Paul Finebaum

Last updated

Paul Finebaum
Paul Finebaum - June 2018.jpg
Finebaum in June 2018
Born
Paul Finebaum

Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Education B.A., University of Tennessee
Occupations
Years active1978–present
Notable credit(s) SportsCenter
SEC Network, Pardon My Take, The Paul Finebaum Radio Network
SpouseLinda Hudson (m. 1990)

Paul Finebaum is an American sports author, former columnist, and television-radio personality. His primary focus is sports, particularly those in the Southeast. After many years as a reporter, columnist, and sports talk radio host in the Birmingham area, Finebaum was hired by ESPN in 2013 for its new SEC Network. He produces a radio show out of the network's regional base in Charlotte, North Carolina. [1]

Contents

Career

News reporter career

Finebaum became a columnist and reporter for the Birmingham Post-Herald in 1980. Finebaum earned more than 250 national, regional, and area sports writing awards, including an award for his Alabama basketball player Buck Johnson recruitment stories. In 1993, he wrote the story of Antonio Langham, a University of Alabama football player who signed a contract with a sports agent while playing for the school, which led to an NCAA probation for the school. Finebaum joined the Mobile Press Register in 2001, where he wrote a twice-weekly (later weekly) column that was syndicated to other newspapers. Finebaum discontinued the column in December 2010. [2] On September 1, Finebaum returned to writing with his first column for Sports Illustrated.

Radio career

Finebaum started his radio appearances in the mid-1980s by giving morning commentary on the Mark and Brian Radio Show on WAPI-FM (I-95). After starting his own afternoon radio show a few years later on WAPI-AM, his program became the highest-rated sports talk show in Birmingham. In October 1993, Finebaum moved his sport talk show to WERC.[ This paragraph needs citation(s) ]

The Paul Finebaum Radio Network

In 2001, Finebaum, along with Network Director Pat Smith and Producer Johnny Brock, launched The Paul Finebaum Radio Network, syndicated with affiliates across the southeast. It was named in 2004 by Sports Illustrated as one of the top 12 sports radio shows in the United States. In January 2007, his radio show moved to WJOX. [3]

In 2011, the poisoning of the trees on Toomer's Corner at Auburn University led a man, Harvey Updyke, to call the Finebaum show about the story. Finebaum was featured on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams and appeared on CNN, ESPN, MSNBC, and several other networks. He was blamed by many for the event, including one caller saying, "if anything else happens, there will be blood on your hands." [4] On April 21, Updyke appeared again on the Finebaum show, speaking publicly for the first time since the incident. The interview appeared in The New York Times and ESPN's Sports Center . Updyke ended the 45-minute interview with his signature Roll Damn Tide.

Finebaum's show went off the air temporarily on WJOX on January 21, 2013, when his contract with Cumulus and WJOX expired. The New Yorker reported he "had talks with ESPN and CBS, about joining their national radio networks, and with SiriusXM, about moving permanently to satellite." [5] In May 2013, Finebaum signed with ESPN to appear on its new SEC Network beginning in 2014 and also host a daily radio show based out of Charlotte. [6]

Television

In Birmingham, Finebaum currently[ when? ] appears as a sports analyst for WBRC. He was sports director for WIAT-TV from 1998 to 2002 and co-hosted individual shows on WVTM-TV and WBMA. Finebaum also had a leading role in ESPN's documentary Roll Tide/War Eagle. The producers used Finebaum and his program as the voice of the documentary, which debuted on November 8, 2011.

As part of the deal Finebaum signed with ESPN in May 2013, he agreed to appear on its new SEC Network starting in 2014, hosting The Paul Finebaum Show in simulcast for ESPN Radio. [6] As an extension of the radio show, Finebaum has also hosted special broadcasts on SEC Network as part of ESPN Megacasts involving SEC teams—the Finebaum Film Room—particularly during College Football Playoff National Championship games. [7]

Publications

Finebaum's books include his popular "I Hate..." series, including I Hate Michigan: 303 Reasons Why You Should, Too, and other similarly titled works. Finebaum's other books include The Worst of Paul Finebaum, a 1994 compilation of some of the newspaper columns he has written, and Finebaum Said, a 2001 collection of columns and interviews.

On March 27, 2013, The Birmingham News reported that Finebaum agreed to an advance (later reported to be $650,000) with HarperCollins to write a book about the radio show. HarperCollins Senior Vice President and Executive Editor David Hirshey said, "We expect this book to occupy the same spot on the best-seller list that Alabama occupies in the BCS rankings – number one." In February, Publishers Weekly reported that the book would arrive on August 5 with a first run of 150,000 copies. [8] [9] The book, which was excerpted in the Wall Street Journal on the same day, made The New York Times best-seller list for five months, once landing at No. 6 among sports books.

Reception

Finebaum (left) at the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship media day Paul Finebaum Jan 2018 2.jpg
Finebaum (left) at the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship media day

In October 2013, the University of Tennessee presented Finebaum with the "Accomplished Alumni Award," "which recognizes notable alumni for their success and distinction within their field." [10]

ESPN broadcaster Joe Tessitore said in a December 2018 podcast interview, "If you asked me who are the two greatest interviewers on radio and television, I would say Paul Finebaum and Howard Stern." [11]

Personal life

Finebaum was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He and his wife, Linda Hudson, have been married since 1990. [12] Finebaum is Jewish. [13] [14] [15] Finebaum attended Christian Brothers High School and White Station High School in Memphis before graduating from the University of Tennessee, where he received a degree in political science in 1978. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auburn Tigers</span> Athletic teams representing Auburn University

The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year coeducational university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eli Gold</span> American sportscaster

Elias Leo Gold is an American sportscaster. Gold is best known as the former radio voice for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, along with Tom Roberts, as part of the Crimson Tide Sports Network from 1988-2024. He also currently calls college football and NFL games for Sports USA Radio Network, and the games of the Nashville Kats of the Arena Football League on local radio. Gold's former jobs include hosting NASCAR Live on the Motor Racing Network and calling play-by-play for Arena Football League's coverage on TNN and NBC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJOX-FM</span> Radio station in Birmingham, Alabama

WJOX-FM is a radio station licensed to Birmingham, Alabama. The station airs a sports format. WJOX-FM is owned by Cumulus Media. The station was assigned the WJOX-FM call sign by the Federal Communications Commission on February 8, 2010. The station has studios in Homewood and its transmitter is in West Birmingham along the west ridge of Red Mountain.

WPYA is an American radio station licensed to Gardendale, a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It is owned by SummitMedia. It airs a Top 40 (CHR) format. It shares studios with six other sister stations in the Cahaba neighborhood in far southeast Birmingham, and the transmitter is based atop Red Mountain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJOX (AM)</span> Sports radio station in Birmingham, Alabama

WJOX is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Birmingham, Alabama. It is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts a sports format. WJOX is the Birmingham affiliate of the UAB Blazers Radio Network, the Tennessee Titans Radio Network and the Atlanta Braves Radio Network. It used to be the broadcast home of the Birmingham Barons. The station has studios and offices in Homewood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WZRR</span> Radio station in Birmingham, Alabama

WZRR is a radio station licensed to Birmingham, Alabama. It carries a news/talk format, simulcast with AM sister station WAPI. WZRR is one of several Birmingham-area radio stations owned by Cumulus Media, with radio studios and offices on Goodwin Crest Drive in Homewood.

WERC is a commercial radio station licensed to Birmingham, Alabama. It is owned by iHeartMedia and it simulcasts a talk radio format with sister station WERC-FM. The studios and offices are in Beacon Ridge Tower on First Avenue South in Birmingham, off Interstate 65.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WAPI (AM)</span> Radio station in Birmingham, Alabama

WAPI is a commercial AM radio station in Birmingham, Alabama. It is owned by Cumulus Media and carries a news/talk format, simulcast with FM sister station 99.5 WZRR. The radio studios and offices are on Goodwin Crest Drive in Homewood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJQX</span> Radio station in Helena, Alabama

WJQX is a sports radio station licensed to Birmingham suburb of Helena, Alabama, which serves Birmingham and central Alabama. It is one of the Birmingham affiliates for the Auburn Sports Network. The station is owned by Cumulus Media. The station was assigned the WJQX call letters by the Federal Communications Commission on August 1, 2013. This was the second station serving the Birmingham market to have held the WAPI-FM call sign. From 1958 until 1994, the station currently known as WJOX-FM was known as WAPI-FM. The station has studios in Homewood and its transmitter is in West Blocton, Alabama.

The Hoover Gazette was a weekly newspaper that served the city of Hoover, Alabama. It was owned by Eagle Publishing Company LLC, published its first edition on June 5, 2006, and its last edition on August 15, 2007. The newspaper was published each Wednesday.

ESPN Megacast, formerly known as ESPN Full Circle, is a multi-network simulcast of a single sporting event across multiple ESPN networks and services—with each feed providing a different version of the telecast making use of different features, functions or perspectives. These simulcasts typically involve ESPN's linear television channels and internet streaming platforms, and may occasionally incorporate other Walt Disney Television networks at once.

WAAX is a radio station broadcasting a news/talk format. Licensed to Gadsden, Alabama, United States, the station is currently owned by San Antonio-based iHeartMedia. Overnight, the station broadcasts the syndicated Coast to Coast AM hosted by George Noory.

Charles H. "Sonny" Smith is a retired American college basketball coach. Originally from Roan Mountain, Tennessee, Smith served as a head coach for 22 seasons. Best known as the head coach at Auburn from 1978 to 1989, he also coached at East Tennessee State (1976–1978) and VCU (1989–1998). Smith won the 1985 SEC tournament championship while at Auburn, and won both the CAA regular season and tournament titles in 1996 while at VCU. He made six NCAA tournament appearances as a head coach, five at Auburn and one at VCU. Smith was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

WLXQ is a radio station licensed to serve Greensboro, Alabama, United States. The station is owned by Educational Media Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNSP</span> Radio station in Bay Minette, Alabama

WNSP is a radio station licensed to serve Bay Minette, Alabama, United States. The station, founded in 1964, is currently owned by Dot Com Plus, LLC. WNSP and sister station WZEW broadcast from the former Smith Bakery building in Mobile, Alabama. WNSP's transmitter is near Bay Minette.

Ryan McGee is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and formerly a television producer with ESPN, Fox Sports Net, and NASCAR Media Group. He covers a variety of American sports, but is best known for his motorsports work, particularly NASCAR, and college football. Before joining ESPN The Magazine he was a columnist for FoxSports.com. He was also editor-in-chief at NASCAR Media and wrote the script for the documentary Dale, that was narrated by Paul Newman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Infinity Sports Network</span> Sports radio network

Infinity Sports Network is an American sports radio network. It debuted as CBS Sports Radio with hourly sports news updates on September 4, 2012, and with 24/7 programming on January 2, 2013. Its name is a nod to Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, the name of the radio group founded by Mel Karmazin, and one of the predecessors of the network's parent companies, Audacy, Inc. and CBS Radio.

Doug Bell is a veteran sportscaster who works with WJOX-AM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SEC Network</span> U.S. NCAA Southeastern Conference sports TV network

SEC Network (SECN) is an American multinational sports network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and Hearst Communications. The channel is dedicated to coverage of collegiate sports sanctioned by the Southeastern Conference (SEC) including live and recorded event telecasts, news, analysis programs, and other content focusing on the conference's member schools. The network is estimated to have 70 million subscribers, more than any other dedicated sports network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cole Cubelic</span> American football player and sports analyst

Cole Cubelic is a sports analyst and former college football player. He played as a center for the Auburn Tigers. Cubelic is the chief reporter for SEC Network's football coverage.

References

  1. ↑ "ESPN hires Paul Finebaum". USA Today . May 23, 2013.
  2. ↑ Carter, Robert (February 2, 2011). "FINE-GONE: Paul Finebaum ends syndicated column". The North Jefferson News . Archived from the original on September 5, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Finebaum joins WJOX radio station". The Decatur Daily (via Associated Press). January 20, 2007. Archived from the original on May 21, 2007.
  4. ↑ "Is Finebaum to blame for Auburn tree poisoning? Will controversy help or hurt him?". February 18, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  5. ↑ Wideman, Reeves (December 10, 2012). "King of the South: How Paul Finebaum became Alabama's biggest booster". The New Yorker .
  6. 1 2 Bishop, Greg (May 21, 2013). "Radio Host Paul Finebaum joins ESPN". The New York Times .
  7. ↑ "Paul Finebaum hears 'train wreck' predictions for live Iron Bowl show, phones ready this time". AL.com. November 26, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Paul Finebaum agrees to book deal with HarperCollins for memoir about his radio show". March 26, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  9. ↑ "CHARLOTTE: Paul Finebaum: Can talk, will travel | Sports | the State". Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Renowned Sports Journalist Honored with Accomplished Alumni Award". October 18, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  11. ↑ Richard Deitsch (December 8, 2016). "Sports Illustrated Media Podcast". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  12. ↑ Hester, Wayne (August 23, 2015). "Once a Birmingham sports columnist, Finebaum hits the big time at ESPN". The Anniston Star . Archived from the original on October 6, 2016.
  13. ↑ Wiedman, Reeves (December 10, 2012). "King of the South". The New Yorker .
  14. ↑ St. John, Warren (December 10, 2012). "Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer". ESPN . Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  15. ↑ Fatsis, Stefan; Levin, Josh; Pesca, Mike (December 3, 2012). "Hang Up and Listen: The How To Talk About a Murder-Suicide Edition. Slate's sports podcast on Jovan Belcher, Alabama sports radio host Paul Finebaum, and the contretemps over the Spurs resting their starters". Slate .
  16. ↑ "SMW 2014 - Paul Finebaum". College of Communication & Information. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2017.

General references

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.