ESPN has been "raiding news organizations for sports journalists, from big-name players like columnist Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated to behind-the-scenes talent" like former N.Y. Times Deputy Sports Editor Kristin Huckshorn, according to Adam Thompson of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. ESPN also recently hired former S.F. Chronicle reported Mark Fainaru-Wada and N.Y. Daily News reporter T.J. Quinn, as ESPN "can promise salaries well into the six figures and tempt print reporters with TV airtime to help make them national household names." The moves are "a step toward reinventing the franchise." While ESPN's "highlight formula is showing signs of plateauing [since] fans can go elsewhere to catch up on the day's games," ESPN is "bulking up on content that is harder to duplicate. Rather than just introducing game video, the idea is to serve up breaking news and expert analysis, aggressively blanketing TV, the Internet, the magazine and even cellphones." ESPN Exec VP/Content John Skipper said, "As more money moves towards the Internet, you're going to have to have talent. The talent is going to have to come from traditional media." Thompson notes that when Exec VP Mark Shapiro, who "pushed to develop original programming," left ESPN in '06, Skipper and ESPN Exec VP & Exec Editor John Walsh "began sharpening the news focus." Skipper "says there are no plans for more fictional movies" ( WALL STREET JOURNAL, 12/21 ).
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