SNY lays off staff, cancels 'SportsNite' and 'Baseball Night in New York'
From left, Darryl Strawberry, Keith Hernandez, and Sal Licata speak onstage during the SNY's Baseball Night in New York Live panel at Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 on July 17, 2026. Credit: Getty Images/Dave Kotinsky
SNY on Friday laid off a significant portion of its editorial staff and canceled two of its signature programs.
The network announced the cancellation of the shows, and sources confirmed the layoffs.
SNY is regional sports network that broadcasts Mets games and just celebrated its 20th year of existence.
The changes will not affect SNY’s broadcasting Mets games in 2027 or the network’s beloved announcing team of Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling, all of whom are under contract.
The last episodes of the highlight show “SportsNite” and talk-style show “Baseball Night in New York” aired on Thursday.
In a statement, SNY said: “As part of our regular review of our business, operations and programming, SNY has decided to cease broadcasting Baseball Night in New York and SportsNite. We are grateful to those team members that helped bring these programs to fans for many years. Ongoing coverage of the Mets and New York sports are at the heart of SNY’s business, and we remain focused on continuing to deliver high-quality content to our passionate fans.”
Regional sports networks (or “RSNs”) have been reeling in recent years as streaming and other factors have significantly changed the television viewing landscape.
SNY, which calls itself “The Home of New York Sports,” is majority owned by Sterling Entertainment Enterprises LLC, controlled by the Wilpon family, the former owners of the Mets.
SNY was unique among New York’s three RSNs (with YES and MSG being the others) in that it had a news show that reported on all the local teams. That, apparently, is now over. The network is also planning to significantly scale back its website.
Earlier this week, SNY announced that the show “Mets Hot Stove” would return on Tuesday to discuss the Mets’ offseason. The network also is going to continuing to produce pregame and postgame shows for the Mets and Jets. On-air personalities Chelsea Janes (MLB), Ian Begley (NBA) and Connor Hughes (NFL) are remaining with the network. SNY will continue its afternoon simulcast of WFAN’s “The Carton Show” with Craig Carton and Chris McMonigle.
SNY explored the option of selling itself in 2025, but no sale was finalized. Current Mets owner Steve Cohen, who brought the team from the Wilpons in 2020, is seen as a potential buyer for SNY, which was launched in 2006.
The SNY changes were first reported by The Athletic.
Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.
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