Former ESPNer Bram Weinstein to replace Mr. Tony in DC

Proving that you can go home again, former ESPN SportsCenter anchor Bram Weinstein is returning to his native Washington, D.C. as the full-time replacement for Tony Kornheiser on radio station WTEM. Weinstein came to ESPN in 2008 after working extensively on DC radio and TV. He left last year voluntarily wanting to make a return to the DC market.

After looking for opportunities in the area by freelancing and being the part-owner of a media consulting firm, Weinstein found the perfect opening when Kornheiser announced last month that he would be ending his radio show and starting a podcast in September. The new Weinstein show will take the 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. timeslot and begin on July 25.

He tells the Washington Post that he’s thrilled to have found the opportunity that he’s been looking for ever since he left the Worldwide Leader:

“I’m beyond excited,” Weinstein said by phone Monday morning. “It was always my first choice to come back here. It was just finding the right thing, and I’m just really fortunate that it’s worked out.”

During his first DC tenure, Weinstein worked for WTEM in various roles including the beat reporter for the Washington Redskins and also made appearances on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. Weinstein said after leaving ESPN last spring, he wanted to get back to the place where it all started for him:

“Honestly, one of the reasons why I left ESPN was because I wanted to try to get back here,” Weinstein said. “What’s hard is things have changed here; some of these old positions that used to be really valuable and attractive, the times have changed. So I was stunned when [Red Zebra] called. . . . It was obvious that I wanted to come back and do it. It’s incredible, really.”

Red Zebra is the owner of WTEM.

Weinstein says he’s happy to be back in the Washington area and hopes that the show will last for a long time.

[Washington Post]