[Saba Sports News] The wave of cost-cutting at the Portland Trail Blazers has intensified once again. After owner Tom Dundon laid off roughly 70 employees within the commercial department back in May, the franchise’s broadcast team faces a sweeping overhaul. Several veteran broadcasters with decades of experience have confirmed their departures one after another, sending shockwaves among fans and media. Kevin Calabro, the franchise’s television play-by-play voice for nine seasons, was the first to announce his exit. His contract expired on June 30, and after receiving a renewal offer featuring drastically reduced pay on Monday, he made the call to move on. “It was an easy decision: not worth my time.” Calabro spent 21 seasons as the play-by-play announcer for the Seattle SuperSonics. Now aged 69, he stressed that he is not retiring and intends to continue working as a broadcaster. Radio play-by-play host Travis Demers was likewise not retained upon contract expiration. Sources indicate a return in a lesser capacity cannot be ruled out, yet his seven-season tenure as full-time radio play-by-play commentator has reached an end. His broadcast partner Michael Holton was laid off directly, concluding a 19-season run with the team. Holton suited up for the Trail Blazers from 1986 to 1988. Over the past nine years, he has served as radio analyst and co-host for halftime and postgame television programmes.
The Trail Blazers’ young roster is climbing through the rebuilding phase, and fans long for familiar, consistent broadcast voices. Against this backdrop, the sweeping layoffs within the broadcast team create a stark contrast. On one side lies team culture that requires years to nurture; on the other stands the owner’s stringent financial slimming drive. It remains to be seen whether this move will spur innovation in broadcast operations or trigger an exodus of talent. The true test is only just beginning.