ESPN The Magazine staffers "had heard rumors for several months that September would be the magazine’s last print edition but were told this week that staffing levels would remain the same despite the change," according to Ben Strauss of the WASHINGTON POST. One current staffer said, "People are optimistic but pretty nervous about where it will be a year from now." Sources said that there will be "no immediate layoffs." The expectation is that a "small handful of people will be out of jobs come the fall." Those positions will "likely be in printing, circulation and publishing; editorial positions have been folded into other operations inside ESPN" (WASHINGTON POST, 5/1). In N.Y., Keith Kelly notes ESPN The Magazine Editor-in-Chief Alison Overholt will be "staying put" through the transition and take on the new role of VP/Storytelling & Special Projects, where she will oversee ESPNW, the ESPYs and the Sunday morning "E:60" show. Overholt was the "first woman to head a major sports magazine when she took over" in '16. As part of a reorganization, Libby Geist "will head ESPN Films and ESPN+," and Kevin Merida "will be editor-in-chief of Investigations, News Enterprise & The Undefeated." Senior VP/Original Content Rob King "broke the news to staffers in a memo" yesterday (N.Y. POST, 5/1).
TIMES ARE CHANGING: ADWEEK's Sara Jerde noted while the magazine’s September Body Issue "will be its last," ESPN "will explore 'differentiated print formats' for other big series" (ADWEEK.com, 4/30). SI.com's Jacob Feldman noted the publication’s future "has been in doubt since the company combined ESPN Insider and ESPN+" in August. It "remains to be seen how ESPN will present" longform content on its existing platforms, and "how much of it will wind up behind the ESPN+ paywall" (SI.com, 4/30). In N.Y., Tracy & Draper write the end of the print product "comes amid a broader reckoning with the future of print, in news media in general and in sports media in particular" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/1). VARIETY's Brian Steinberg wrote the magazine’s demise "serves as another reminder of how the rise of digital media has affected once-stalwart print properties." When ESPN launched its magazine in the late '90s, it was "seen as a move to counter the influence" of SI. But now, Meredith Corp.-owned SI has been on the "sales block for months" (VARIETY.com, 4/30). ESPN Radio’s Dan Le Batard said he was "very sad” to learn ESPN The Magazine is going out of print but said, “Magazines are dying slowly.” ESPN's Stan Van Gundy "I don’t like seeing these print publications go out of business. For me, it’s a loss” (“The Dan Le Batard Show,” ESPN Radio, 5/1).
