Some SB Nation Writers Are Being Furloughed for Three Months
Entercom, Beasley, Sports Illustrated, etc.
Every media company is going through some round of cuts, layoffs, or buyouts while we’re stuck in this global pandemic, which has shut down sports almost entirely.
Vox Media, which owns and operates SB Nation, among other outlets, is next in line, putting a number of writers on three-month furloughs:
Well, cat's out of the bag. I am also one of the many SB Nation staffers being furloughed for three months starting May 1 by Vox Media. If anyone wants to hang or collaborate from then through July 31, DMs open and I'm at moriarty343@gmail.com
— Morgan Moriarty (@Morgan_Moriarty) April 17, 2020
I'll be taking an unpaid vacation from SB Nation. They don't know if I'm coming back, and neither do I.
As of right now, I'm a freelance free agent. If you'd like to collaborate on something, college sports related or not, my DMs are open.
— Matt Brown (@MattBrownEP) April 17, 2020
Locally, Vox/SB Nation would include Bleeding Green Nation, The Good Phight, Broad Street Hockey, Liberty Ballers, and The Brotherly Game. I haven’t seen any announcements from those people, and it’s my understanding that the furloughs didn’t hit anybody locally, at least not yet.
More on the big picture outlook from Kerry Flynn at CNN:
Vox Media, owner of sites including Vox, The Verge and New York magazine, is furloughing about 9% of its employees for three months. The decision is one of several measures the digital media company announced Friday to cut costs after the coronavirus pandemic decimated its revenue sources.
The furloughs, which will run from May 1 to July 31, affect multiple departments including sales, events, production, IT, operations and editorial. Vox Media currently employs about 1,200 people, resulting in about 100 people facing three-month furloughs. In addition, about 1% of the company’s personnel will have reduced hours for the same time period. Vox Media will continue to cover the health benefits of those affected.
