WEEI sports radio host Kirk Minihane has been suspended for a week by Entercom Communications, the station’s parent company, fordisparaging on-air comments he made about Fox Sports reporter Erin Andrews during two recent programs.
Minihane’s suspension was announced Friday night by Entercom president and chief executive officer David Field. His statement came hours after Fox Sports informed him with a terse letter it was pulling all advertising from the company’s more than 100 stations nationwide, including WEEI.
“Kirk Minihane’s statements regarding Erin Andrews were offensive and deplorable,” said Field. “It is clear by the response from our listeners, advertisers, and employees that Kirk’s efforts to apologize and make this right have been insufficient and ambiguous. We want to make it unequivocally clear that his comments were unacceptable and do not reflect Entercom’s values and standards.”
Minihane apologized for his comments in a statement posted on WEEI.com that night. But upon returning from vacation this Wednesday – his first day on the air since the original comments—he punctuated a verbal apology by suggesting that Andrews’s success is based on looks rather than ability, saying if she “weighed 15 pounds more she would be a waitress.”
Entercom’s announcement of Minihane’s suspension came approximately two hours after a letter from Fox Sports president Eric Shanks to Field was obtained by Boston.com. In the letter, Shanks informed Field that all advertising would be pulled and no Fox Sports personalities would be permitted to be guests on WEEI.
For more on this story visit Boston.com where it was originally published
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
