BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Longtime Alabama sports talk show host Paul Finebaum is joining ESPN and the SEC Network.
ESPN announced Thursday that Finebaum will host a daily radio show from Charlotte, N.C., starting in August. He will also make appearances on other platforms for the network.
The SEC Network, scheduled to launch in August 2014, will simulcast Finebaum's afternoon show. He's the network's first on-air hire.
"I remember something the late Steve Jobs said: 'Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.' In other words, dare to be different," Finebaum said in a statement. "That's what ESPN and the SEC Network are about. You have the extraordinary coalescence of the premier brand in sports combined with the preeminent conference in intercollegiate athletics.''
Finebaum will also make appearances on "SportsCenter," "College Football Live" and "College GameDay" and write for ESPN The Magazine.
"Paul has incredible range as a writer, radio personality and reporter. We're excited to have him join the ESPN team," Justin Connolly, senior vice president, programming for the SEC Network said in the statement. "Paul's show will create appointment television for viewers and differentiate SEC Network programming in the marketplace."
"The Paul Finebaum Show" was syndicated on stations from South Carolina to St. Louis and aired nationally on SiriusXM. His show started in 2001.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.