ESPN and Finebaum (Why is Paul employed?)

Tidewater · Aug 10, 2017

I just got cable turned on again (turn it off every year after the national championship game).
After watching just a few minutes, it occurred to me, with the pink slip man going through ESPN last spring like Sherman through Georgia, why on earth does Paul Finebaum still have a job? You could fill a volume with what that dude doesn't know about football. He is frankly awful. Whenever I see him on ESPN, it is an automatic 30 minutes in the time-out box for ESPN.
What on earth do the ESPN execs see in that guy? Man, he stinks.

BamaDMD · Aug 10, 2017

You're right about his football knowledge of x and o's. What they hired him for is 2 fold. 1. His connections (has always been able to get good guests and coaches and the interviews are good. This part I will tune in for occasionally).
2. He's the Jerry springer of sports. He can bring out the worst in callers and some folks will listen just for that. (not my favorite)

Cruiser · Aug 10, 2017

3 words; ratings, ratings and ratings

RollTide_HTTR · Aug 10, 2017

Same reason guys like Clay Travis still have jobs. A ton of people still watch/listen to garbage sports media.

DzynKingRTR · Aug 10, 2017

You don't have to watch. I don't watch and don't care. It is really easy

RTR91 · Aug 10, 2017

Tidewater said:
I just got cable turned on again (turn it off every year after the national championship game).
After watching just a few minutes, it occurred to me, with the pink slip man going through ESPN last spring like Sherman through Georgia, why on earth does Paul Finebaum still have a job? You could fill a volume with what that dude doesn't know about football. He is frankly awful. Whenever I see him on ESPN, it is an automatic 30 minutes in the time-out box for ESPN.
What on earth do the ESPN execs see in that guy? Man, he stinks.

Used to listen to him, but I stopped listening to most sports radio since January. I'm happier because of it, too.

Always enjoyed when a caller would ask "Paul, how do you think ____ will handle [insert football scheme, formation, etc.]" Doesn't take 20 minutes of listening to Paul to understand he doesn't know the intricacies of the game, yet people still call and ask him those things.

Tidewater · Aug 10, 2017

RollTide_HTTR said:
Same reason guys like Clay Travis still have jobs. A ton of people still watch/listen to garbage sports media.

Yeah, I know, but if he would just stay in one channel and one time slot, I could avoid him. ESPN seems to enjoy jumping him around so it's hard to avoid him.
Imagine the most disgusting activity you can (imagine images of torturing a dog with a chainsaw; that's how much I enjoy seeing Finebaum. He's just disconcerting and horrible), and then surprise your viewers with that image at random times and on all the channels in your "family of channels."
I wish him a happy retirement to Mongolian sports radio or something similar. It can't come soon enough.

Redwood Forrest · Aug 10, 2017

I listen to Finebaum occasionally and usually when in the car alone. I listen to some sports talk because I love college football. I don't agree a lot but I like to listen anyway to get another perspective.

CHATTBRIT · Aug 10, 2017

Have to say, I don't have ESPN any more and don't miss it -- from Finebaum to Stephen A. Smith, they are a bunch of windbags who love to pontificate without much basis in fact or knowledge. I don't miss any games this year thanks to Kodi! TV without commercials is amazing!

Tidewater · Aug 10, 2017

CHATTBRIT said:
Have to say, I don't have ESPN any more and don't miss it -- from Finebaum to Stephen A. Smith, they are a bunch of windbags who love to pontificate without much basis in fact or knowledge. I don't miss any games this year thanks to Kodi! TV without commercials is amazing!

Thanks. I had never heard of Kodi before.
I'm watching the Alabama vs Washington replay on ESPNU right now and enjoying it. (And Finebaum appears on ESPNU at random times).

CrimsonProf · Aug 10, 2017

Like him or not, Clay Travis is one of the only out of the box thinkers in sports media.

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GreatMarch · Aug 10, 2017

I wan to say that ESPN invested heavily in Finebaum and are still looking for their rate of return. I want to say that he was behind the SEC Network simulcast of the Alabama/Michigan State game in 2015 with McElroy, Spears, and McFarland (I think that was the lineup) and it went over like gangbusters and ESPN has since expanded it to the semifinals and championship game with more cast members. Maybe they feel like the owe Finebaum for that idea as they have made great advertising dollars on the gimmick....

Tidewater · Aug 10, 2017

GreatMarch said:
I wan to say that ESPN invested heavily in Finebaum and are still looking for their rate of return. I want to say that he was behind the SEC Network simulcast of the Alabama/Michigan State game in 2015 with McElroy, Spears, and McFarland (I think that was the lineup) and it went over like gangbusters and ESPN has since expanded it to the semifinals and championship game with more cast members. Maybe they feel like the owe Finebaum for that idea as they have made great advertising dollars on the gimmick....

Probably right.
I just wish viewers would just say no to PF to help ESPN commit to the divorce. Breaking up is hard to do, but please help ESPN do the right thing.

GreatMarch · Aug 10, 2017

Tidewater said:
Probably right.
I just wish viewers would just say no to PF to help ESPN commit to the divorce. Breaking up is hard to do, but please help ESPN do the right thing.

If the Paul Finebaum that we all know in Birmingham circles shows his true colors at ESPN, they will quickly tire of him and turn their backs on him like every other state of Alabama news and sportscaster did. 6 media types (including Finebaum) could be standing in a room and 5 would hold a conversation while Finebaum stood in a corner with his chin on his chest. Guy cannot find a cordial or loyal bone in his body without a mic or camera on him.

B1GTide · Aug 10, 2017

IMO, if you watch PF's show to hear what he has to say, you are missing the point. His shows are popular because of the things that he gets other people to say. It is voyeuristic. He creates train wrecks and gets people to watch them happen.

I sometimes watch his shows, but only if he has on a guest of interest. I cannot listen to the call in viewers. Even when I agree with what they have to say, I find myself wanting to change the channel. It just feels slimy.

CrimsonProf · Aug 10, 2017

Paul's show was so much better when it was sports and some politics in this state and not much else.

He would have been gold during the UAB mercy killing.

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81usaf92 · Aug 10, 2017

Finebaum is probably their only good shock jock left since Bayless left. He does his job pretty well whether or not you like him or agree with him is an entirely a different matter. His job is to push buttons and get ratings and he does them very well. Like him or hate him, no one can argue that he has been highly successful at what he does.

Fwiw I've met Finebaum. He is actually a pretty cool guy away from the camera and keyboard.

dvil doc · Aug 10, 2017

Finebum has a lineup of regular callers who go through a script with him. Very annoying. ESPN and ABC are owned by Disney and if it weren't for college football and Paw Patrol, I would not watch.

oh, and Modern Family.

Intl.Aperture · Aug 10, 2017

Tidewater said:
I just got cable turned on again (turn it off every year after the national championship game).
After watching just a few minutes, it occurred to me, with the pink slip man going through ESPN last spring like Sherman through Georgia, why on earth does Paul Finebaum still have a job? You could fill a volume with what that dude doesn't know about football. He is frankly awful. Whenever I see him on ESPN, it is an automatic 30 minutes in the time-out box for ESPN.
What on earth do the ESPN execs see in that guy? Man, he stinks.

Also consider what you see of his show. It's a very small set, with just him usually sitting alone for an hour or however long, taking a few phone interviews and then taking phone calls from viewers. The overhead on that show is preposterously low. Outside of Paul's salary it costs next to nothing to keep this show on the air. Couple that with the fact that many people DO watch and the show more than pays for itself. Paul draws eyes not just to his show but to other shows across ESPN. So his salary is, in a way, diluted across the budgets of other shows across espn which makes him even cheaper to keep on the air.

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rgw · Aug 10, 2017

ESPN's producers seem to love Finebaum as his role within the network has gotten progressively larger over his tenure. He's about to have his show in the ESPN2 2-6pm time slot. He's on Sportscenter almost every Sunday it seems. Regularly has hits on other shows.

Unfortunately for those who dislike him, he appears to anchored himself within the network.

ESPN and Finebaum (Why is Paul employed?)

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