The Official "Espn First Take , FS1 Undisputed, Sportscenter , Sports Radio, Podcasts etc" Thread.
TheBoyRo
Members Posts: 13,647 ✭✭✭✭✭
Comments
-
Everybody leaving espn
-
Source: Skip Bayless Is Leaving ESPN For Fox Sports
Skip Bayless has decided to leave ESPN when his contract expires at the end of August. His final appearance on First Take will be the day after the NBA Finals conclude. We want to thank Skip for his many contributions to ESPN. His hard work and talent have benefited ESPN for 12 years.
According to an industry source, Bayless is expected to join Fox Sports. New Fox Sports head honcho Jamie Horowitz—who worked with Bayless at First Take while at ESPN and is generally credited/blamed for the network’s embarrassing “Embrace Debate” era—has been clear about his desire to remake Fox Sports as a sort of giant crypto-racist shout show, and Bayless is the biggest name in that game. “Yes, we’re interested in all the superstars,” Horowitz told Sporting News last month. “Of course, I’m interested in Skip.”
According to an ESPN press release, First Take was supposed to broadcast from Chicago starting on Thursday, site of the NFL Draft. An ESPN spokesperson tells me those plans have changed, but declined to elaborate on why. According to a source, it’s because of today’s announcement.
Bayless, whose ESPN contract is up this summer, will presumably be paid an enormous amount of money to leave network he’s called home for over a decade. According to Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch, ESPN was prepared to offer Bayless around $4 million annually. -
people actually watch foxsports?
-
Will not be watching FT
-
Stephen A Smith owes alot of his success now to Skip Bayless.
ESPN tried to give him his own show and it was a flop. They tried to so many analysts to debate and argue with Skip and SAS played the position perfectly. He levered that into a huge contract with ESPN and was able to get his own talkshow also.
It's gonna be interesting to see what SAS does next cuz he can't do a show on television by himself
-
Everybody ESPN turns into a star ends up leaving for greener pastures.
-
Interesting
-
PanchoYoSancho wrote: »Everybody ESPN turns into a star ends up leaving for greener pastures.
At least those other networks won't fire them for not helping support the ? agenda ABC wants ESPN to help push -
? first take probably will be better but skip the GOAT good luck
-
Ideally I'd like SAS off First Take as well. He still holds value as far as covering/commenting on the NBA, but that's literally the only lane I care to listen to his opinion.
-
FS1>>>>ESPN. Only shows I ? with on ESPN is his and hers and highly questionable
-
Haven't watched FS1 since it's debut
-
ESPN used to be the fun place to work, now it's becoming another company
-
I'm about to start BSPN
-
SAS rolling in his grave.
Btw what channel is Fox Sports even on? Is that like a national channel or a premium with an cable provider? -
silverfoxx wrote: »SAS rolling in his grave.
Btw what channel is Fox Sports even on? Is that like a national channel or a premium with an cable provider?
Should be included in your sports tv package -
silverfoxx wrote: »SAS rolling in his grave.
Btw what channel is Fox Sports even on? Is that like a national channel or a premium with an cable provider?
219 on directv -
silverfoxx wrote: »SAS rolling in his grave.
Btw what channel is Fox Sports even on? Is that like a national channel or a premium with an cable provider?
Fox Sports 1 is on basic cable on Time Warner in my area. -
Damn Skip doing SAS like Michael did Kelly!
I wonder who's gonna debate Screamin A Smith now.....Molly?! Lol -
Cowherd says this all the time on his show and you can see it in the talent level currently at ESPN. These sports tv contracts is hurting ESPN. They are paying dam near triple what they did for the NBA and the NFL package keeps going up as well. Only place they can afford to cut back is on the anchors. All the ESPN radio shows that usually spend the whole week in the super bowl city only did Wed-Sun this year. None of them are in Chicago for the draft until Thursday morning. The same reason why they keep throw us Joe Tesatore, Galloway and Kanel instead of Mark May, Coach, and Rece Davis. They are saving money by cutting back the on tv/radio personalities. I'm sure they paid to keep Skip though b/c he drives ratings. Same for PTI. Cowherd even said they offered him a fair amount but for him it was more about moving to the west coast over staying in Conn.
sidenote FS1is terrible -
another thing about First Take ESPN execs loved the show because it had high ratings but also it was cheap to produce.
-
Also to piggyback off @lamontbdc alot of people are getting rid of cable and it's hurting ESPN revenue. Include the amount of money they are paying for exclusive rights for NFL NBA and CFB and they are losing money.
And they have taken some bad PR hits withing the last year. I'm not an industry insider but I believe the new CEO President of ESPN John Skipper isn't viewed favorably among employees and former ESPN employees.
They let go of almost 200 producers who had been there since the 90's and the back and forth between Skipper and Bill Simmons left a poor taste among viewers.
Also, the network purposely lied about the deflate gate and issued an apology at midnight when nobody is watching. -
detcatinva wrote: »Also to piggyback off @lamontbdc alot of people are getting rid of cable and it's hurting ESPN revenue. Include the amount of money they are paying for exclusive rights for NFL NBA and CFB and they are losing money.
And they have taken some bad PR hits withing the last year. I'm not an industry insider but I believe the new CEO President of ESPN John Skipper isn't viewed favorably among employees and former ESPN employees.
They let go of almost 200 producers who had been there since the 90's and the back and forth between Skipper and Bill Simmons left a poor taste among viewers.
Also, the network purposely lied about the deflate gate and issued an apology at midnight when nobody is watching.
Know what's funny? ESPN purposely overpaid for the NBA rights so fox couldn't get in. Fox had the idea of doing Saturday night games that ESPN/abc did this season. I think it's great they are losing money. Here's hoping nbc sports, cbs sports and fox sports get more live sports on their networks -
There's a book about ESPN about all the ? that's gone on. I'll come around to reading it one day
-
This was posted by a former ESPN employee and just as i suspected John Skipper isn't viewed favorably by ESPN employees on SI.com
As someone who was in Bristol from 1983 to 2014, I can say with fact and conviction that Mike Tirico is one of the best people who has every graced the Campus. Universally liked, he is well regarded by the folks behind the camera, who as Richard always says are the people who really drive the bus and make the difference. This is a great long term move for Mike, as the NBC portfolio is strong, and the need for the post Costas/Michaels era is apparent. I can imagine that the pay is a dramatic increase as well. I would guess that another big factor was the fact that ESPN is really no longer ESPN.
What is going on in Bristol has been in motion for years. The dramatic culture change that you are seeing in front of the camera, as well as the foundation to the core, raises many questions. Social and political agendas run the place now, and the evolution of a paradigm that makes little sense to those of us that have been around the Industry during the this Golden era of Sports TV.
Many of us respect people such as Jessica Mendoza, who have an amazing work ethic and desire to perform, but are put in the crosshairs of an internal political battle. Jess is EXCEPTIONALLY well liked. It's grossly unfair that her growing pains as a broadcaster are a bullseye for critics (see: WEEI morning show), simply because she was thrust in the spotlight MUCH too quickly, simply as a social agenda ploy. I recall Tino Martinez being hired by the YES network a decade ago, and he couldn't put a sentence together. That experiment ended after about 5 games. It just didnt work. Mendoza is trying so hard, that its getting more and more uncomfortable, and the SNB production crew KNOWS it. It doesn't matter at this point, because Norby and Skip aren't going to make a change. That stubbornness kills the product. If you sat down with Ed Durso or Chuck Pagano over lunch, they'd tell you the same thing.
Bill Rasmussen didn't draw it up this way back in the day. Being innovative isn't an excuse to push the social agenda of a certain group. It's a shame that long time talent like Tony Kornheiser and Kenny Mayne can make crude and unfortunate political comments about Conservatives, or Michelle Beadle trolling on Twitter routinely, while Curt Schilling was targeted and had his quotes manipulated my a left leaning management team. While Schilling should have put his family's welfare ahead of his insatiable need for attention on social media and broadcast outlets, it's the opinion of many that if he had taken shots at Trump or the Conservative political side, he'd still be employed.
I think Tirico saw a lot of this, and went for greener pastures.