ESPN to lay off $100 million in on air talent

[MUWhistler]

Amen!!!

[The Reptile]

On the contract side, ESPN tried to lock in as many of the top leagues as the could when ratings were up. Now that they're down it looks like a bad bet.

On ratings. Their problem is twofold - their shows are really bad and offend some of their base. And perhaps the bigger issue is that they compete with mobile apps for information. Why sit through 60 min of Sports Center when you can see the scores and highlights on mobile.

As far as the on air talent is concerned, who really stands out today. There's no Al, no Madden doing something new or different. Just guys who talk a lot being told to take a side in a talk radio-like conversation. Is that something you need to tune into when there are plent of radio stations where they do the same thing.

Finally, there is no quality too many LeBron reports or Brady reports and no coverage of most teams in any sports - unless they play Brady or LeBron.