The Athletic lays off staff amid new approach; Kate Abdo signs an extension with CBS Sports; ESPN director Kyle Brown passed away covering the College World Series.
The Athletic lays off several reporters
The Athletic laid off four percent of its staff Monday, amounting to about 20 reporters, according to Ben Strauss in The Washington Post. The digital media outlet was purchased by The New York Times in 2022 for $550m.
The company is citing a shift in approach as reason for the layoffs, as it plans to move away from staffing the local beats that used to be their calling card. Now, the company will use a more measured approach, sacrificing local coverage for writing that appeals to a broader regional or league-wide audience.
Of note, the sports business beat was heavily impacted by the layoffs — including Bill Shea and Daniel Kaplan.
Other writers impacted by the layoffs include Josh Cooper (NHL), Sean Fitz-Gerald (Canada national writer), Marc Antoine Godin (Montreal), Bob Kravitz (Indiana), Bob Sturm (Dallas Cowboys), Jay Morrison (Cincinnati Bengals), Rich Hofmann (Philadelphia 76ers), Kelsey Russo (Cleveland Cavaliers), and Rob Biertempfel (Pittsburgh Pirates). (Washington Post 6.12) (Awful Announcing 6.12)
Kate Abdo signs contract extension
CBS Sports soccer presenter Kate Abdo has agreed to a four year extension with the network, it was announced over the weekend. Abdo serves as the network’s studio host for UEFA Champions League Today among other soccer properties.
The presenter has a long resume that includes covering the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, the 2015 and 2019 Women’s World Cups, Europa League, FA Cup, and CONCACAF Nations League.
With the recent addition of 24-hour FAST channel, CBS Sports Golazo, to the programming lineup, retaining a talent such as Abdo likely took on an even greater importance. (Awful Announcing 6.12)
ESPN director Kyle Brown passes away
Long time ESPN director Kyle Brown died Saturday after suffering a medical emergency at the College World Series regional in Winston-Salem, NC. He was 42. Brown had worked at ESPN for 16 years covering baseball, basketball and football.
An accomplished director, Brown won two Sports Emmy Awards during his time working at ESPN. (ESPN 6.11)
