ESPN cutting costs is nothing new. Longtime ESPN Radio personality Kevin Winter is the latest to depart the network in an effort to help the Bristol bottom line. On Sunday, Winter announced on social media that his contract is not being renewed by ESPN due to “cost-cutting” at the network. Winter has been a part of ESPN Radio for over 20 years, first joining the network in 2004 as a SportsCenter anchor and studio host for nearly every sport broadcasted on ESPN Radio over the last two decades, including doing play-by-play for college football.
In the post, highlighted by Barrett Sports Media, Winter expressed how heartbreaking it was to learn about his departure after so many years of service, stating, “I have been informed due to ‘cost-cutting’ my contract was not being renewed. I’ll let you all discuss the idea of a multibillion-dollar corporation needing to cut my small 6 figure salary in order to keep the lights on.”
I’m out at ESPN Radio pic.twitter.com/fisRAl0tP3
— Kevin Winter (@KevinPWinter) February 2, 2025
ESPN Radio has experienced numerous changes over the past couple of years, with on-air personnel being frequently moved and shuffled. Last month, Mike Greenberg announced that he would be leaving his eponymous show to be replaced by Clinton Yates. Although Kevin Winter wasn’t a main host on the network, his long-standing presence will be missed. The podcast era has posed significant challenges for radio stations nationwide, and ESPN Radio is no different. Combined with ESPN’s overall budget cuts, this has unfortunately led to situations like Winter’s departure.
