We are Fox Sports, We are laying off

I assume not having to pay benefits is the reason everyone they are hiring is part-time.

 

CBS and Fox have been doing this for years. I know there are some there who are employees, some who are independent contractors and some who are part-time. I think Yahoo may be the same way as well.

 

Pretty sure the vast majority of ESPN.com writers are hired on contracts and don't get benefits.

 

It's damn sad and it's going to happen just about everywhere eventually when you give away the Web content for free.

Short video can be monetized with ads on the front end.

 

True, but for whatever reason, ESPN hasn't had anything even remotely close to the turnover of the other places. If you're not a national name and you get more than 2-3 years out of a contracted CBS or Fox gig, you're doing better than most.

ESPN paid a fortune for their NFL Nation writers a couple years ago and there's been almost zero turnover. CBS paid a ridiculously low wage to try to do the same thing and they were all gone within 18 months. I know editors who have been at Fox Sports and CBS Sports for a long time, but those contracted writers seem to be let go pretty frequently.

 

Still waiting (not hoping) to see this happen to the longtime columnists at various places that left to join local TV station websites.

 

But then they'd have to provide benefits.

 

Exactly.

 

FOX Sports lost many dot-com editors in a move from New York City to Los Angeles back in the summer of '08. They paid big bonuses to people willing to go west, and laid off the stragglers just before Christmas.

I'm not sure any of the transplants lasted more than two years, and most were gone much sooner.

This is just the latest round in a long series of cuts.

 

ESPN has cable subscribers' revenue to help finance it. CBS doesn't.

 

Yep.

 

This is true, but ESPN does provide a stipend for contract workers to help cover the cost of insurance (or at least used to).