Paul Finebaum has been the leading authority in Alabama sports for over 20 years. He was a sportswriter and columnist for the Birmingham Post-Herald since 1980 and has won over 250 national, regional and area sports-writing awards. In July, he joined the Mobile Register and his column appears Tuesday and Saturday and on al.com. Finebaum's articles have appeared in a number of national publications, including the New York Times, Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News.

 
Finebaum's radio career in Birmingham began in the mid 1980's and his popular program arrived at WERC in 1993. Along with being the state's most listened to show for eight years running, his radio program has won numerous broadcast honors including three straight Associated Press Awards for Best Sports in Alabama. In January, 2002, Finebaum was selected "Sportscaster of the Year," in Alabama by the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters. In 2001, the Finebaum show expanded beyond Birmingham and is now heard in markets throughout the state of Alabama and region.

Finebaum's investigating style of journalism has carried over to the radio, as he has broken numerous stories on the air like the Antonio Langham case and the firing of Terry Bowden. His insight and commentary on Alabama sports' issues has gained national exposure as he has appeared on ESPN, MSNBC, HBO and ABC Sports. In January of 2001, Finebaum was not only interviewed live on CNN concerning the Albert Means recruiting scandal, but also featured on the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather.

Finebaum was also showcased recently on the CBS Sports documentary on the late Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. Along with his writing and radio duties, Finebaum is in his fifth year as Sports Director at WIAT (CBS) TV in Birmingham, anchoring the five and six o'clock sports cast live from the WERC studios. His three-hour pre-game show for the 2000 Iron Bowl was one of the highest rated programs in CBS-42's history. Before joining WIAT, Finebaum co-hosted Six Sports Live with Rick Karle on Fox-6 for five years. Finebaum has also been a successful writer, writing over 50 joke books under the "I Hate.." heading, such as "I Hate Alabama...Auburn...Florida...Notre Dame, etc." His compilation of columns titled, "The Worst of Paul Finebaum" was released in 1994. His most recent book, "Finebaum Said," was published in November, 2001 and is another compilation of columns. He is currently working on a sports novel, which will focus on college athletics in the South. He is also in much demand as an after-dinner speaker outside the Birmingham area, and in the past year spoke in Memphis, Mobile, Orlando and Jacksonville. Finebaum, a Memphis native, is a 1978 graduate of the University of Tennessee. He has been married for the last ten years to Dr. Linda Hudson, an internist at St. Vincent's Hospital. The couple resides in Birmingham.