Finebaum Leaving JOX

[AUChizad]

Station will surely fold on itself after putting all its eggs in one bammer basket.

http://outkickthecoverage.com/paul-finebaum-leaves-birminghams-wjox.php

Paul Finebaum Leaves Birmingham's WJOX

Published on: January 22, 2013 | Written by: Clay Travis

Paul Finebaum, the afternoon host of Birmingham, Alabama's popular WJOX sports talk radio station, is leaving one of Cumulus radio's Southern sports powerhouses for a big payday from a competing station, 97.3 the Zone owned by Cox Communications. It's a big move in sports talk radio because Finebaum brings in several million dollars a year in ad revenue on one of the highest rated sports talk stations in the country. Finebaum's show is also simulcast nationwide on Sirius satellite radio, although the present satellite airing leads to minimal additional revenue. (Exactly how the satellite radio component to Finebaum's new deal will work going forward remains to be seen. It's possible that thanks to the popularity of the show satellite could be a substational revenue component in Finebaum's new deal.)

Finebaum will also be accompanied on the move to Cox Communications' 97.3 the Zone by Ryan Haney, program director at WJOX, who will now become program director at the new station, which has been to this point a perennial ratings doormat, regularly being trounced by WJOX in the ratings. Expectations are that Finebaum will be replaced in afternoons at WJOX by the mid-day show, the Roundtable with Lance Taylor, Jim Dunaway, and Ryan Brown. That trio's midday show, airing from 10 am-2 pm daily, is presently the highly rated lead-in to Finebaum's show. This will leave JOX with a large hole in the middays to fill.

Finebaum's relationship with Cumulus Media, which purchased his former employer Citadel in September of 2011, has been tumultuous, with the two sides recently engaging in a protracted lawsuit. That lawsuit was settled in July of 2012.

Finebaum's departure is a major blow to Cumulus and COO John Dickey who told the trade show magazine Talkers back in July that "Finebaum will never work for Cox in Birmingham." Those comments came after Cox Communications has avidly wooed Finebaum for months, even going so far as to play a clock counting down the amount of days left until Finebaum's contract with Cumulus expired. That contract expired on Monday, leaving Finebaum a radio free agent. Finebaum, who has recently been profiled in the New Yorker, will have to serve a three-month non-compete in the Birmingham market. Conveniently that non-compete will arise during the dead season of college football, leaving Finebaum free to reemerge in time for the lead-in to the 2013 football season. (Depending on how his contract reads, Finebaum might not have to serve any non-compete at all for a national radio show, but indications are that Finebaum will take off the three months anyway.)

OKTC reached out to Finebaum and Ryan Haney seeking comment from both men, but neither replied.

The Finebaum Twitter account has been silent for two days and this morning the official JOX website removed all reference to Finebaum on the show lineup.

Gotta assume the guy running things at 97.3 is smarter than Ryan Haney, considering he at least puts Eyes on Auburn on the air.

[AUChizad]

Best part of this news is the world will be Finebaum free for 3 months, due to non-compete clause in his WJOX contract.

[Tiger Wench]

Finebaum's wet dreams come true - from JOX to COX... stupid little shithead.

[djsimp]

Finebaum's wet dreams come true - from JOX to COX... stupid little shithead.

Post of the month nominee.

[Townhallsavoy]

Finebaum's wet dreams come true - from JOX to COX... stupid little shithead.

 

[The Prowler]

Finebaum's wet dreams come true - from JOX to COX... stupid little shithead.

^That's going on twitter directed @finebaum

[Snaggletiger]

Yesterday was glorious.  I don't get Ex-M or serious radio so we have one sports talk station here, which carries local shows, Finedong and Yahoo Sports.  Tim Brando left Yahoo Monday.  Finedong was off yesterday too and they said they don't have any idea if he'll land back on this station. 

Sports talk just got 174% better in these here parts.

[djsimp]

Yesterday was glorious.  I don't get Ex-M or serious radio so we have one sports talk station here, which carries local shows, Finedong and Yahoo Sports.  Tim Brando left Yahoo Monday.  Finedong was off yesterday too and they said they don't have any idea if he'll land back on this station. 

Sports talk just got 174% better in these here parts.

You know, now that you mention it, it seems traffic flowed mo betta from Liberty Pkwy to Trussville yesterday evening. I guess all the bammers went ahead and took the quick way home instead of clogging up the roadways listening to Suckbaum.

[dallaswareagle]

You know, now that you mention it, it seems traffic flowed mo betta from Liberty Pkwy to Trussville yesterday evening. I guess all the bammers went ahead and took the quick way home instead of clogging up the roadways listening to Suckbaum.

Parole release?????????

[Tiger Wench]

^That's going on twitter directed @finebaum

Let me know if anyone responds.  I don't twat... at least not on the innerwebs.

[Snaggletiger]

Let me know if anyone responds.  I don't twat... at least not on the innerwebs.

Moved, it did

[Buzz Killington]

Let me know if anyone responds.  I don't twat... at least not on the innerwebs.

Hello darlin!

[chinook]

Let me know if anyone responds.  I don't twat... at least not on the innerwebs.

it's not trending, yet. 


b.t.w.  did you receive the texas slim?   

[Tiger Wench]

it's not trending, yet. 


b.t.w.  did you receive the texas slim? 

I did, darlin', and I gotta give it two out of five stars.  Won't hold a charge long enough, and the red white and blue lone star paint job is a bit over the top.  Kind of makes me feelin like I'm fucking a flag and that's just not patriotic. 

[Snaggletiger]

I did, darlin', and I gotta give it two out of five stars.  Won't hold a charge long enough, and the red white and blue lone star paint job is a bit over the top.  Kind of makes me feelin like I'm fucking a flag and that's just not patriotic.

Oh....my

[DnATL]

Oh....my

at your age, the salute is only half-staff

[bottomfeeder]

Hell, they had parade for MF.

[DnATL]

Hell, they had parade for MF.

I heard the circus is going to have $aban in the center ring with the other midget clowns

[AUChizad]

I glossed over the part where Ryan Haney is joining 97.3 as the new program director there.

Sucks for everyone. I think we can pretty well kiss Eyes on Auburn goodbye. Scarbinsky doesn't have a chance to stay on air.

And what exactly is this acheiving? Who is Finebaum giving the "Fuck You" to if he's bringing Haney with him? I'm guessing the parent corporation that owns JOX is who he had the problem with? Cumulus?

Anyway, Haney starts today.

[JR4AU]

I glossed over the part where Ryan Haney is joining 97.3 as the new program director there.

Sucks for everyone. I think we can pretty well kiss Eyes on Auburn goodbye. Scarbinsky doesn't have a chance to stay on air.

And what exactly is this acheiving? Who is Finebaum giving the "Fuck You" to if he's bringing Haney with him? I'm guessing the parent corporation that owns JOX is who he had the problem with? Cumulus?

Anyway, Haney starts today.

Bad as that station sucked, I'd pushed through it to learn to tolerate it instead of the litany of fucking mouth breathing, screaming, moron callers that litter the air waves via JOX.  Now?  I have no real alternative again.  WJOX, most likely, will fade in to oblivion.  The Zone was going to, and the only thing keeping them alive was the hope of Finebaum in their future.  Sux.