Karl Ravech Expected to Be Laid Off by ESPN After 32 Years

ESPN is expected to let go of longtime lead play-by-play announcer Karl Ravech as part of a new round of layoffs, sources briefed on the move told The Athletic.

The cuts began Monday with the dismissal of NFL analyst Ryan Clark and are expected to affect both on-air talent and behind-the-scenes staff, with the most significant reductions anticipated at NFL Network. ESPN declined to comment.

Ravech, 61, had not yet been informed as of Tuesday morning.  ESPN planned to notify affected employees later in the day. 

He called Monday night’s Phillies-Dodgers game in Philadelphia.  A fixture at the network since joining in 1993, Ravech has served as the primary voice for ESPN’s Major League Baseball coverage, hosted “Baseball Tonight,” called college basketball, and anchored “SportsCenter” for decades. 

He is the highest-profile on-air personality reportedly impacted by the current layoffs.

The latest job reductions come as ESPN integrates NFL Network following its purchase from the NFL in late January. The deal gave the league a 10 percent stake in ESPN. Over the past six months, the company has worked to align operations between its Bristol and New York facilities and NFL Network’s Los Angeles base.

ESPN’s parent company, Disney, is also expected to conduct its own round of layoffs in the coming period.

Earlier story...

                                         

ESPN has severed ties with longtime NFL analyst Ryan Clark as part of a broader wave of layoffs affecting its Bristol, Connecticut headquarters and NFL Network, multiple sources briefed on the moves told The Athletic.

The cuts were expected to take place Tuesday. Clark appeared on ESPN’s “NFL Live” as recently as Monday, just one day before the reported departure.

The layoffs represent the latest round of cost-cutting and restructuring at ESPN and its parent company Disney, which has been trimming staff across its sports media operations amid shifting industry economics and declining linear television revenue. Clark, a former NFL safety turned prominent on-air personality, had been a regular contributor across ESPN’s NFL programming, including studio shows and analysis segments.

Details on the total number of positions affected were not immediately available, but the moves impact both on-air talent and behind-the-scenes roles at the network’s Bristol campus and NFL Network.

Clark’s exit marks another notable departure from ESPN’s NFL coverage roster in recent years as the network continues to adjust its talent lineup and production strategy.