YES Network’s Michael Kay Calls Layoffs at New York Daily News an ‘Absolute Disgrace’

New York Yankees announcer and sports talk radio host Michael Kay provided commentary on the July 23 edition of his “The Michael Kay Show” (his ESPN New York radio show, simulcast on the YES Network) on the recent 50 percent staff reduction at the newspaper, the New York Daily News.

Kay, once himself a Daily News sports reporter, opened the segment: “To say that I am heartbroken and devastated about what has taken place today… is to put it mildly.” Kay noted several of the famed sports writers that were laid off like John Harper and Frank Isola and stated that their firings were an “absolute disgrace.”

Kay added that those executives of the Daily News’ new owners Tronc, who make millions of dollars, should be “ashamed.”

At the conclusion of the clip, Kay stated “This is a dark day for this country and that’s not hyperbole. Every time a newspaper dies, a little bit of our democracy starts to flicker out.”