Don Imus Is Coming Back Rod Proctor, NewsMax.com Monday, July 23, 2007
Radio talker Don Imus, exiled from the airwaves in April after making remarks many saw as racist, will return to the microphone as early as September, industry analysts and observers tell NewsMax — but not all agree that the return will be triumphal.
The industry has been rife with rumors since Imus sidekick Bo Dietl's announcement on an Albany radio show, and picked up by the New York Post, that an Imus comeback was in the works for this September.
But experts explain to NewsMax that events are moving so quickly that the "I-Man" will be back in his broadcast chair by late summer or early fall.
"The I's are being dotted and the T's being crossed," media analyst Brian Maloney tells NewsMax. "When rumors went out, and the station not only didn't deny it but played along, that's key right there."
Radio & Records senior editor Mike Boyle, speaking to NewsMax, echoes that certitude. "The sun, the moon, and the stars seem to be aligning with all of this information — whether rumor or fact," he says.
And Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers magazine — the industry bible — is surprised Imus wasn't rehired sooner. "I always thought he'd be back, even before they fired him."
Even the Rev. Al Sharpton, arguably Imus' most vocal critic in April, has blessed the comeback.
In comments to The Associated Press and Radaronline.com, Sharpton says: "My position is that we never called for him to be permanently barred from being on the air. We wanted him to pay for being a repeat abuser, and he paid. We never said we didn't want him to make a living."
Imus spokesman and attorney Martin Garbus, has refused comment.
The questions now are, Where will Imus land? and, What kind of radio landscape will he find once he gets there?
Boyle and Maloney are convinced he'll be back at his old New York City flagship, WFAN-AM, owned by Viacom and CBS. The reason, says Radio & Records' Boyle: "Money." "You have to look at how much money that radio station billed. They are definitely one of the top 10, if not top five, billing stations in the country. A large portion of that came from Imus."
Analyst Maloney sees another motivation for CBS to return Imus to the fold.
"I think the reason he's returning so easily is they fear an expensive legal battle over the terms of his contact, which were highly favorable to him and they know it," he explains to NewsMax. "They could have been liable for up to $40 million in a payout were they to lose in court. So the alternative is to put him back on the air. Pay him the regular salary. What's the cheaper option?"
Talkers' Harrison isn't quite so sure of what lies in Imus' future.
"I've heard inside reports both confirming and denying he'll return to WFAN," he tells NewsMax. "Imus has all of radio to choose from. I'm sure there are many, many companies that would love to have his services."
And Newsday.com's Neil Best reports on that Web site that CBS CEO Les Moonves in June discounted the possibility of a CBS reprieve. Media journalist Ken Auletta asked Moonves whether Imus would return to CBS Radio. Moonves' curt response: "No."
Some question how successful Imus will be upon his return. The New York Post, at the time Imus was fired, reported that his audience had slipped 50 percent over the last 10 years, and had slid a full 25 percent in just the prior six months.
"He will return in a greatly diminished capacity," Maloney tells NewsMax. "If he's syndicated at all, it will be only a handful of stations. On [WFAN] itself, he will not be in the timeslot he has had. There is no way he's going to recapture what has been lost.
"All I see with certainty is a local New York City radio show," Maloney continues. "Keep in mind Imus was not a big syndication star. He was not on that many stations before. The very few big ones he was on were mainly in the Northeast and a few in the Southeast. Nothing in the West. The only other big station he was on is in Boston and that station has already announced a replacement. So where does he go?"
But Talkers' Harrison disagrees.
"[Imus'] ratings were not so terrible, especially when you have a qualitative audience the way he did. Considering more than 5,000 talkers are in America, top 20 is nothing to be embarrassed about," he explains to NewsMax. "That's major league.
"Radio ratings are only one aspect of what makes a host valuable. Loyalty and specifics of demographics. He's a valuable property whether he's 50th, 20th, or first. And now that he's had all this publicity and proved what an important newsmaker he is, I think his appeal as an attraction has been increased."
Indeed, NewsMax Magazine's October 2006 edition put Imus as the 3rd most influential man in radio, due to his high-level demographics in audience, his major newsmaker guests, and his simulcast on MSNBC.
There's no word yet if a new Imus radio show would include a cable simulcast as MSNBC did with his "Imus in the Morning" show.
Another angle of Imus' comeback circulating within the industry has some scratching their heads: Rumors that he has been visiting comedy clubs in search of a black sidekick.
"I think that would be kind of strange," Maloney responds to NewsMax. "You can't predict what Imus will do. He's always been an oddball. If that's the way he returns, that kind of move could backfire. It could be seen as blatant pandering."
Harrison has a different take.
"I don't know how true it is," he tells NewsMax. "But it makes sense. He should work into his routine and repertoire whatever new dimension of understanding he has about race relations.
"The fact is, Imus is not a racist. The whole thing was distorted and trumped up, and he was executed for a crime he really didn't intend to commit."
Boyle also defends Imus: "You only hear about the bad things he's said on the radio. Nobody talks about the things he does for kids with cancer out at his ranch.
"He got railroaded. If there's any chance to bring him back, everybody's going to become a winner."
Ban on derogatory lyrics is urged Sharpton backs state senator’s call for more responsible entertainment The Associated Press
BUFFALO — The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has challenged the entertainment industry on denigrating lyrics, on Monday supported a state senator’s idea to pull public investments from companies that won’t clean up their act. Holding the entertainment industry accountable will be a primary goal of the newest chapter of Sharpton’s National Action Network, said the activist minister, who announced the formation of the Buffalo-Niagara branch while in town to address a convention of black criminal justice professionals. Roughly $3 billion from New York’s state pension fund is invested in the entertainment industry, according to state Sen. Antoine Thompson, who requested an inventory of entertainment industry investments from the state comptroller earlier this year. Thompson suggested leveraging the investments to open dialogue with industry executives. “We just want to have more responsible entertainment where we’re not using language that’s offensive to anybody,” the Buffalo Democrat said. “The idea of divesting New York State taxpayers’ money from record companies that have a double standard when it comes to language is something that will be a priority,” said Sharpton, who led the drive to have Don Imus fired from his syndicated radio show for calling the Rutgers University women’s basketball team “nappy-headed hos.” In April, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons said the recording and broadcast industries should consistently ban three racial and sexist epithets from all so-called clean versions of rap songs and the airwaves. Expressing concern about the “growing public outrage” over the use of such words in rap lyrics, Simmons said the words “b**ch,” “ho” and the n-word should be considered “extreme curse words.” Sharpton said the Buffalo chapter of NAN also would consider town hall forums and other venues to steer young blacks toward positive goals, especially now that the city has elected its first black mayor. DON HEUPEL/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Rev. Al Sharpton, foreground, founder of the National Action Network, speaks during a news conference at Niagara Square in Buffalo on Monday.
Even the Rev. Al Sharpton, arguably Imus' most vocal critic in April, has blessed the comeback.
In comments to The Associated Press and Radaronline.com, Sharpton says: "My position is that we never called for him to be permanently barred from being on the air. We wanted him to pay for being a repeat abuser, and he paid. We never said we didn't want him to make a living."
Well thank you for the blessing Mr. Sharpton! PAALLEEEEZZZZ
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
In Imus’ wake, rap artists are cleaning up their act BY NEKESA MUMBI MOODY The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Rap’s critics have been complaining for years, only to watch the music become even more profane — and more popular. But now, it seems as if Don Imus may be accomplishing what a generation of detractors could not. Four months after outrage over Imus’ sexist and racial comments led to intense scrutiny of rap’s negative imagery and as the genre’s sales continue to plummet, some artists are publicly abandoning offensive language. The platinum-seller Chamillionaire recently announced that his new album, “Ultimate Victory,” would be cuss- and N-word-free. Numerous lesser-known rappers are promoting themselves as alternatives to misogynistic gangsta rap. The handlers behind 17-yearold sensation Sean Kingston are touting him as PG-rated. And the veteran gangsta Master P also declared that he would make clean music (though the “Dancing With the Stars” contestant’s hitmaking days now seem long gone). Still, others remain defi ant amid increasing pressure from the public and corporations. They vow to remain, in the words of rap’s raunch king Uncle Luke, as nasty as they wanna be. “It would have to pay something real strong to make me change the way I do my music,” said Twista, whose explicit lyrics got him dropped from a McDonald’s-sponsored concert this week. “I’m gonna keep saying it because I know I’m just making good music.” Chamillionaire figured he could still make good music — just without the rough language. The rapper, who won a Grammy this year for his socially charged smash “Ridin,’ ” says he never cursed all that much in his music anyway. The N-word was a different story: “I’ve always used the N-word.” But after the success of his last album, he went out on tour and saw mostly white faces lip-synching the epithet along with his lyrics. Now, Chamillionaire has had a change of heart for his new album, due in September on Universal Music Group, a unit of General Electric Co. “I was like, ‘You know what? I’m not going to say the N-word on this one because when I go back on the road and I start performing, I don’t want them to be saying it, like me teaching them,’ ” he told The Associated Press. Chamillionaire insists his conversion is a moral issue and not due to the Imus backlash: “There are a lot of people who are opportunists ... I’m definitely not that.”
Chamillionaire insists his conversion is a moral issue and not due to the Imus backlash: “There are a lot of people who are opportunists ... I’m definitely not that.”
Palllleeezzzz! In a paragraph before this, he states that he used the 'n' word all of the time. And NOW it is a moral issue! And it has nothing to do with Imus? Than it must have everything to do with money!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Rutgers athlete sues Imus over alleged damage NEW YORK — A member of the Rutgers women’s basketball team sued Don Imus and CBS on Tuesday, claiming the radio personality’s sexist and racist comments about the team damaged her reputation. Kia Vaughn filed the lawsuit alleging slander and defamation of character in state Supreme Court in the Bronx the same day Imus settled with CBS Radio in a deal that pre-empts his threatened $120 million breach-of-contract lawsuit against CBS. The settlement allows him to make a comeback bid at a new station. Vaughn’s lawsuit, believed to be the first by a player in the case, says Imus and his former co-host Bernard McGuirk, along with CBS Corp. and CBS Radio, are legally responsible for damage done to her character and reputation. There is no dollar amount listed in the suit. Vaughn was humiliated, embarrassed and publicly mocked for the comments, the lawsuit claims. Her attorney, Richard Ancowitz, said: “The full effect of the damage remains to be seen.”
By PAT MILTON, Associated Press First published: Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Don Imus has reached a settlement with CBS over his multimillion-dollar contract and is in negotiations with WABC radio to resume his broadcasting career there, according to CBS and a person familiar with the negotiations.
Imus and CBS Radio reached a settlement that would pre-empt the dismissed DJ's threatened $120 million breach-of-contract lawsuit, CBS spokesman Dana McClintock said Tuesday. No terms of the settlement were disclosed.
The person familiar with the talks told The Associated Press that Imus is taking steps to make a comeback with WABC. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the news had not been announced, also said the deal with CBS calls for a "non-disparaging" agreement that forbids him from speaking negatively about his former employer.
The activity comes four months after Imus created an uproar over his racist and sexist comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team.
Just before his dismissal, Imus signed a five-year, $40 million contract with CBS. Famed First Amendment lawyer Martin Garbus said in May that Imus planned to sue CBS for $120 million in unpaid salary and damages.
WFAN, the New York radio station that was Imus' flagship, also announced Tuesday that former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason will take over the morning time slot along with Craig Carton, a New Jersey radio personality.
Imus, 66, was dismissed April 12 after describing the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos" on his nationally syndicated radio program.
Garbus had said Imus would sue for the contract's unpaid portion. He cited a contract clause in which CBS acknowledged that Imus' services were "unique, extraordinary, irreverent, intellectual, topical, controversial."
The clause said Imus' programming was "desired by company and ... consistent with company rules and policy," according to Garbus.
WABC is a talk-radio station that features radio personalities and shows such as Hannity and Colmes and Rush Limbaugh.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Well of course Imus will be coming back. He makes a ton of money for the media outlets. And sure he'll be sued, but so what. We all knew that was coming. And don't think for a minute that the rappers will all of a sudden 'see the light' and stop using abusive language in their music. Cause that ain't gonna happen. Too much money to be made there too.
Quoted Text
A member of the Rutgers women’s basketball team sued Don Imus and CBS on Tuesday, claiming the radio personality’s sexist and racist comments about the team damaged her reputation.
And pallleeezzzeee....this simple statement damaged her reputation. Well I'm sorry you were not happy with what Mr. Imus said, and that you are choosing to sue him since he has money to sue for....but while you're at it, you should clearly be suing the rap music industry and who write, produce and perform songs that imply far worse than Imus could have ever said.
I happen to over hear a rap song that a young 'white' person was listening to on the radio a couple of weeks ago. Can I just say I was shocked. The words...'fu**'ng, bit**'ng whore, used in that order, was clearly the only words in the song I could understand.
So honey, you go girl...you sue Mr. Imus, but why not go after the rappers too? Perhaps it's a 'race' issue? Perhap?
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
REV. AL’S ADVICE The Rev. Al Sharpton has said he wouldn’t object if dismissed DJ Don Imus returned to radio. But now that it looks as though Imus might be close to a comeback, the civil rights activist has some advice for the man he campaigned to get fired. If Imus returns to the airwaves after his dismissal for making a racist and sexist remark about the Rutgers women’s basketball team, he should commit in his contract to forgo any racist, sexist or homophobic comments, Sharpton wrote in a guest column listing “musts for Imus” Sunday in the Daily News. He also called on Imus to set aside time weekly to talk on-air with an ombudsman, settle a lawsuit filed by a member of the Rutgers team and join his push to rid rap and other music lyrics of racist and misogynist language. “If and when Imus gets back in the broadcasting booth, each of us will have to judge for ourselves whether his apologies were an attempt to keep his job or whether h e s i n c e r e l y wanted to uphold standards that would respect all people,” wrote Sharpton, who said last month he wouldn’t oppose Imus’ potential return, under the right conditions. Imus’ lawyer, Martin Garbus, did not immediately return telephone messages left at his office and an after-hours number early Sunday. Imus and his former employer, CBS Radio, agreed to a settlement Tuesday that pre-empted his threatened $120 million breach-ofcontract lawsuit. The terms of the settlement weren’t disclosed.
The radio shock jock, who was fired in April by CBS Radio and MSNBC after he called the Rutgers University women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos," has reportedly reached a financial deal to return to the airwaves.
According to Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post, Imus could be back behind a microphone around Dec. 1. Citadel Broadcasting, which owns 243 radio stations, including ABC Radio Networks, plans to give Imus a morning show on New York's WABC. The program would be offered in syndication to other stations around the country.
Contractual details are likely be finalized within a week, and Imus is expected to be paid millions of dollars.
According to Kurtz, Imus also has discussed the possibility that the new Fox Business Network would carry his radio show.
Will real Don Imus show up when radio curmudgeon returns? BY ADAM GOLDMAN The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Will Don Imus be defiant or contrite? Will he mock his skeptics while making his triumphant return to radio Monday. Or will he muzzle his mouth? “That question is part of the drama of his re-emergence,” said Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers magazine, an industry trade journal. “Imus faces some choices.” Imus isn’t talking, yet, but it’s safe to say radio’s best-known curmudgeon will have lots to say when his show kicks off at 6 a.m. Monday on WABC-AM and other Citadel Broadcasting Corp. stations around the country, ending his nearly eight-month banishment from the air. The morning show will be simulcast on cable’s RFD-TV, owned by the Rural Media Group Inc., and rebroadcast on radio in the evenings. Monday’s four-hour premiere will be broadcast from Town Hall in Times Square, where $100 tickets were sold to benefit the Imus Ranch for Kids With Cancer. After its debut, the Imus spectacle will be on 6-9 a.m. weekdays, from a studio across the street from Madison Square Garden. Not much is known about the show’s format, other than at least one black person will participate regularly, along with longtime newsreader Charles McCord. Imus, through a spokesman, declined to comment. Whether this will temper his staunchest critics, like as the Rev. Al Sharpton, is unclear. Sharpton’s spokeswoman said the civil rights leader wasn’t commenting. In Boston on Friday, a group of black community leaders protested a local station’s plan to air the Imus program. MSNBC and then CBS Radio jettisoned Imus in April after he called the Rutgers University women’s basketball players “nappy-headed hos.” Imus’ nemesis, Howard Stern, told The Associated Press in a recent interview that his acerbic competitor’s career had peaked. “At this point, I don’t think he’s very relevant,” Stern said. “People will tune out within a week. I defy you to listen. It’s like a rodeo — you know, see how long you can ride a bull? See how long you can keep listening to Imus.” The people who helped orchestrate the Imus comeback believe he’ll succeed and say he’s learned his lesson since the Rutgers debacle. “I don’t have any doubt on his future,” said Phil Boyce, WABC-AM program director. “He’ll obviously be wiser, smarter and a bit more careful. He’s learned from this. I’m not concerned that he’ll have a repeat.” “Obviously we are doing this because we think we can make more money,” Boyce said. “There’s an opportunity to charge more for our advertising rates. I am not ashamed of saying it is about the money. We are running a business.” RFD reaches nearly 30 million homes, but with Imus on board the 24-hour cable network hopes to boost that number to 50 million over the next two years. Rural Media Group Inc., which caters to a rural audience, hopes to crack urban markets with the mass appeal of Imus. Love him or hate him, people will tune into Imus, said Patrick Gottsch, founder and president. “There is a real void in the morning with Don Imus not on the air,” Gottsch said. “He’s apologized heavily for the comments. He knew he made a mistake. You learn, you move on and I think most folks already have forgiven him.” Neither Boyce nor Gottsch would reveal how much money Imus is getting. “It’s the biggest deal by far we’ve ever done,” Gottsch said. Imus signed a five-year agreement with RFD. Boyce said he’s paying to get the real Imus, and expects that to be the personality that emerges Monday. “I’m not too worried that we’re not gonna get the real deal,” Boyce said.
By CRISTIAN SALAZAR, Associated Press Monday, December 3, 2007
NEW YORK -- Don Imus returned to the airwaves Monday eight months after he was fired for a racially charged remark about the Rutgers women's basketball team, introducing a new cast that included two black comedians.
As he did several times in the days after his comments, Imus condemned his remarks and said he had learned his lesson.
"I didn't see any point in going on some sort of `Larry King' tour to offer a bunch of lame excuses for making an essentially reprehensible remark about innocent people who did not deserve to be made fun of," he said Monday during the debut on WABC-AM.
He said that every time he would get upset about how he was treated -- he was fired from CBS Radio and MSNBC -- "I would remind myself that if I hadn't said what I said, then we wouldn't be having this discussion."
Imus also apologized again to the players.
"I will never say anything in my lifetime that will make any of these young women at Rutgers regret or feel foolish that they accepted my apology and forgave me," he said. "And no one else will say anything else on my program that will make anyone think that I didn't deserve a second chance."
While saying he had learned his lesson, he added -- to applause from the live audience at Manhattan's Town Hall -- "The program is not going to change."
His debut Monday completed a comeback that seemed improbable at the height of the uproar last spring over his calling the players "nappy-headed hos." CBS Radio fired him on April 12, pulling the plug on his "Imus In the Morning" program that had aired on more than 70 stations and the MSNBC cable network.
His guests on Monday's show included historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, Sens. John McCain and Chris Dodd, and political analysts James Carville and Mary Matalin.
Shortly after the program started at 6 a.m., Imus introduced his new cast, including two black comedians, Karith Foster and Tony Powell.
While Imus pledged to use his new show to talk about race relations, he added: "Other than that, not much has changed. Dick Cheney is still a war criminal, Hillary Clinton is still Satan and I'm back on the radio."
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