ESPN’s highly publicized layoffs last month raised questions about the network’s direction and gave birth to a narrative that its commitment to journalism may not be what it once was. The net has refuted this notion and appears to be putting all of its efforts to a new weekly morning edition of “E:60." The new hour-long iteration of the show, which debuts Sunday at 9:00am ET, is hosted by Bob Ley and Jeremy Schaap. With the net at an important crossroads, the decision to give two of their most respected journalists their own space to operate is noteworthy. “A show that’s already been on the air for a decade now getting this kind of commitment to doing so much more of what we have been doing and getting the regular time slot, it’s important," Schaap said. "It represents a huge commitment to this kind of storytelling, to the investigations we do in journalism.” For Ley, the show represents an opportunity to shift any narrative of ESPN’s perceived lack of commitment to reporting. Ley said, “What happened a couple of weeks ago, it was real tough. We lost friends and professional colleagues and it was very emotional. But the narrative that there’s any lessening of a commitment to journalism is just false. It’s not borne out by the facts. Just look at the real estate they’re giving us for E:60. I mean 9:00 in the morning on Sundays, that’s Rodeo Drive. That’s pretty damn good.” Ley: “What we have here is by far, by several degrees, the largest sports newsgathering operation on the planet. People can read into what they like, all we’re reading into it is that we’re continuing to do what we’ve done for years.” Schaap added, “We remain as committed as ever to being the leader in breaking news, the important storytelling and all of that stuff I think we have established ourselves in over the course of the last 38 years. ... To a degree it’s unprecedented, certainly in the annals of covering sports, and that is still who we are and that is still fundamental to who we are and will remain so.”
ABILITY TO TRY NEW THINGS: Ley touts the new “E:60” as a combination of the storytelling format of the show's previous iteration and the original reporting of “OTL," giving the two hosts the liberty to try new things. Ley said there will be opportunities for commentary and dialogue between he and Schaap, and viewers will get a wide range of stories of which to follow. The debut episode on Sunday will feature Schaap’s profile on Cowboys QB Dak Prescott and reporter Steve Fainaru's in-depth look at how the Syrian national soccer team has been greatly affected by the current conflict there. "We previewed that story to about 20 people, including (ESPN President John Skipper). When it finished, there was just silence in the room. It was like, ‘This is the reason why we’re doing this.’ These stories will affect people in a profound way.”
ADAPTING TO THE TIMES: With over 60 years of experience combined working at ESPN between Ley and Schaap, the pair has seen both the network and the broader sports media world change in how they present the news to their viewers. In an increasingly more digital age, companies are constantly adapting to the everchanging landscape and “E:60” allows for the chance to showcase those changes. "There’s increased focus on getting stuff out on social media," Schaap noted. "Getting stuff out on the apps -- creating the necessary infrastructure for making it as easy as possible to adapt what we’re doing on TV for consumption digitally. That’s nothing new, but we feel that pressure every day now to make everything multi-platform and digestible in different sizes and bites on different platforms. We’re aware this is not 1996 -- it’s adapt or die.” Ley added, “It’s got to be relevant, you’ve got to attract people. They’ve got to get into the tent before they see the circus, and I think we’ve recognized the need to constantly challenge ourselves. Are we telling our stories in the best way? And you know what, the way that we’re telling it in May I bet you we’ll tell it slightly differently in November because there will be new technology or new indications, and it would be crazy to not change.”
