Warner Wolf out at 1050 ESPN weekdays, still with Imus
Warner Wolf, who since December has been doing sports reports for both 1050 ESPN and Don Imus on WABC, has left 1050 on weekday mornings effective Monday after being asked by ESPN to choose between the jobs.
(Wolf still will do his Saturday morning show on 1050.)
1050 ESPN program director Aaron Spielberg said Friday the decision was made in the wake of on-air remarks by Imus Thursday in which he ripped the ESPN morning show, "Mike and Mike," in terms ESPN believed crossed a line from legitimate criticism to "off-color" personal attacks.
Wolf was given the choice of staying with 1050 or Imus, and opted for the latter. He has a longstanding relationship with Imus, for whom he famously reported from near the site of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
"I have to protect the integrity of my ESPN talent and I have to protect the integrity of our hosts,'' said Spielberg, who added it was an "overall decision" involving executives in both New York and Bristol.
"I couldn't put ESPN's brand name in a position where I felt like it was going to be compromised. I told Warner, 'Look, we love having you and we want to keep you.' But I just couldn't put him in a situation or my morning show in a position where we’d be compromised.
"It's difficult when someone calls one of my hosts a ----. I don’t want to be involved with that . . . I understand how Imus does his show and I appreciate that, but we don’t subscribe to that. Certain people are going to be offended by it, and Warner is a representative of ESPN."
(Recently during one of Wolf's reports on the Imus show, Imus made remarks about the Cowboys' Pacman Jones that caused a stir because of its racial content. But Imus insisted he was satirizing the treatment of blacks by the police, not criticizing blacks themselves.)
Wolf appeared Friday on both channels - whose studios are located on the same floor of a Manhattan building - but will only be on with Imus Monday.
"I understand humor and criticism," Spielberg said. "You have to have a tough skin. It’s just you get to a point with certain things that I have to protect ESPN."
Wolf did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
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Comments (11)
"I had to protect the integrity of my ESPN talent" is right up there with John Mara saying how much it hurts to charge PSLs as the definitions of chutzpah. Politicians would be ashamed to tell such tall tales.
Warner Wolf, as always, made the right decision.
Was unceremoniously dumped as lede sports guy by WCBS-tv years ago ... and the station hasn't recovered in sports since.
WEPN - they get steamrollered in the morning by 100-watt high school stations with a very vanilla, generic program.
That old coot Imus is rated MUCH better than anything 1050 AM runs.
This Spielberg boy - fyi a former Roger Ailes flunkie - has a great future in sports broadcasting at ESPN.
what did imus exactly say about mike and mike?
Keep up the good posts but Neil, for me the comments here make the blog such a waste with the people spending their time trying (though not succeeding) to be funny with their assumed identities/personalities.
I guess I'll just stick with your postings and hope I don't miss anything interesting in the comments section.
Warner made the correct decision. 1050 ESPN radio is a losing proposition.
Thus the Station Manager and the Station lost. If you chose ESPN Radio, you lost!
Good for Warner and Good for Imus.
Warner made the correct decision. 1050 ESPN radio is a losing proposition.
Thus the Station Manager and the Station lost. If you chose ESPN Radio, you lost!
Good for Warner and Good for Imus.
What did Imus say?
That M&M were losers and that 1050 sucked.
Dear all,
Neil doesn't 'report' anything about Imus unless it makes his friends over at WFAN look good.
Best's a shill for Chernoff.
Sad.
Best used to be so Good.
Umm . . . What does this story have to do with WFAN?
Was thinking the same think Neil,
You are a very respected journalist. Ray is mis-guided.
However, Imus was making a joke and an opinion to all that do not understand IMUS. I would bet you all that you have really never listened.
Keep on posting about anything Imus.
Neil. You are the best.