Andy Katz and Dallas Braden too.

They need more original programming like Tilt. A