stefano fusaro
ESPNBy Alex Putterman on

Not two weeks after laying off about 100 front-facing employees, ESPN appears to be hiring again.

The network announced Thursday it has brought on television anchor and reporter Stefano Fusaro, who will “contribute to SportsCenter and other ESPN platforms.”

Fusaro previously worked as a sports anchor at NBC6 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as well as at Univision.

“It is very exciting to now be part of a network of which I have been a loyal viewer since the age of six,” Fusaro said in a statement. “I look forward to working alongside some of the best in the business, to help create riveting sports content for all ESPN platforms.”

The latest

One buzzword in the wake of ESPN’s layoffs was “versatility.” Many observers noted that ESPN fired many sport-specific reporters while holding onto others who can cover multiple sports on a variety of platforms.

In that way, Fusaro seems like a perfect fit for what ESPN is trying to do. He can report and anchor, has covered many sports and speaks both English and Spanish.

ESPN exec Michael Shiffman highlighted this in the release announcing Fusaro’s hiring:

“We are thrilled to have Stefano join ESPN as a multiplatform reporter,” Shiffman said. “Being bilingual in Spanish and English, Stefano will help strengthen the ways in which we serve our diverse fanbase.”

Fusaro actually announced he’d been hired about three weeks ago, but ESPN didn’t send out a press release until Thursday—either because they were still finalizing aspects of his contract or because they felt they needed a PR boost.

As Fusaro said, he will be based in Dallas, though ESPN’s press release promises his reporting will stretch beyond that city. Two of ESPN’s highest profile layoffs, Ed Werder and Jean-Jacques Taylor, operated out of Dallas.

Fusaro will cover Games 3 and 4 of the Rockets-Spurs series on Friday and Sunday.

About Alex Putterman

Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.

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