Sports Illustrated layoffs

[silvercharm]

Guess it's a sign of the times that news like this has been out there all day and this is the first post. Chris Stone is out as editor, and 40 to be laid off as early as Friday, according to WSJ.

Make that Thursday.

 

[Fredrick]

40 layoffs? What's SI's goal for the future? Web only? 40 is a helluva lot of people for one layoff.

 

[britwrit]

The sad thing is that SI had a circulation of 2.75 million in 2018.

I don't care what your profit margin is on each issue. Selling 2.75 million of anything week in week out shouldn't be a hit-the-panic-button moment.

 

[Marvin]

The WSJ article said that they're going to be hiring 200 contract workers down the road. Sounds more like a re-allocation than anything.

 

[Azrael]

sure

 

[FileNotFound]

Just stumbled across the name Ross Levinsohn in that story. IIRC, he was the guy who was publisher of the LA Times for about 18 minutes before he got drummed out after a staff revolt.

 

[BTExpress]

The sad thing is that SI had a circulation of 2.75 million in 2018.

I don't care what your profit margin is on each issue. Selling 2.75 million of anything week in week out shouldn't be a hit-the-panic-button moment.

Well, now it's more like selling 2.75 million two weeks in, two weeks out.

 

[Alma]

It's sad. I won't pretend I've read it recently, the physical product. Its Web site is more functional than it once was, but the coverage is pretty unremarkable.

 

[DanOregon]

Cannella has been with SI for years. Feel bad for Stone who had to guide SI through some very choppy waters, overseen the layoffs of dozens of people who made that magazine that magazine and transition the operation from Time-Life to ....TheMaven? Honestly - I feel bad for any exec that has to write a memo about how excited they are to introduce "TheMaven" as their new corporate overlords. It sounds like a Batman villian.
I don't think my subscription will ever run out. Oddly enough - I think the editorial could still be strong - but I think a Seattle company that has less than two years in will really fall short in retaining the advertisers.

 

[Mr. X]

What is the best way to describe how Sports Illustrated has done financially in recent years, especially in ad sales?

 

[bumpy mcgee]

Quote The Maven: Nevermore

 

[CD Boogie]

Hopefully all 40 are from the SI Swimsuit Issue, which is archaic and pointless in this day and age.

 

[Fran Curci]

Just stumbled across the name Ross Levinsohn in that story. IIRC, he was the guy who was publisher of the LA Times for about 18 minutes before he got drummed out after a staff revolt.

That's the guy. Very checkered past.

 

[Moderator1]

https://deadspin.com/sports-illustrated-cancels-dreaded-transition-meetings-1838743478

 

[Songbird]

Who's the mole?

Sources within the company are telling Deadspin that both of the meetings were canceled just minutes before they were supposed to start, and nobody seems to have any idea what’s going on.

 

[CD Boogie]

Who's the mole?

Sources within the company are telling Deadspin that both of the meetings were canceled just minutes before they were supposed to start, and nobody seems to have any idea what’s going on.

Field trip?

 

[jr/shotglass]

We got the word that we were going 7-day to 3-day in one of those meetings.

I blew it off and got the obligatory phone call from the editor's secretary, who was obviously reading off a script.

That was pleasant.

 

[DanOregon]

Ross Levinsohn's resume is a list of formerly great brands you wonder "yeah whatever happened to them"...Alta Vista, Yahoo, the LA Times/tronc/Tribune, add SI to the list. He seems to specialize in joining outfits on their way down.

 

[Songbird]

lol I used to have an Alta Vista email. Excite too.

 

[Marvin]

sure

Ok, maybe not. The thing is I don't know.

I hate to hear anyone getting laid off in the industry, it sucks. But at least I want to hear what the plan is and the reasons for making changes before I blast away. 40 people being let go doesn't mean a lot to me without some context, especially when just about every other media organization in the nation has already been through a lot more.

How was SI doing before this? I'm guessing not great. The website has been pretty outdated for a long time, it desperately needed an upgrade and do something about the avalanche of ads in every story. It seems to me it's been pretty directionless for a while just trying to stay afloat until it found a permanent home. Considering all the publications that have already folded, etc., I'm glad it's sticking around.

The real question for me is what's next for SI? How is it going to stay relevant?