After layoffs at the New York Daily News, Columbia Journalism Review, and a crackup at The Village Voice this month, a much larger-scale downsizing is happening at ESPN, where 300 to 400 jobs are expected to disappear both through layoffs and leaving positions unfilled. The Times points out it’s a comparatively small number compared to the 6,500 people who work for the Walt Disney-owned company. Even though ESPN is “hugely profitable,” WSJ reports, it says higher rates it’s paying for the rights to air games are cutting into its bottom line.
