The Golf Channel on Monday told most of its Orlando-based staff that it would be laid off starting August 29, then allowed those staffers to reapply for a smaller pool of jobs.
The Golf Channel, owned by NBC, announced in February that it would move its offices from Orlando to Stamford, Connecticut, starting later this year as part of a corporate consolidation.
In a company-wide Microsoft Teams call at 1 p.m. ET, a Golf Channel executive and a human resources representative informed employees of the latest plan regarding its move.
All employees will be allowed to reapply for their jobs – if they’re still available. Those whose jobs are eliminated in Phase I will find out as early as Tuesday that their current jobs will end August 29. Those in Phase II will be let go sometime between Oct. 31 and Dec. 31.
“As we announced in February, Golf Channel will be moving its media operations primarily to NBC Sports’ headquarters in Stamford, Conn., by year-end, while GOLFNOW and GOLFPASS will continue to operate from Orlando,” a Golf Channel spokesman said in a statement to Golfweek on Monday. “This week, we’re moving forward with our next phase with date notifications for impacted employees. As our business continues to evolve, NBC Sports is committed to delivering world-class golf coverage for our loyal audiences, and serving golfers’ needs through our portfolio of industry-leading technology and services.”
It was unclear what percentage of the staff will be let go, but only a small fraction of existing jobs are expected to be made available for relocation to Stamford. Most production jobs are expected to be filled by people already employed there.
My heart goes out to all the Golf Channel employee’s today. Tons of talented hard working people who love golf and TV in that building.
— Arron Oberholser (@ArronOberholser) June 22, 2020
The lost jobs come in all categories, from camera operators to producers to website writers, Golfweek was told by several people familiar with the layoffs, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity since they are not authorized to address the matter publicly.
Golf Channel has become part of the fabric of the game, with more live tournament coverage than all other U.S. networks combined. Golf Channel is televised in more than 70 countries and nine languages.
Beginning in 2013, nearly all of the operations for NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network began to be based out of a Stamford facility. The move was made mainly to take advantage of tax credits given by the state of Connecticut. Golf Channel has been based in Orlando since its launch in 1995.
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