One of the most notable sportswriters in America will soon be out of his national radio job. John Feinstein said this morning on DC sports radio that he was fired by CBS from his 9-12 AM ET hosting job on the national CBS Sports Radio platform.
John Feinstein tells the Junkies that he was fired by CBS Radio. "They didn't like the stories I told [on air]."
— John Ourand (@Ourand_Puck) November 14, 2014
Feinstein’s firing comes amidst other turnover at CBS Sports Radio first reported by The Big Lead, including Dana Jacobson reportedly leaving the 6-9 AM ET slot with Tiki Barber and Brandon Tierney.
Awkwardly, Feinstein went on to host his eponymous show later on in the morning, and addressed the axing of his CBS show further:
Feinstein: "My contract is up at the end of the year. CBS is revamping the lineup. I'm really disappointed."
— John Ourand (@Ourand_Puck) November 14, 2014
Feinstein: "I hope that I'm still going to be involved with the network. We're trying to work something out." He mentions CBS Sports Minute.
— John Ourand (@Ourand_Puck) November 14, 2014
Here’s more from Dan Steinberg at the Washington Post, who spoke with Feinstein:
Feinstein — who continues to be a Washington Post contributor — originally signed a one-year contract with CBS, which was renewed for a second year. But he said “the handwriting was on the wall for a while” after a CBS executive told him that his lengthy stories about sports events and personalities “were slowing the show down.”
“I think that was a pretty clear sign, because my stories are what I do,” Feinstein said in a phone conversation Friday morning. “There’s no point in me saying I thought the show was good, because then it sounds like sour grapes. I did the show I thought they wanted me to do. I thought we did a good show, but my perspective isn’t necessarily everyone else’s perspective.”
Feinstein’s show was launched in 2013 as part of CBS Sports Radio’s national expansion. It’s a big strange that CBS let him go to telling “too many stories” because that’s what John Feinstein does, isn’t it? He’s a sportswriter and author first and foremost. That can translate to radio, but only if it’s somewhat relevant to the daily sports conversation. Feinstein says he hopes to stay with CBS in some capacity through writing, podcasts, and the CBS Sports Minute.
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