Normally I loathe the “Friday news dump” but it has been a busy day and I’ve been struggling to find the right words to say:
Vox Media has laid off a chunk of their employees today, and all but six of the NHL sites are affected.
NEW: Vox Media is cutting ~7% of its staff, CEO Jim Bankoff said in an email memo today pic.twitter.com/Qr0x0EW41e
— Katie Robertson (@katie_robertson) January 20, 2023
As part of the cuts, The Cannon will no longer be “managed and monetized by Vox Media” as of the end of February. Podcasts will also no longer be supported. This came as a surprise and was a massive punch in the gut. My pain is minor, however, in comparison to the full time staff who have lost their jobs. I’m angry that Vox thinks so little of sports coverage, and of hockey in particular. One of the sites impacted is The Ice Garden, which provides unparalleled coverage of women’s hockey, even relative to the mainstream media.
It’s hard to put into words how much @SBNation hockey blogs meant to fandom, digital media, discourse, marginalized markets and communities, and yours truly. My heart goes out to all Vox Media creatives impacted by today’s layoffs, but let’s talk about the puckheads… (1/7) pic.twitter.com/gzGchViYx3
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) January 20, 2023
This is not a goodbye, however. I don’t know exactly what the future holds for The Cannon, but I will do what I can to make sure that there IS a future for this site. It may be on a different platform, and maybe different branding. I will evaluate all options, but know that the priority will be maintaining a place for this community to continue to gather and discuss our beloved Columbus Blue Jackets.
I have made so many meaningful connections with those of you in the comments. I am grateful for the assistance of my current crew of Seeds, Dale, Josh, and Burkus. I owe a debt to everyone who built the site and has written for it in the past, beginning with the founder, Mike MacLean, and including Andy, Jaymie, Jeff, Eric, Dan, Ryan, Scott, Fletcher, Elaine, elpalito, Meredith, Will, and Rachel (apologies to anyone from the early days who I inadvertently left off).
Thanks to all of you for reading and commenting. We’ll try to keep posting as normal for the next month. Beyond that? Stay tuned. We hope there’s more road ahead, and that you will join us for the ride.