Alabama-based WJOX-FM afternoon host Paul Finebaum, whose contract with the station expired on Monday, is “not currently entertaining offers from other stations and won't do so for at least 90 days,” according to sources cited by Ty West of the BIRMINGHAM BUSINESS JOURNAL. Finebaum's contract gives Cumulus Media, which owns WJOX, "an opportunity to match any offer the sports talk radio host receives within 90 days following the expiration of the contract.” A source said that once that 90-day window passes, Finebaum and his reps would “evaluate the media landscape and start the process of making a decision about the host's future” (BIZJOURNALS.com, 1/22). Blogger Clay Travis wrote Finebaum is “leaving one of Cumulus radio’s Southern sports powerhouses for a big payday from a competing station," WZNN-FM, which is owned by Cox Communications. It is 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 relationship with Cumulus Media has been “tumultuous, with the two sides recently engaging in a protracted lawsuit” that was settled in July. Finebaum’s 90-day non-compete window “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.” Yesterday morning the official WJOX website “removed all reference to Finebaum on the show lineup” (OUTKICKTHECOVERAGE.com, 1/22).
