ESPN gives a Sunday home to its top magazine show
NEW YORK — ESPN says it is putting a sharper focus on its long-form journalism with Sunday’s launch of the revamped magazine show “E:60,” with Bob Ley and Jeremy Schaap as hosts.
The move comes as ESPN searches for ways to hang on to viewers with more people turning to the web for sports highlights. Dwindling profits at the cable giant, which recently laid off about 100 journalists and on-air personalities, was a topic that dominated parent Walt Disney Co.’s earnings news conference this week.
The first new “E:60,” featuring a story about the Syrian national soccer team, airs Sunday at 9 a.m. ET.
The magazine series has usually aired in prime time, but had no regular slot and was often off the air for weeks at a time when ESPN aired live events. Sunday morning may be a rough time slot for young viewers, but the “E:60” audience generally skews older, and as the success of CBS’ “Sunday Morning” shows, there’s a taste for storytelling at that time.