Justifiable or over=reaction?
MSNBC, CBS Radio suspend Imus show But charity event will air as scheduled Thursday and Friday
The Associated Press
Updated: 9:43 p.m. ET April 9, 2007
NEW YORK - After a career of cranky insults, radio star Don Imus was fighting for his job Monday following one joke that by his own admission went “way too far.â€
CBS Radio and MSNBC both said they were suspending Imus’ morning talk show for two weeks following his reference last week to members of the Rutgers women’s basketball team as “nappy-headed hos.â€
(MSNBC.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.)
The suspension begins next Monday.
While CBS made its announcement without comment, MSNBC said Imus’ regret at making the inappropriate comment and his stated dedication to changing the show’s discourse made it believe this was the appropriate response.
“Our future relationship with Imus is contingent on his ability to live up to his word,†the network said. MSNBC simulcasts his radio program weekday mornings.
Imus continued to apologize Monday, both on his show and on a syndicated radio program hosted by the Rev. Al Sharpton, who is among several black leaders demanding his ouster.
Both MSNBC and CBS Radio said they would go ahead and air the previously scheduled Imus radiothon in support of the Tomorrow's Children's Fund, the CJ Foundation for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome research and the Imus Ranch planned for Thursday and Friday.
Apologies continue
Imus could be in real danger if the outcry causes advertisers to shy away from him, said Tom Taylor, editor of the trade publication Inside Radio.
“Everyone is on tenterhooks waiting to see whether it grows and whether the protest gets picked up more broadly,†Taylor said.
Imus isn’t the most popular radio talk show host — the trade publication Talkers ranks him the 14th most influential — but his audience is heavy on the political and media elite that advertisers pay a premium to reach. Authors, journalists and politicians are frequent guests — and targets for insults.
He has urged critics to recognize that his show is a comedy that spreads insults broadly. Imus or his cast have called Colin Powell a “sniffling weasel,†New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson a “fat sissy†and referred to Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado, an American Indian, as “the guy from ‘F Troop.â€â€™ He and his colleagues also called the New York Knicks a group of “chest-thumping pimps.â€
Yet, over the years, Imus' success was often a result of his caustic on-air barbs.
"That Imus is in trouble for being politically incorrect is certainly not new," said Tom Taylor, editor of the trade publication Inside Radio. "He's lived his life in and out of trouble ... This is something CBS will be watching very carefully."
Recent controversies involving Imus focused on a member of his morning team, Sid Rosenberg, who was fired two years ago after a particularly vile crack about cancer-stricken singer Kylie Minogue. Prior to that, a racially tinged comment by Rosenberg about Venus and Serena Williams stirred another controversy.
But the NABJ cited two other incidents involving Imus himself: the host's insults toward a pair of black journalists. Imus has called PBS' Gwen Ifill a "cleaning lady" and described William Rhoden of The New York Times as "a quota hire," the group said.
On Sharpton’s program Monday, Imus said that “our agenda is to be funny and sometimes we go too far. And this time we went way too far.â€
The Rutgers comment has struck a chord, in part, because it was aimed at a group of young women at the pinnacle of athletic success. It also came in a different public atmosphere following the Michael Richards and Mel Gibson incidents, said Eric Deggans, columnist for the St. Petersburg Times and chairman of the media monitoring committee of the National Association of Black Journalists, which also wants Imus canned.
“This may be the first time where he’s done something like this in the YouTube era,†Deggans said. Viewers can quickly see clips of Imus’ remarks, not allowing him to redefine their context, he said.
On his show Monday, Imus called himself “a good person†who made a bad mistake.
“Here’s what I’ve learned: that you can’t make fun of everybody, because some people don’t deserve it,†he said. “And because the climate on this program has been what it’s been for 30 years doesn’t mean that it has to be that way for the next five years or whatever because that has to change, and I understand that.â€
Future of show unknown
Imus’ radio show originates from WFAN in New York City and is syndicated nationally by Westwood One, both of which are managed by CBS. CBS Radio just replaced chief executive Joel Hollander with Dan Mason. With Imus’ radio show reaching an estimated 2.5 million people a week, his future could conceivably be decided by CBS chief Leslie Moonves.
The show is simulcast daily on MSNBC, where it reached an estimated 361,000 viewers in the first three months of the year, up 39 percent from last year. That’s the best competitive position it has ever achieved against CNN (372,000 viewers).
“He will survive it if he stops apologizing so much,†said Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers. Imus clearly seems under corporate pressure to make amends, but he’s nearly reached the point where he is alienating the fans who appreciate his grumpy outrageousness.
Even if he were to be fired, he’s likely to land elsewhere in radio, Harrison said.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson and about 50 people marched Monday outside Chicago’s NBC tower to protest Imus’ comments. He said MSNBC should abandon Imus and MSNBC should hire more black pundits.
Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP board of directors, said it is “past time his employers took him off the air.â€
“As long as an audience is attracted to his bigotry and politicians and pundits tolerate his racism and chauvinism to promote themselves, Don Imus will continue to be a serial apologist for prejudice,†Bond said.
Imus was mostly contrite in his appearance with Sharpton, although the activist did not change his opinion that Imus should lose his job. At one point Imus seemed incredulous at Sharpton’s suggestion that he might walk away from the incident unscathed.
“Unscathed?†Imus said. “How do you think I’m unscathed by this? Don’t you think I’m humiliated?â€
URL:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17999196/
