Paul Finebaum Show Study

[oif_vet]

When Paul Finebaum came to the SEC Network with his show I heard many say that he has a bias towards Alabama and even Tennessee. I had never heard his show and had no opinion since he wasn't carried in Arkansas. I was surprised by the hire and thought maybe Tim Brando would have been a better choice and after you see my research you will probably think the same.

I started listening/watching Paul Finebaums show everyday since August 29th. Every time a fan of a school was put on the air, a guest was brought on to talk about a certain school, or Paul himself talked about a school at length I would write in a mark by each schools name and at the end of the show I would input the numbers into an excel spreadsheet. I stopped my research Friday of signing day week. The leading school was Alabama with 43% of my marks. Second place was Auburn with 29%. Third was Tennessee with 14%. The rest of the SEC was 14%. As a variable I had me and two friends call the show everyday during the research period to talk about Arkansas. Of the three of us calling everyday two of us got on the show once each.

PM if you would like to see the spread sheet. Thanks!

[Vantage 8 dude]

When Paul Finebaum came to the SEC Network with his show I heard many say that he has a bias towards Alabama and even Tennessee. I had never heard his show and had no opinion since he wasn't carried in Arkansas. I was surprised by the hire and thought maybe Tim Brando would have been a better choice and after you see my research you will probably think the same.

I started listening/watching Paul Finebaums show everyday since August 29th. Every time a fan of a school was put on the air, a guest was brought on to talk about a certain school, or Paul himself talked about a school at length I would write in a mark by each schools name and at the end of the show I would input the numbers into an excel spreadsheet. I stopped my research Friday of signing day week. The leading school was Alabama with 43% of my marks. Second place was Auburn with 29%. Third was Tennessee with 14%. The rest of the SEC was 14%. As a variable I had me and two friends call the show everyday during the research period to talk about Arkansas. Of the three of us calling everyday two of us got on the show once each.

PM if you would like to see the spread sheet. Thanks!

Well then I'd say that pretty much confirms the thoughts and attitudes that many have already suspected. How come I'm not at all surprised?

[Dr. Starcs]

1. Thanks for the info.
2. Get a life.
3. Lol. Just kidding. Kinda.

[oif_vet]

1. Thanks for the info.
2. Get a life.
3. Lol. Just kidding. Kinda.

I work at home and do well. However I have a lot of time on my hands haha

[Danny J]

I like seeing little experiments like this. Good job.

[hawgfan4life]

That is awesome.  You have too much time on your hands.

[oif_vet]

What's amazing is that me and two others called everyday and two of us only got on once while some of these Alabama and Auburn callers get on almost everyday. There really is a huge bias and disparity.

[spearman88]

The callers who get on everyday or every other day are his regulars who have a direct line.   

[oif_vet]

The callers who get on everyday or every other day are his regulars who have a direct line.

The problem is that me and two others called everyday for months so we can't be considered regulars?

[MissippHog]

The problem is that me and two others called everyday for months so we can't be considered regulars?

No, the problem is you aren't a redneck from Alabama.  If you were, you would have been patched through many more times.

[phadedhawg]

I have nothing to contribute in regards to determining Finebaum's bias.  I tried to watch his show one day and I was bored to tears.  But I don't like the format.  Any time you have fans call it, it's cringe worthy. 

[longpig]

Eventually a recycled hilljack from Blue Jay Holler or Rison will become Arkansas's version of Jim from Tuscaloosa or Bobby from Birmingham and you will all regret getting what you wished for.

[ChiTown27]

When Paul Finebaum came to the SEC Network with his show I heard many say that he has a bias towards Alabama and even Tennessee. I had never heard his show and had no opinion since he wasn't carried in Arkansas. I was surprised by the hire and thought maybe Tim Brando would have been a better choice and after you see my research you will probably think the same.

I started listening/watching Paul Finebaums show everyday since August 29th. Every time a fan of a school was put on the air, a guest was brought on to talk about a certain school, or Paul himself talked about a school at length I would write in a mark by each schools name and at the end of the show I would input the numbers into an excel spreadsheet. I stopped my research Friday of signing day week. The leading school was Alabama with 43% of my marks. Second place was Auburn with 29%. Third was Tennessee with 14%. The rest of the SEC was 14%. As a variable I had me and two friends call the show everyday during the research period to talk about Arkansas. Of the three of us calling everyday two of us got on the show once each.

PM if you would like to see the spread sheet. Thanks!

Did you notate discussion time dedicated to each school, or just times brought up? If not, you'll need to start over. lol. Kidding.

[hawgbawb]

I lived in Bama from about 86-95 and Finebaum was a big Bama homer then too.

[spearman88]

Most of the regular callers are the folks he had on his radio show in Alabama before he got the TV gig.  A lot of them are the people that stir the pot, yell and scream, and say all the crazy stuff that his show is known for. The train wreck stuff that gets some people to watch/listen.  That is why he also has many of their  photos. One of these callers accidentally mentioned their direct line to the show on one occasion. It looks like he has added a few "pot stirrers" from other areas.  One is from Perrysburg OH, close to where I live who has been getting into it directly with one of the Alabama fans.  These "regulars" very rarely have good questions or comments.  They are just the train wreck to keep people interested for 3 hours, or however long his show is, in between the good calls and good discussion.  Love it or hate it, its a formula that works for him.

[oif_vet]

Honestly I hate the format and would have preferred Tim Brando. Paul Finebaum is very uninteresting but I see how he got to where he is by having the crazies on the air but I think it has been a turn off for the fans of other teams. Even the rants are boring and rehashed.

[go hogues]

+1 for the research and time and effort! I do an informal notation of the ESPN SEC blog each day and Arkansas is one of about three or four teams that never gets much coverage.
In fact, we are the only SECW school without a dedicated staff writer at ESPN. None of our signing day events/tweets were retweeted and every other school got a bunch.

Like my dad always says, the obvious bias toward Arkansas year in and year out makes it that much better when we succeed on the field.

[redeye]

Interesting research and I don't find it surprising.  I never watched or listened to his show much, but I actually think he's spent less time talking about Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee since joining the SEC Network.

[Rison Razor Hog]

Eventually a recycled hilljack from Blue Jay Holler or Rison will become Arkansas's version of Jim from Tuscaloosa or Bobby from Birmingham and you will all regret getting what you wished for.

Aww, c'mon Rison? I guess if my Dad called in regularly, that might count, lol.

[Murr]

When Paul Finebaum came to the SEC Network with his show I heard many say that he has a bias towards Alabama and even Tennessee. I had never heard his show and had no opinion since he wasn't carried in Arkansas. I was surprised by the hire and thought maybe Tim Brando would have been a better choice and after you see my research you will probably think the same.

Brando would have covered the entire SEC better than Paul has, but would Brando's total contributions have brought enough to match what Paul's brings to the SECN? I don't think so.

[oif_vet]

Brando would have covered the entire SEC better than Paul has, but would Brando's total contributions have brought enough to match what Paul's brings to the SECN? I don't think so.

That's hard to say because Brando has a lot more personality and is more likeable to the general public. They gave Finebaum the title of mouth of the south and voice of the SEC and that is very cringe worthy.

[redeye]

+1 for the research and time and effort! I do an informal notation of the ESPN SEC blog each day and Arkansas is one of about three or four teams that never gets much coverage.
In fact, we are the only SECW school without a dedicated staff writer at ESPN. None of our signing day events/tweets were retweeted and every other school got a bunch.

Like my dad always says, the obvious bias toward Arkansas year in and year out makes it that much better when we succeed on the field.

I kept up with the ESPN SEC blog for many years and regularly when Petrino was here.  During our best years, they would covered us more, but still spent more time covering what Saban had for lunch.  After Petrino left, they would go weeks without mentioning Arkansas.  It wasn't until recently that they finally began mentioning Arkansas recruits in their recruiting segments on the blog.  I actually think they're a little better today.  Sam Khan may be an A&M writer, but he does pretty well at covering Arkansas, imo.

I was the guy always complaining about the lack of coverage and pointing out the flaws in their data.  When they switched to Facebook, I mostly stopped reading the SEC blog, because I don't have/want a Facebook account.  It's gone downhill so much that I'm not missing anything, but I used to enjoy it.

[ArmyOfnobunaga]

That's hard to say because Brando has a lot more personality and is more likeable to the general public. They gave Finebaum the title of mouth of the south and voice of the SEC and that is very cringe worthy.

Yet you listened for about 300 hours...

so do others. Lets face it. Pissing people off sells newspapers and gets people to listen.

How do you piss off southern CFB fans? Talk about the team(s) that have beaten everyones nalgas for years.


Your "research" pretty much proves that finebaum is a genius.

[oif_vet]

I kept up with the ESPN SEC blog for many years and regularly when Petrino was here.  During our best years, they would covered us more, but still spent more time covering what Saban had for lunch.  After Petrino left, they would go weeks without mentioning Arkansas.  It wasn't until recently that they finally began mentioning Arkansas recruits in their recruiting segments on the blog.  I actually think they're a little better today.  Sam Khan may be an A&M writer, but he does pretty well at covering Arkansas, imo.

I was the guy always complaining about the lack of coverage and pointing out the flaws in their data.  When they switched to Facebook, I mostly stopped reading the SEC blog, because I don't have/want a Facebook account.  It's gone downhill so much that I'm not missing anything, but I used to enjoy it.

When they went from a internal comment system to a facebook comment system it killed the community of commenters they had. I left went they switched.

[oif_vet]

Yet you listened for about 300 hours...

so do others. Lets face it. Pissing people off sells newspapers and gets people to listen.

How do you piss off southern CFB fans? Talk about the team(s) that have beaten everyones nalgas for years.


Your "research" pretty much proves that finebaum is a genius.

It was research and I suffered through listening to it I promise you. I would be happy to never hear it again and if it got canceled many would rejoice. Also Tennessee hasn't beaten anyone and was the third most talked about team.

[ArmyOfnobunaga]

Bur Tenner fans might have been the third most demographic.


Its radio. It will never be fair.

[oif_vet]

Bur Tenner fans might have been the third most demographic.


Its radio. It will never be fair.

No it will never be fair but the numbers show an obvious bias beyond being unfair. More exposure for a school means more recruits know about that school. It's suppose to be the SEC network not a couple schools from the sec network. I'm not trying to complain because it won't do any good. I'm just trying to lay the stats out there for everyone. My suggestion is to write emails to the network and stop watching/listening.

[ChiTown27]

+1 for the research and time and effort! I do an informal notation of the ESPN SEC blog each day and Arkansas is one of about three or four teams that never gets much coverage.
In fact, we are the only SECW school without a dedicated staff writer at ESPN. None of our signing day events/tweets were retweeted and every other school got a bunch.

Like my dad always says, the obvious bias toward Arkansas year in and year out makes it that much better when we succeed on the field.

Media choose to not cover our Hogs like other programs because our population is nowhere near that of Texas, California, Florida, etc. We are not a large advertising revenue generator relative to other "accounts." So if you wonder why media promote the tOSU, Florida State, Florida, Texas, UCLA, USC, Notre Dame (23.9% of US population), etc, just keep in mind that they want gross impressions, and flattery is a great way to get those folks to tune in. We can't magically change this, so we will have this hurdle to battle every year when trying to convince kids to come here to play; however, wins will help out a lot. This is nothing most of you didn't already know. I'm just blabbing.

[BadHog]

[longpig]

Interesting research and I don't find it surprising.  I never watched or listened to his show much, but I actually think he's spent less time talking about Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee since joining the SEC Network.

That's my take on it.  His show was mostly Tennessee and Alabama followers previous to the SEC Network deal and will catch on conference wide or be dropped. 

[longpig]

No it will never be fair but the numbers show an obvious bias beyond being unfair. More exposure for a school means more recruits know about that school. It's suppose to be the SEC network not a couple schools from the sec network. I'm not trying to complain because it won't do any good. I'm just trying to lay the stats out there for everyone. My suggestion is to write emails to the network and stop watching/listening.

There's something wrong with a kid if he listens to the Finebaum show.

[SwinerBock]

Media choose to not cover our Hogs like other programs because our population is nowhere near that of Texas, California, Florida, etc. We are not a large advertising revenue generator relative to other "accounts." So if you wonder why media promote the tOSU, Florida State, Florida, Texas, UCLA, USC, Notre Dame (23.9% of US population), etc, just keep in mind that they want gross impressions, and flattery is a great way to get those folks to tune in. We can't magically change this, so we will have this hurdle to battle every year when trying to convince kids to come here to play; however, wins will help out a lot. This is nothing most of you didn't already know. I'm just blabbing.

This.  Both Finebaum and the SEC blog play to the market.  Bama and Tenn are a bigger market than us.  All there is to it.

[BorderPatrol]

Wow....

bp

[tusksincolorado]

FP is a Tenner grad.

[DeltaBoy]

I listen in only when he talking HOGS and I see it posted here at the Ville.

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

When Paul Finebaum came to the SEC Network with his show I heard many say that he has a bias towards Alabama and even Tennessee. I had never heard his show and had no opinion since he wasn't carried in Arkansas. I was surprised by the hire and thought maybe Tim Brando would have been a better choice and after you see my research you will probably think the same.

I started listening/watching Paul Finebaums show everyday since August 29th. Every time a fan of a school was put on the air, a guest was brought on to talk about a certain school, or Paul himself talked about a school at length I would write in a mark by each schools name and at the end of the show I would input the numbers into an excel spreadsheet. I stopped my research Friday of signing day week. The leading school was Alabama with 43% of my marks. Second place was Auburn with 29%. Third was Tennessee with 14%. The rest of the SEC was 14%. As a variable I had me and two friends call the show everyday during the research period to talk about Arkansas. Of the three of us calling everyday two of us got on the show once each.

PM if you would like to see the spread sheet. Thanks!

Don't wanna see the spreadsheet. I wanna see a pic of your girlfriend. Not a dirtyone. I just want to make certain you already have a keeper. If not, get away from the PC and go buy a beer at a club...

[jkstock04]

Honestly I hate the format and would have preferred Tim Brando. Paul Finebaum is very uninteresting but I see how he got to where he is by having the crazies on the air but I think it has been a turn off for the fans of other teams. Even the rants are boring and rehashed.

I will forever see Brando as a Houston Nutt homer & nothing more. I actually enjoy Finebaum because of his smartass/one liner sarcastic demeanor.

Included in your experiment as a variable you should've posed as a Bama fan part of the time to see if that got you on more.

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

This.  Both Finebaum and the SEC blog play to the market.  Bama and Tenn are a bigger market than us.  All there is to it.

Not a bigger market. Fox has a lot of blame with this. FoxSouth is not carried on DTV in Arkansas. I'm not certain about cable or other providers, but Here in Mississippi I see them constantly begging for Arkansas input. I have emailed them several times to let them know they are not on the air in Arkansas. We just don't get what's on the rest of the SEC's markets... Finebaum had a built in army of Bama and Auburn fans. They didn't have to go looking for him. His ESPN slot took over his regular slot...

[Hoggish1]

Nice work.  Paul and his show suck!

[Hogarusa]

Holy crap. You did this every day for 5 months?  I once thought about watching First Take for a period of time and keeping track of how often Skip Bayless is wrong.

I didnt do that though

[DoctorSusscrofa]

Two comments: First this is a total waste of time and effort; and second, that is exactly why we check Hogville this time of year. Awesome!!

[hawginbigd1]

Good job to the OP for getting tangible numbers. However I listened about 20 minutes total over 4 or 5 occasions and I determined I could not make the Bama uh Finebaum show a regular part of my programming. There are some regular DA callers on DTS, but they don't have nothing on these people. DTS is supposed to be biased but a national network show should not.

[ImHogginIt]

Always thought when the network launched we would see lots of replays of various games from the past 20 years. Nope. We get 4 hrs of Finebaum every afternoon. I refuse to watch his crap 

[usf15cc]

I tried watching it the other day and it was so bad i changed it to Keeping Up with the Kardashians. 
Of course my girl loved it! She wants me to watch it everyday.

[Iwastherein1969]

Finebaum can count on the old, homestate rednecks to call in every day and Paul seems to be nervous about changing his format because the Bammer vs Aubie schtick is home and dependable.  As far as Tennessee, Finebaum was raised in Memphis, Tn and is a proud alum of the University of Tennessee's at Knoxville journalism school.  To wrap a bow on this, Finebaum is afraid to break away from the formula that has gotten him to this point in his career.

[LZH]

Didn't Brando take a nut shot at Arkansas after HDN was bounced and/or hired at Ole Miss?  He was forced to retract it, but I still haven't cared for him since.

[immahog]

What's amazing is that me and two others called everyday and two of us only got on once while some of these Alabama and Auburn callers get on almost everyday. There really is a huge bias and disparity.

I know its supposed to be a "SEC SHOW" but it was based out of Alabama. They are going to stick to what they know.

[immahog]

I tried watching it the other day and it was so bad i changed it to Keeping Up with the Kardashians. 
Of course my girl loved it! She wants me to watch it everyday.

kim khole an kourtney .....I could look at those three all day

[Steef]

Good job, OP.

Puts to rest the debate about ESPN bias. Finebaum bias was always a given.

I don't mind when people/shows are biased. Heck, I'M...biased!

I mind when they pretend they aren't.

[Hogfaniam]

What's amazing is that me and two others called everyday and two of us only got on once while some of these Alabama and Auburn callers get on almost everyday. There really is a huge bias and disparity.