ESPN’s Pablo Torre Leaving for Meadowlark Media

Pablo Torre is on the verge of making a significant jump between sports media companies. 

According to Variety, the ESPN writer and on-air host is planning to leave his full-time role at the Worldwide Leader to join Meadowlark Media, the company founded by former ESPN executive John Skipper and Dan Le Batard. Though his primary responsibilities will now come with Meadowlark, Torre plans to remain a regular contributor to ESPN shows like Around the Horn and Pardon The Interruption in a rare sort of move for the sports media world.

“They are looking to build another show directly out of The Dan LeBatard Show, which is a monster,” Torre said of Meadowlark and his move to the company. He explained that he hopes to create a digital program with both audio and video components that will give him an opportunity to “tell original stories, do a bit of journalism and figure out how to make that show a home that can fit all of the things I aspire to do creatively.”

“Everyone in this industry knows Pablo’s work resides at the top of it,” Le Batard said in a statement, per Variety. “He’s an original thinker. A necessary voice. An unimpeachable journalist at a time that could use a few more of those. Very few people his age have his range and his resume. I’m honored and moved that he follows his heart to help us build something excellent. We don’t have to pay him, too, do we?”

Torre joined ESPN in 2012 after working for five years at Sports Illustrated and went on to carve out a number of roles for himself at the network. In addition to serving as a senior writer for ESPN.com, he also hosted multiple on-air shows in addition to his regular appearances on Around the Horn and Pardon The Interruption, including High Noon with Bomani Jones, the ESPN Daily podcast and Debatable.