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Paul Finebaum's show aired on WJOX-FM until his contract expired on Jan. 21.

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Paul Finebaum will leave Birmingham to begin hosting a radio show and a simulcast television show in Charlotte,

In Charlotte, Finebaum will be part of a package that includes a radio program on the ESPN networks, 100 televised appearances annually on ESPN, and a TV simulcast of his radio show on the ESPN-owned SEC Network when it launches in August 2014, the WSJ reported. His new, Charlotte-based radio show will begin airing Aug. 1, according to the WSJ.

"It would be the understatement of my life to say I wasn't thrilled," Finebaum said in the WSJ report. "It is incredibly exciting to be part of a new adventure, particularly one that involves the premiere brand in sports along with the pre-eminent conference in sports."

While Finebaum's new show will originate out of Charlotte, David DuBose, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Summit Media, told AL.com today that he anticipates the show will air in Birmingham on ESPN 97.3 The Zone, which is a Summit station.

"The show will be airing in Birmingham," DuBose said. "Yes, we are the ESPN affiliate, and even though this will be a separate product from the main ESPN programming, we have just talked to the ESPN folks and our intention is to carry the show here in Birmingham."

However, two other sources in the Birmingham radio market said it has yet to be decided where Finebaum's show will air here, and it could still return to WJOX 94.5 FM, where it aired for six years

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WJOX owner Cumulus Media is not likely to give up on Finebaum's show without making an aggressive bid to get it back, the sources said.

Efforts to reach officials with Cumulus Media for comment were unsuccessful this afternoon.

Wherever Finebaum's new show lands in Birmingham, it will air weekdays in his usual 2 to 6 p.m. time slot.

Also, AL.com has learned that Finebaum will be at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., on Thursday to be formally introduced on a number of ESPN radio and television programs. He and his wife, Linda Hudson, are expected to be in Charlotte later that night. The new SEC Network will be based in Charlotte.

Finebaum, who has spent his entire radio career in Birmingham, told the WSJ that his new show would remain caller-driven.

"The show has been successful for a lot of reasons, but it's always been a caller show and the audience has become the star," he said. "I don't really see that changing in the immediate future."

The new show will air primarily in the Southeast at first, Justin Connolly, senior vice president of programming for ESPN, told the WSJ.

Finebaum has a five-year contract, but neither he nor ESPN would discuss financial details, the WSJ reported.

As a rabble-rousing sports columnist for the old Birmingham Post-Herald, Finebaum began his radio career in Birmingham in 1985.

His show, which later became known as"The Paul Finebaum Radio Network," quickly became a lightning rod for controversy, but year after year, it was consistently one of the top-rated radio shows in Birmingham.

Since his contract with WJOX owner Cumulus Media expired in January, however, Finebaum has been off the air here while pondering his next move.

In March, he

for a book about his career and show that he is co-writing with ESPN.com's Gene Wojciechowski.

Efforts by AL.com to reach Finebaum for additional comment today have been unsuccessful.

Updated at 4:55 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, to add comments from David DuBose of Summit Media.



Updated at 6:04 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, to add that a source in the Birmingham radio market says where Finebaum's show will air here has yet to be decided.





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