The landscape surrounding the Sacramento Kings changed on Tuesday. Ailene Voisin, long time reporter for the Sacramento Bee, announced she was part of layoffs at the Bee. Her position was eliminated, leaving Jason Jones as the lone reporter dedicated to covering the Kings. Several other staff members of the Bee were laid off as well. In an unrelated move, the Sacramento Kings let go of Scott Moak. Moak has long served as PA announcer for the Kings and has been involved in community outreach efforts. 

Moak’s role as PA announcer for the Kings has long been a staple of the Kings fan experience. Scott was also kind enough to be a guest on The Sactown Royalty Show on multiple occasions. As of this writing it remains unclear if he’s been relieved of all duties or if he’ll remain on as PA announcer but would discontinue his roles working for the Kings community outreach and entertainment programs. 

Ailene Voisin is another matter entirely. Here at Sactown Royalty we’ve often been critical of Ailene’s prose and her penchant for describing the anatomy of her subjects. But despite our critiques, she’s been a staple of the coverage of the Kings as long as I can remember. She has sources throughout the league and has often been a source of valuable insight. Regardless of our critiques of her writing, the Sacramento sports media landscape is weaker without her presence. 

Layoffs impact real people in real ways, and it’s never worth celebrating a person being fired. Let’s hope that all impacted parties find this to be an opportunity for personal growth. 

Update: There’s been some clarification on Scott Moak’s future as PA announcer from the Kings, via Jason Jones of the Bee.

In short, the Kings have left the door open for Moak to return in his role as PA announcer, but he has yet to inform the team of his decision.