Paul Finebaum found his niche in the spoken word format after writing investigative stories for the Birmingham Post-Herald. He started radio appearances in the 1980's by providing commentary on the Mark and Brian show on WAPI-FM. After starting his own afternoon show a few years later on WAPI-AM, his program quickly became the highest rated sport-talk show in Birmingham. In 1993, Finebaum moved his sports-talk show to WERC-AM where he broke the story of Alabama football player Antonio Langham signing a contract with a sports agent. When it comes to sports in the south, Finebaum is a walking encyclopedia.
Being based right in the heart of one of the biggest rivalries in sports, Alabama and Auburn adds fuel to his radio fire. In 2001 Finebaums show began in syndication with affiliates all over the southeast. Last year, Finebaum earned additional headlines as a contract dispute with Cumulus, after the Citadel merger, made news nearly every week. After his contract ran out with Cumulus, Finebaum sat out a short non-compete. ESPN was waiting around the corner, with Finebaum on speed-dial. Last month it was announced that Finebaum will start his new job with ESPN on August first. They will distribute his radio show and he'll be one of their experts on ESPN-TV as the network rolls out its brand new SEC network. He's gotten to the top of the sports mountain. We spoke to him Thursday at length about how he did it. LISTEN HERE
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