Connect with us
Jim Cutler Demos

Sports Radio News

Wolf’s Age Discrimination Case Dismissed

Brandon Contes

Published

on

According to the Daily News, a lawsuit filed by New York sportscaster Warner Wolf, accusing Don Imus of age discrimination, was dismissed last week.  The judge ruled in favor of the legendary Imus, mainly because of Wolf’s 2016 move to Florida, a common relocation for retirees.

“Due to the fact that Wolf is a Florida resident that worked in Florida, he lacks any viable claims…since the impact of any alleged discriminatory conduct would have been in Florida,” wrote Manhattan Supreme Court Justice James d’Auguste in the ruling last week.

The iconic Warner Wolf joined WABC New York’s Imus in the Morning in December 1996, continuing as the program’s sports anchor for 20 years.  In 2015, the now 80-year old Wolf moved to Naples, FL and brought with him his annual salary of $195,000, where he continued providing sports updates for Imus in the Morning from afar.

In 2016 Wolf agreed to a pay cut, from, $195,000 to $80,000 which would allow him to remain an Imus in the Morning contributor from Florida.  In the new agreement, Wolf retained a 26-week severance pay.  Before the contract went into effect, Imus replaced Wolf with Sid Rosenberg, who now co-hosts the WABC morning show with Bernie McGuirk.

“If you’re in the studio in New York . . . it’s terrific. Anything else is not,” Imus wrote to Wolf in a 2016 email.

Wolf believed he was entitled to 26 weeks of severance pay from his $195,000 contract, amounting to $97,500.  The Manhattan Supreme Court Justice, however, believed if Wolf was serious about continuing his role on the New York radio show, he shouldn’t have moved to Florida.  Wolf’s last day on Imus in the Morning was November 4th, 2016.

Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.Wolf

Sign up for the BSM 8@8

The Top 8 Sports Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox, every morning at 8am ET.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Sports Radio News

Brian Murphy: Paul McCaffrey Tried to Make ‘Radio Magic Every Single Segment’

“He was the most consistent, energetic, relentless pro that I, or any of you, would ever want in your life.”

Published

on

A photo of Paul McCaffrey and Brian Murphy

During a round of layoffs last week, longtime KNBR morning host Paul McCaffrey exited. His co-host Brian Murphy eulogized the pair’s 18-year morning show in his first appearance on the station since the cuts Monday morning.

While reminiscing about the pair’s original, Murphy said a former executive used to frequently point at the radio and say “magic comes out of that box”.

“Paulie Mac may have been the guy who understood that idea more than anyone I’ve ever met in the business,” Murphy said. “Paulie Mac strived every single segment, every single segment, to make magic come out of the box. And he succeeded wildly. He was the most consistent, energetic, relentless pro that I, or any of you, would ever want in your life. He taught this old newspaper guy that we were doing radio and radio mattered. And bits mattered. And getting people through the morning mattered.

“The show, the show, the show. It was always what was good for the show. Not what’s good for him, not what’s good for me, but what’s good for the show.”

Video of Murphy’s comments and reflection on his time with McCaffrey was posted by the station to social media. Former KNBR Program Director Kevin Graham chimed in, calling Murphy’s farewell a “fitting tribute”.

Sign up for the BSM 8@8

The Top 8 Sports Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox, every morning at 8am ET.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading

Sports Radio News

Chris Garagiola to Replace Greg Schulte As Arizona Diamondbacks Radio Voice

“I have a few big-ticket things I want to achieve in my life and being the voice of a major league baseball team is one of them.”

Published

on

A photo of Chris Garagiola
(Photo: Danielle Cortez/Arizona Diamondbacks)

After 25 years as the only radio voice in the history of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Greg Schulte stepped aside after the 2023 season. Chris Garagiola will step into the team’s broadcast booth moving forward.

Garagiola has spent the past two seasons working as the fill-in voice for the club while Schulte missed time to undergo chemotherapy treatments as he battled cancer. He also served as the pregame and postgame host for the D-backs.

“This is the byproduct of a lot of hoping, a lot of being in the right place at the right time and a lot of hard work,” Garagiola told AZCentral.com. “This was a major life goal. It really was. I have a few big-ticket things I want to achieve in my life and being the voice of a major league baseball team is one of them.”

The 31-year-old previously worked as the voice of the AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He said if he had the opportunity to choose any MLB play-by-play job, this was the one he wanted.

“People would ask if you could pick any team what would you pick? My pick would have been Arizona,” Chris Garagiola said. “That was my team. That was my childhood team and some of the best sporting memories I ever had.”

Sign up for the BSM 8@8

The Top 8 Sports Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox, every morning at 8am ET.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading

Sports Radio News

Chiefs Radio Voice Mitch Holthus Misses 1st Game in 30 Years After COVID Diagnosis

Mitch Holthus claimed he had not missed a Chiefs broadcast in 30 years — calling more than 500 consecutive games for the team.

Published

on

A photo of Mitch Holthus
(Photo: Kansas City Chiefs)

Mitch Holthus has been one of the most distinctive NFL radio voices during his 30 years as the play-by-play announcer of the Kansas City Chiefs. His voice was absent Sunday for the franchise’s game after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

In a post to X, Holthus said he tested positive for the virus on Friday, and attempted to find a way to broadcast Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers remotely, before ultimately coming to the realization that it wasn’t feasible.

“I appreciate everyone who spent most of the day Friday trying to figure out how I could broadcast this game 2020 studio style,” Holthus wrote. “If it was (a) home game could maybe have had (an) isolated booth. But no way to pull it off on road, and (I) would never put anyone in that travel party in jeopardy, especially those who are immune compromised.”

He called the situation a “challenging 60+ hours”.

Mitch Holthus claimed he had not missed a Chiefs broadcast in 30 years — calling more than 500 consecutive games for the team. However, he concluded that he would start a new streak of broadcasting the team’s games next week.

Sign up for the BSM 8@8

The Top 8 Sports Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox, every morning at 8am ET.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Advertisement

Upcoming Events

Barrett Media Writers

Copyright © 2023 Barrett Media.