This would be interesting.

SBJ reports:

Finebaum would no longer be the face of the SEC even though I'm sure he would continue to focus on college football with whatever he did next.

I don't really think this is a negotiating tactic either because he has money and security. What he probably wants is to make a mark on a bigger stage. If he can build his own smallish media empire then he could cash in with far more than whatever ESPN could pay him to host a show on TV.

Anyway, if Finebaum leaves then who do you want to see replace him on SEC Network and other platforms?

I do feel like the SEC needs a voice that would not only represent our fans, but one that is engaging and not afraid to tackle big stories.

(02-12-2020 06:41 PM)AllTideUp Wrote:  This would be interesting.

SBJ reports:

Finebaum would no longer be the face of the SEC even though I'm sure he would continue to focus on college football with whatever he did next.

I don't really think this is a negotiating tactic either because he has money and security. What he probably wants is to make a mark on a bigger stage. If he can build his own smallish media empire then he could cash in with far more than whatever ESPN could pay him to host a show on TV.

Anyway, if Finebaum leaves then who do you want to see replace him on SEC Network and other platforms?

I do feel like the SEC needs a voice that would not only represent our fans, but one that is engaging and not afraid to tackle big stories.

I would want an afternoon show host that is not sooooooooo Alabama centric. Also a morning show that is in a radio talk format but shows highlights of SEC sports as part of their segments.

Is Paul getting that girl Friday job for Nick Saban after all?

I think Andy Staples (now with The Athletic) would be an upgrade from Finebaum in every role that he now occupies.

(02-15-2020 08:23 PM)bigblueblindness Wrote:  I think Andy Staples (now with The Athletic) would be an upgrade from Finebaum in every role that he now occupies.

No thanks. Give me Tony Barnhardt. He's more SEC than he'll ever be ESPN but he has guested some for Paul and is an outstanding columnist for the Atlanta Journal Constitution. He's well trusted by the SEC office and demonstrated that when he never leaked his prerecorded acceptance of Missouri into the SEC.

He's also extremely even handed on the coverage of schools. He's more out of the Keith Jackson mold than anyone we have today.

Mmm... I dunno.

Haven't heard or seen Finebaum in several years, but the guy has a long history or threatening to jump ship whenever his contract comes up for renewal.

Also, kinda miss Neal Vickers' laugh.

(02-15-2020 08:46 PM)chester Wrote:  Mmm... I dunno.

Haven't heard or seen Finebaum in several years, but the guy has a long history or threatening to jump ship whenever his contract comes up for renewal.

Also, kinda miss Neal Vickers' laugh.

Nope, I think he's gone this time and not by his choice. His TV show is boring except for guests, his radio program has not translated well to a national audience, and I think ESPN is looking to trim overhead since the cord cutting is causing losses on the SECN side in what had been stout profits.

We accreted value this year by only 900,000 instead of a little over 2 million. The T1 and T2 contracts have built in escalators that put us up by 2+ million a year. That leaves one explanation. The SECN is losing even more subscribers. That trend is now 3 years old and we aren't the only network to be having issues. The BTN lost a 1/4 of its total value 3 years ago in the last public report they have released. And their growth in revenue is running slightly behind escalators for the regular part of the contract as well.

I think the handwriting is on the wall here and wouldn't be at all surprised if we get a higher guarantee on T2 revenue so that it covers reduction in the T3 material, which may eventually be destined for ESPN+.

Finebaum represents the largest overhead at the SECN and overhead reduces our payouts as we split operating costs with ESPN before the divvy of the revenue into 15 equal shares is handled. His agent is Jimmy Sexton so the angle you suggest is his #1 play, but this time I believe we'll see that Finebaum was likely advised that his services will not be renewed at the end of the 2020 football season.

(02-15-2020 08:55 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 08:46 PM)chester Wrote:  Mmm... I dunno.

Haven't heard or seen Finebaum in several years, but the guy has a long history or threatening to jump ship whenever his contract comes up for renewal.

Also, kinda miss Neal Vickers' laugh.

Nope, I think he's gone this time and not by his choice. His TV show is boring except for guests, his radio program has not translated well to a national audience, and I think ESPN is looking to trim overhead since the cord cutting is causing losses on the SECN side in what had been stout profits.

We accreted value this year by only 900,000 instead of a little over 2 million. The T1 and T2 contracts have built in escalators that put us up by 2+ million a year. That leaves one explanation. The SECN is losing even more subscribers. That trend is now 3 years old and we aren't the only network to be having issues. The BTN lost a 1/4 of its total value 3 years ago in the last public report they have released. And their growth in revenue is running slightly behind escalators for the regular part of the contract as well.

I think the handwriting is on the wall here and wouldn't be at all surprised if we get a higher guarantee on T2 revenue so that it covers reduction in the T3 material, which may eventually be destined for ESPN+.

Finebaum represents the largest overhead at the SECN and overhead reduces our payouts as we split operating costs with ESPN before the divvy of the revenue into 15 equal shares is handled. His agent is Jimmy Sexton so the angle you suggest is his #1 play, but this time I believe we'll see that Finebaum was likely advised that his services will not be renewed at the end of the 2020 football season.

I will take your word for it, JR. Have never seen his SECN program and don't imagine that his schtick worked too well on TV.

I'm just remembering his B'ham days, where his contract negotiations were a sort of running joke, though I guess he did follow through when he switched from AM to JOX.

...Jeez, now I'm remembering Herb "I'd Be Remiss" Winches.

(02-15-2020 09:21 PM)chester Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 08:55 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 08:46 PM)chester Wrote:  Mmm... I dunno.

Haven't heard or seen Finebaum in several years, but the guy has a long history or threatening to jump ship whenever his contract comes up for renewal.

Also, kinda miss Neal Vickers' laugh.

Nope, I think he's gone this time and not by his choice. His TV show is boring except for guests, his radio program has not translated well to a national audience, and I think ESPN is looking to trim overhead since the cord cutting is causing losses on the SECN side in what had been stout profits.

We accreted value this year by only 900,000 instead of a little over 2 million. The T1 and T2 contracts have built in escalators that put us up by 2+ million a year. That leaves one explanation. The SECN is losing even more subscribers. That trend is now 3 years old and we aren't the only network to be having issues. The BTN lost a 1/4 of its total value 3 years ago in the last public report they have released. And their growth in revenue is running slightly behind escalators for the regular part of the contract as well.

I think the handwriting is on the wall here and wouldn't be at all surprised if we get a higher guarantee on T2 revenue so that it covers reduction in the T3 material, which may eventually be destined for ESPN+.

Finebaum represents the largest overhead at the SECN and overhead reduces our payouts as we split operating costs with ESPN before the divvy of the revenue into 15 equal shares is handled. His agent is Jimmy Sexton so the angle you suggest is his #1 play, but this time I believe we'll see that Finebaum was likely advised that his services will not be renewed at the end of the 2020 football season.

I will take your word for it, JR. Have never seen his SECN program and don't imagine that his schtick worked too well on TV.

I'm just remembering his B'ham days, where his contract negotiations were a sort of running joke, though I guess he did follow through when he switched from AM to JOX.

...Jeez, now I'm remembering Herb "I'd Be Remiss" Winches.

He did this 2 years into the SECN but it was obvious when he flirted with doing the BTN for FOX he was just yanking chains and Yankees.

His program quality has really tanked and the translation of the tshirt fans calling in lost its appeal quickly on a Disney sponsored channel where long pauses of silence would were pared with a 30 second delay to censor "offensive" comments made by callers.

I would seriously love to see a journalist with connections to a wide array of guests who would fill that time. Most of them have been a wealth of pertinent information including Vince Thompson, Schlabach, and that Alabama fan who handicaps for betting (old man memory can't think of his name).

(02-15-2020 09:30 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 09:21 PM)chester Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 08:55 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 08:46 PM)chester Wrote:  Mmm... I dunno.

Haven't heard or seen Finebaum in several years, but the guy has a long history or threatening to jump ship whenever his contract comes up for renewal.

Also, kinda miss Neal Vickers' laugh.

Nope, I think he's gone this time and not by his choice. His TV show is boring except for guests, his radio program has not translated well to a national audience, and I think ESPN is looking to trim overhead since the cord cutting is causing losses on the SECN side in what had been stout profits.

We accreted value this year by only 900,000 instead of a little over 2 million. The T1 and T2 contracts have built in escalators that put us up by 2+ million a year. That leaves one explanation. The SECN is losing even more subscribers. That trend is now 3 years old and we aren't the only network to be having issues. The BTN lost a 1/4 of its total value 3 years ago in the last public report they have released. And their growth in revenue is running slightly behind escalators for the regular part of the contract as well.

I think the handwriting is on the wall here and wouldn't be at all surprised if we get a higher guarantee on T2 revenue so that it covers reduction in the T3 material, which may eventually be destined for ESPN+.

Finebaum represents the largest overhead at the SECN and overhead reduces our payouts as we split operating costs with ESPN before the divvy of the revenue into 15 equal shares is handled. His agent is Jimmy Sexton so the angle you suggest is his #1 play, but this time I believe we'll see that Finebaum was likely advised that his services will not be renewed at the end of the 2020 football season.

I will take your word for it, JR. Have never seen his SECN program and don't imagine that his schtick worked too well on TV.

I'm just remembering his B'ham days, where his contract negotiations were a sort of running joke, though I guess he did follow through when he switched from AM to JOX.

...Jeez, now I'm remembering Herb "I'd Be Remiss" Winches.

He did this 2 years into the SECN but it was obvious when he flirted with doing the BTN for FOX he was just yanking chains and Yankees.

His program quality has really tanked and the translation of the tshirt fans calling in lost its appeal quickly on a Disney sponsored channel where long pauses of silence would were pared with a 30 second delay to censor "offensive" comments made by callers.

I would seriously love to see a journalist with connections to a wide array of guests who would fill that time. Most of them have been a wealth of pertinent information including Vince Thompson, Schlabach, and that Alabama fan who handicaps for betting (old man memory can't think of his name).

Quick question re Finebaum's SECN gig. Does he at least compliment the usual sideshow with thoughtful interviews? I remember that during his WERC days he would at least occasionally set aside Bama fans vs Auburn fans for actual interviews. Even discussed local politics on occasion, though, of course, I wouldn't expect any politics on his SECN show.

Don't know who the Bama handicapper might be...

(02-15-2020 09:50 PM)chester Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 09:30 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 09:21 PM)chester Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 08:55 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 08:46 PM)chester Wrote:  Mmm... I dunno.

Haven't heard or seen Finebaum in several years, but the guy has a long history or threatening to jump ship whenever his contract comes up for renewal.

Also, kinda miss Neal Vickers' laugh.

Nope, I think he's gone this time and not by his choice. His TV show is boring except for guests, his radio program has not translated well to a national audience, and I think ESPN is looking to trim overhead since the cord cutting is causing losses on the SECN side in what had been stout profits.

We accreted value this year by only 900,000 instead of a little over 2 million. The T1 and T2 contracts have built in escalators that put us up by 2+ million a year. That leaves one explanation. The SECN is losing even more subscribers. That trend is now 3 years old and we aren't the only network to be having issues. The BTN lost a 1/4 of its total value 3 years ago in the last public report they have released. And their growth in revenue is running slightly behind escalators for the regular part of the contract as well.

I think the handwriting is on the wall here and wouldn't be at all surprised if we get a higher guarantee on T2 revenue so that it covers reduction in the T3 material, which may eventually be destined for ESPN+.

Finebaum represents the largest overhead at the SECN and overhead reduces our payouts as we split operating costs with ESPN before the divvy of the revenue into 15 equal shares is handled. His agent is Jimmy Sexton so the angle you suggest is his #1 play, but this time I believe we'll see that Finebaum was likely advised that his services will not be renewed at the end of the 2020 football season.

I will take your word for it, JR. Have never seen his SECN program and don't imagine that his schtick worked too well on TV.

I'm just remembering his B'ham days, where his contract negotiations were a sort of running joke, though I guess he did follow through when he switched from AM to JOX.

...Jeez, now I'm remembering Herb "I'd Be Remiss" Winches.

He did this 2 years into the SECN but it was obvious when he flirted with doing the BTN for FOX he was just yanking chains and Yankees.

His program quality has really tanked and the translation of the tshirt fans calling in lost its appeal quickly on a Disney sponsored channel where long pauses of silence would were pared with a 30 second delay to censor "offensive" comments made by callers.

I would seriously love to see a journalist with connections to a wide array of guests who would fill that time. Most of them have been a wealth of pertinent information including Vince Thompson, Schlabach, and that Alabama fan who handicaps for betting (old man memory can't think of his name).

Quick question re Finebaum's SECN gig. Does he at least compliment the usual sideshow with thoughtful interviews? I remember that during his WERC days he would at least occasionally set aside Bama fans vs Auburn fans for actual interviews. Even discussed local politics on occasion, though, of course, I wouldn't expect any politics on his SECN show.

Don't know who the Bama handicapper might be...

He still does interviews but mostly with other beat reporters, press personnel, and some ESPN personalities. But the show is mostly made up of about 20 minutes an hour with interviews and 40 minutes an hour with inane callers. I tune it at 2:00 PM when he gives his menu for the day and that way I know when to tune in for an interview I want to hear and that's about it.

(02-15-2020 10:02 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 09:50 PM)chester Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 09:30 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 09:21 PM)chester Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 08:55 PM)JRsec Wrote:  Nope, I think he's gone this time and not by his choice. His TV show is boring except for guests, his radio program has not translated well to a national audience, and I think ESPN is looking to trim overhead since the cord cutting is causing losses on the SECN side in what had been stout profits.

We accreted value this year by only 900,000 instead of a little over 2 million. The T1 and T2 contracts have built in escalators that put us up by 2+ million a year. That leaves one explanation. The SECN is losing even more subscribers. That trend is now 3 years old and we aren't the only network to be having issues. The BTN lost a 1/4 of its total value 3 years ago in the last public report they have released. And their growth in revenue is running slightly behind escalators for the regular part of the contract as well.

I think the handwriting is on the wall here and wouldn't be at all surprised if we get a higher guarantee on T2 revenue so that it covers reduction in the T3 material, which may eventually be destined for ESPN+.

Finebaum represents the largest overhead at the SECN and overhead reduces our payouts as we split operating costs with ESPN before the divvy of the revenue into 15 equal shares is handled. His agent is Jimmy Sexton so the angle you suggest is his #1 play, but this time I believe we'll see that Finebaum was likely advised that his services will not be renewed at the end of the 2020 football season.

I will take your word for it, JR. Have never seen his SECN program and don't imagine that his schtick worked too well on TV.

I'm just remembering his B'ham days, where his contract negotiations were a sort of running joke, though I guess he did follow through when he switched from AM to JOX.

...Jeez, now I'm remembering Herb "I'd Be Remiss" Winches.

He did this 2 years into the SECN but it was obvious when he flirted with doing the BTN for FOX he was just yanking chains and Yankees.

His program quality has really tanked and the translation of the tshirt fans calling in lost its appeal quickly on a Disney sponsored channel where long pauses of silence would were pared with a 30 second delay to censor "offensive" comments made by callers.

I would seriously love to see a journalist with connections to a wide array of guests who would fill that time. Most of them have been a wealth of pertinent information including Vince Thompson, Schlabach, and that Alabama fan who handicaps for betting (old man memory can't think of his name).

Quick question re Finebaum's SECN gig. Does he at least compliment the usual sideshow with thoughtful interviews? I remember that during his WERC days he would at least occasionally set aside Bama fans vs Auburn fans for actual interviews. Even discussed local politics on occasion, though, of course, I wouldn't expect any politics on his SECN show.

Don't know who the Bama handicapper might be...

He still does interviews but mostly with other beat reporters, press personnel, and some ESPN personalities. But the show is mostly made up of about 20 minutes an hour with interviews and 40 minutes an hour with inane callers. I tune it at 2:00 PM when he gives his menu for the day and that way I know when to tune in for an interview I want to hear and that's about it.

Gotcha. Well, a Finebaum sitcom thing isn't going to succeed, that's for certain. Back to the ole radio, probably. I'd say print media, too, if such a thing still exists. Not even sure...

(02-15-2020 10:14 PM)chester Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 10:02 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 09:50 PM)chester Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 09:30 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 09:21 PM)chester Wrote:  I will take your word for it, JR. Have never seen his SECN program and don't imagine that his schtick worked too well on TV.

I'm just remembering his B'ham days, where his contract negotiations were a sort of running joke, though I guess he did follow through when he switched from AM to JOX.

...Jeez, now I'm remembering Herb "I'd Be Remiss" Winches.

He did this 2 years into the SECN but it was obvious when he flirted with doing the BTN for FOX he was just yanking chains and Yankees.

His program quality has really tanked and the translation of the tshirt fans calling in lost its appeal quickly on a Disney sponsored channel where long pauses of silence would were pared with a 30 second delay to censor "offensive" comments made by callers.

I would seriously love to see a journalist with connections to a wide array of guests who would fill that time. Most of them have been a wealth of pertinent information including Vince Thompson, Schlabach, and that Alabama fan who handicaps for betting (old man memory can't think of his name).

Quick question re Finebaum's SECN gig. Does he at least compliment the usual sideshow with thoughtful interviews? I remember that during his WERC days he would at least occasionally set aside Bama fans vs Auburn fans for actual interviews. Even discussed local politics on occasion, though, of course, I wouldn't expect any politics on his SECN show.

Don't know who the Bama handicapper might be...

He still does interviews but mostly with other beat reporters, press personnel, and some ESPN personalities. But the show is mostly made up of about 20 minutes an hour with interviews and 40 minutes an hour with inane callers. I tune it at 2:00 PM when he gives his menu for the day and that way I know when to tune in for an interview I want to hear and that's about it.

Gotcha. Well, a Finebaum sitcom thing isn't going to succeed, that's for certain. Back to the ole radio, probably. I'd say print media, too, if such a thing still exists. Not even sure...

FOX might take him, but really he should just retire. He's had some health issues and I think he's about 65 already.

I seldom watch the Feinbaum's show anymore. A few of the callers ask good questions and deliver worthy critiques. Most though, are clowns, poorly educated loudmouths, and/or intoxicated and emotionally unstable. Then Feinbaum keeps taking their calls, with their first names noted, and treated as some kind of celebrities for dismissive humor.

Most of the guests, i.e. sports writers, ADs, etc., are informative. That's the aspect I enjoy.

While Alabama is most often the standout SEC football program, more balance has been sorely needed in coverage. Feinbaum comes across as head cheerleader for one school. That's not Alabama forcing Feinbaum to do that, it is Feinbaum's choice and perhaps his disinterest in promoting/featuring certain other schools in the SEC.

Being opinionated is expected, but fans of all the SEC schools want to hear some "uplifting" perspectives somewhat frequently.

I don't mind hearing the gossip offered by Feinbaum if it's inclined to be true.

I believe Danny Sheridan is the handicapper y'all are referring to.

I would like to see some effort made to cater to the serious side of SEC analysis. Finebaum doesn't accomplish that in any real sense so I won't be sad to see him go, but I can see that the SEC Network as we know it might not exist soon. It could be a moot point as to who replaces him.

If we're moving content to ESPN+ and I would fully expect that to happen then I would also like to see some daily content either on that platform or on radio. What I mean is this...

I was looking earlier for an option to stream the SEC Channel on Sirius XM. Apparently it's not available online? I don't have satellite radio in the car so I didn't even look at that menu. Nonetheless, there's really no reason the SEC can't be covered basically 24 hours a day with radio shows. There's a virtually endless list of talking heads, journalists, and former athletes/coaches that could be contributors. You wouldn't necessarily have to have the same precise lineup every day although a few regulars like Barnhardt would be interesting.

Maybe some of the shows get picked up by terrestrial stations in syndication similar to how the Finebaum network is set up. Maybe it's just a dedicated channel utilizing ESPN+ and Sirius XM to take it to a wider audience.

Either way, I don't see why that wouldn't work and it would be much cheaper than operating a TV network because literally everything could be streamed.

So I think the question is what replaces Finebaum maybe more so than who.

(02-15-2020 08:46 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 08:23 PM)bigblueblindness Wrote:  I think Andy Staples (now with The Athletic) would be an upgrade from Finebaum in every role that he now occupies.

No thanks. Give me Tony Barnhardt. He's more SEC than he'll ever be ESPN but he has guested some for Paul and is an outstanding columnist for the Atlanta Journal Constitution. He's well trusted by the SEC office and demonstrated that when he never leaked his prerecorded acceptance of Missouri into the SEC.

He's also extremely even handed on the coverage of schools. He's more out of the Keith Jackson mold than anyone we have today.

I totally agree!

(02-17-2020 02:47 PM)USAFMEDIC Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 08:46 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(02-15-2020 08:23 PM)bigblueblindness Wrote:  I think Andy Staples (now with The Athletic) would be an upgrade from Finebaum in every role that he now occupies.

No thanks. Give me Tony Barnhardt. He's more SEC than he'll ever be ESPN but he has guested some for Paul and is an outstanding columnist for the Atlanta Journal Constitution. He's well trusted by the SEC office and demonstrated that when he never leaked his prerecorded acceptance of Missouri into the SEC.

He's also extremely even handed on the coverage of schools. He's more out of the Keith Jackson mold than anyone we have today.

I totally agree!

I like Tony, but for that afternoon show I would like to see another host added.