Posted by Afternoon Saloon 24/7 on March 11, 2011 at 10:52:33:
Saying he made a “horrible mistake in judgment,” sports radio host Harry Teinowitz dealt with his recent DUI charge on the afternoon drive show on ESPN’s WMVP-AM (1000).
“Before we start the show today, there’s something I need to say that’s very important — to me,” a contrite Teinowitz, 50, said at the opening of the “The Afternoon Saloon” program he co-hosts from 2 to 6 p.m. weekdays with Carmen DeFalco and John Jurkovic. “I want to address an unfortunate situation involving me.
“Some of you may have heard about the incident that occurred last Friday night. I made a horrible mistake in judgment,” he said, his voice wavering. “And I take full responsibility for my actions. I let my family down. I let you guys, the listeners who I love, down. I let the company I work for down. And I’m deeply sorry.”
At that point, Teinowitz said it was a legal matter that he would no longer discuss. “That’s all I want to say. Thanks for hearing me out. I’m thrilled to be back. Let’s get back to Carmen, Jurko and, thank God, Harry.”
But he did add: “This doesn’t define me. What happens from now defines me.”
An ESPN spokesman also declined comment about the DUI charge or Teinowitz’s remarks on air.
Teinowitz was pulled over at 11:50 p.m. Friday while he was behind the wheel of a Nissan Murano SUV, according to Skokie police. He was charged with driving under the influence and improper lane usage after a test put his blood-alcohol level at .131 percent, police said. The standard in Illinois to be charged with DUI is .08 percent. Teinowitz was released on $1,000 bail.
Last May, Teinowitz was removed from the White Sox clubhouse for being loud and behaving in a manner that Sox executives deemed inappropriate.
Teinowitz has been with WMVP since ESPN took over the station in 1998.
In the January Arbitron radio ratings report, WMVP was in a tie for fourth place in the afternoon drive time slot among males 25 to 54 years old, and CBS Radio Chicago’s sports talk WSCR-AM (670) was in second place in afternoon drive.