Newsday: Best: Warner Wolf out at 1050 ESPN weekdays, still with Imus

Ahh...I miss the days of “Let’s go to the videotape of Fenton Mole’s first ML hit!”

1050 ESPN program director Aaron Spielberg said Friday the decision was made in the wake of on-air remarks by Imus Thursday in which he ripped the ESPN morning show, “Mike and Mike,” in terms ESPN believed crossed a line from legitimate criticism to “off-color” personal attacks.

Wolf was given the choice of staying with 1050 or Imus, and opted for the latter. He has a longstanding relationship with Imus, for whom he famously reported from near the site of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

“I have to protect the integrity of my ESPN talent and I have to protect the integrity of our hosts,’’ said Spielberg, who added it was an “overall decision” involving executives in both New York and Bristol.

“I couldn’t put ESPN’s brand name in a position where I felt like it was going to be compromised. I told Warner, ‘Look, we love having you and we want to keep you.’ But I just couldn’t put him in a situation or my morning show in a position where we’d be compromised.

“It’s difficult when someone calls one of my hosts a ----. I don’t want to be involved with that . . . I understand how Imus does his show and I appreciate that, but we don’t subscribe to that. Certain people are going to be offended by it, and Warner is a representative of ESPN.”