Stan Savran, a staple of Pittsburgh sports talk radio for close to 30 years, has been terminated by Clear Channel, the broadcasting corporation that owns and operates Fox Sports Radio 970.

Savran's contract for his 3-6 p.m. show on Fox expires July 7. He is expected to work until then.

"I found out a week ago," Savran said. "I was stunned and bewildered. No plausible explanation was given to me, at least not one that made any sense."

In a move almost as stunning, it's possible that Tim Benz of rival ESPN Radio 1250 will replace Savran.

Benz confirmed that, at his request, he was released from a recently signed contract at ESPN but would not comment further.

John Rohm, the regional vice president of Clear Channel, acknowledged that Benz was coming to work for his group but would not specify in what capacity or with what station or stations.

"We think Tim is a tremendous talent, someone who has a great potential," Rohm said. "We're looking to work with him for a lot of years."

Commenting on the termination of the Savran show, Rohm said, "In a nutshell, we decided to go in another direction."

He left the door open for Savran to work for Clear Channel in other capacities, although not necessarily on a full-time basis.

"I would feel better if I knew what the real reason was [for the dismissal]," said Savran, who described himself as "blindsided" by the termination.

If Benz is replacing Savran, it goes a long way toward explaining the firing. Clear Channel might be doing nothing more than attempting to attract a younger audience with Benz, a common practice in broadcasting.

When the scenario of Benz succeeding him was presented, Savran acknowledged a desire to go younger could be the reason for his firing.

Savran joined Fox Sports Radio, leaving ESPN, in 2001 and did a one-hour show from 8-9 p.m. When an opening occurred in the afternoon, he moved into the 3-6 p.m. slot in July 2002.

In a move that might have indicated what was coming, Savran signed a one-year contract last spring but accepted a 50 percent pay cut.

"I'm very disappointed," he said. "I loved doing that show. I poured my heart and soul into it. I worked hard to make the show a success."

Although Savran is best known for his television work -- "Savran on SportsBeat" is shown weekday nights from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on FSN Pittsburgh -- he has never made it a secret that he derived tremendous satisfaction and enjoyment from his radio work.

"There is an intimacy to radio that you don't have anywhere else," he said. "So many of these listeners have been with me since the beginning."

Listeners were drawn to Savran by his patient, courteous style and his extensive knowledge of sports. When it came to sports knowledge, no talk-show host could approach him.

Despite this, he was a consistent second in the ratings to Mark Madden, whose show airs from 3-7 p.m. on ESPN. The canceling of the show came after Savran had one of the best ratings books in the show's history from January through March.

It was on radio where Savran first made a name for himself in the Pittsburgh market.

He came to Pittsburgh in May 1976 to work for WWSW, which, years later, became Fox Sports Radio. When WWSW adopted a country format, he moved to KQV in 1979.

In 1981 he was hired by WTAE-TV as an anchor-reporter and also joined WTAE-Radio and did an 8-9 p.m. talk show. It was in this time slot, following Myron Cope's two-hour show, that Savran built up his greatest audience in what could be called the Golden Era of Pittsburgh sports talk.

In a dispute with management, Savran was fired at WTAE in 1991. He went to work for KBL, the forerunner to FSN Pittsburgh, a year later and got back into talk radio in the late '90s.

FSN Pittsburgh general manager Steve Tello said Savran's dismissal affects his station. "We're disappointed. It certainly helps us when Stan has listened to the fans for three hours before coming on with us. It primes him for the TV show."

Savran made it clear he intends to stay with his show on FSN Pittsburgh.

"SportsBeat is and always was my top priority. That's my bread and butter. That's my base and my foundation."

Savran hopes to stay in talk radio, but acknowledged his options are limited.

Rohm had nothing but praise for Savran.

"Stan is a great guy and a terrific talent. He's been working for us [at Clear Channel] since 1992. This show developed and went for a while and its time ran out. This component of our relationship has ended. We hope to use him in other capacities."

It's possible that Savran will continue to do "Steelers Hotline," a call-in show after Steelers games.

"I'm not angry," Savran said. "I'm bewildered and I'm very disappointed. I thought I put on a quality show. I really thought it was a good show -- not a ratings leader but a good show."