Don Imus Being Fired What is your opinion on the matter.

[seargentpepper7 0]

If you don't know much about Don Imus here is a brief summary of what happened:

CBS brought a weeklong confrontation over a racial and sexual insult by the radio host Don Imus to an end yesterday when it canceled the “Imus in the Morning” program, effective immediately.
The move came a day after the cable television network MSNBC, a General Electric unit that has simulcast Mr. Imus’s radio program for the last 10 years, removed the show from its morning lineup. The two moves, taken together, mean that Mr. Imus, who has been broadcasting the program for more than 30 years, no longer has a home on either national radio or television.

It is possible, though, that he could re-emerge on satellite radio.

Mr. Imus received the news at home in a telephone call. Many of his listeners learned of it during the afternoon radio show “Mike and the Mad Dog,” which announced it on WFAN, the CBS-owned New York station that also carried Mr. Imus’s program.

The CBS chief executive, Leslie Moonves, met yesterday afternoon with the Rev. Al Sharpton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, leaders in what became a national movement to remove Mr. Imus from the air in the wake of his comments disparaging members of the Rutgers women’s basketball team. On April 4, Mr. Imus referred on the air to the Rutgers athletes as “nappy-headed hos.”

Both CBS and MSNBC had been under pressure from black leaders and women’s groups, then advertisers began abandoning the Imus program and its networks this week, pulling out the financial underpinnings from the show.

In a statement, Mr. Moonves said: “Those who have spoken with us the last few days represent people of good will from all segments of our society — all races, economic groups, men and women alike. In our meetings with concerned groups, there has been much discussion of the effect language like this has on our young people, particularly young women of color trying to make their way in this society.”

He went on to say, “That consideration has weighed most heavily on our minds as we made our decision, as have the many e-mails, phone calls and personal discussions we have had with our colleagues across the CBS Corporation and our many other constituencies.”

The CBS decision came hours before Mr. Imus and the Rutgers basketball team met at the New Jersey governor’s mansion in Princeton. The Rutgers group at the meeting included some parents, university adminstrators, and the Rev. DeForest Soaries of the First Baptist Church in Somerset, N.J., where the Rutgers head coach, C. Vivian Stringer, is a parishioner.

At 10:50 p.m., after three hours, Mr. Imus left without commenting. The Rutgers group stayed about an hour longer. Ms. Stringer spoke for the group before leaving.

“It was a very productive meeting,” she said. “Players, coaches, parents, administrators, the pastor, and Mr. Imus were able to really dialogue. I’m extremely proud of our 10 young basketball players.”

Asked if Mr. Imus apologized, Ms. Stringer declined to answer. “We’ve said as much as we can say tonight.”

Gov. Jon S. Corzine, who had offered the mansion as a meeting site, was injured in an traffic accident and did not take part.

Neither of Mr. Imus’s employers, however, was willing to wait to see if the meeting would produce anything like a rapprochement.

CBS and NBC originally announced a two-week suspension for Mr. Imus that was to begin on Monday, but the protests increased as the week went on. They gained momentum first from a news conference by the Rutgers team and then by the recounting of previous episodes when Mr. Imus and his supporting cast engaged in racially charged banter.

Executives at NBC said the discomfort of staff members and concerns about the network’s reputation had influenced the decision to cut ties with Mr. Imus. But it was paying only a license fee to carry the show. CBS Radio and WFAN produced the show and contracted with Mr. Imus as its star.

CBS also manages Westwood One, the syndicator that has sold the Imus show to other stations around the country. Mr. Imus, 66, was among the most recognizable voices on radio, and commanded a salary estimated at $10 million a year.

With his longtime base gone, Mr. Imus may well try to turn to satellite radio. But before he can entertain such a possibility, he would presumably have to reach some accommodation with CBS. He recently signed a five-year contract extension.

Even then, it seems unlikely that he would match his current salary in a fledgling medium with a fraction of the audience of conventional radio, particularly as the two main satellite companies — Sirius and XM — try to cut costs in pursuit of a merger. Moreover, with Congress and the Federal Communications Commission reviewing that proposed deal, they may be reluctant to take on a tainted figure like Mr. Imus, who would stir controversy among the regulators who must approve the merger.

That said, the chief executive of Sirius, Mel Karmazin, is a longtime friend of Mr. Imus and was for many years his boss at Infinity Broadcasting, which later merged with CBS. A Sirius spokesman did not immediately return a call last night seeking comment. An XM spokesman said he had no comment.

The CBS action on Mr. Imus came on an extraordinary day. For four and a half hours yesterday morning, he turned his radio program into a live fund-raiser for three charities — two benefiting children with cancer, and the other related to sudden infant death syndrome — an endeavor he has undertaken each of the last 18 years.

Among the guests were children and parents who had been beneficiaries of his efforts — particularly the Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids With Cancer, a program that the host founded at his New Mexico ranch along with his wife, Deirdre.

Through the broadcast, though, Mr. Imus continually referred to the perilous predicament he was in.

He strongly suggested, for example, that he believed that his long career on conventional radio, at least, was drawing to a close, which gave the broadcast something of a funereal atmosphere.

“This may or not be our final radiothon,” he said, just before 6 a.m. “But let’s say for the sake of being safe that it is.”

At several points, he lashed out at the “hypocrisy” in media coverage of the fallout from his remark.

He also expressed bitterness that MSNBC had “pulled the plug” on televising his program less than 12 hours before the fund-raiser was to begin. “They got their pound of flesh,” he said.

At the same time, Mr. Imus also acknowledged that, ultimately, he alone was to blame for his predicament. “I said a stupid, idiotic thing that hurt these kids,” he said of the Rutgers players. “If I hadn’t have said it, we wouldn’t be here.”

As he left his studio in Secaucus, N.J., at midmorning yesterday, the house band he hired for the fund-raiser, led by Levon Helm, serenaded him with “Hail to the Chief.”

The radiothon, which continued throughout the day and was to conclude at 10 a.m. Friday, had brought pledges in excess of $1.6 million by 6 p.m. yesterday. In a sign that the attention swirling around Mr. Imus might have actually helped the fund-raiser, donations were running substantially higher than at the same point in previous years, WFAN said.

In a memo sent to CBS employees announcing Mr. Imus’s dismissal, Mr. Moonves said: “This is about a lot more than Imus. As has been widely pointed out, Imus has been visited by presidents, senators, important authors and journalists from across the political spectrum. He has flourished in a culture that permits a certain level of objectionable expression that hurts and demeans a wide range of people. In taking him off the air, I believe we take an important and necessary step not just in solving a unique problem, but in changing that culture, which extends far beyond the walls of our company.”

With Mr. Imus now gone from their lineup, CBS Radio and WFAN were under pressure yesterday to find someone to replace him. At least temporarily, WFAN planned to install “Mike and the Mad Dog,” a sports talk show, in the morning hours that Mr. Imus had occupied, according to a company executive.

But the prospect of such added responsibilities did not stop the two hosts — Mike Francesa and Christopher Russo (the “Mad Dog”) — from blistering their employer, CBS Radio, for cutting ties to Mr. Imus in the midst of the fund-raiser.

“They should know better,” Mr. Russo said on the air. “A sophomore in college handles this better.”

Here is my opinion on the matter:

I don't think Don Imus should have even gotten in trouble. I personally am not racist in one bit nor sexist but I don't think so much fuss should have been made over something like this. Don Imus has always been extremely vulgar on his show if anyone has ever seen it and saying something racist is nothing new for him. I don't believe anything would have happened if the press had not picked up on it and made such a big deal about it. Everyday shows such as The Chappelle Show (good show...) and Mind of Mencia (also good show) make much more racist and sexist jokes than Don Imus's "Nappy Headed Ho's" remark on the 10 basketball players.

Don Imus was fired from both of his jobs and that short little remark has really ruined his life. Maybe he shouldn't have said it but if people had just let it go I dont believe anything would have changed. Don Imus would have continued doing his show and the players would have continued winning without any disturbance.

I would like to know what everyone else thinks about this subject so please vote!

[Saint_Michael 3]

Well think about when it comes to rascism in America, anything a white person says about anything else is considered racism, but when everyone talks about their own groups its ok, yeah he messed up for saying it but once the advertisers start pulling ad's from the channel, MSNBC had to fire him because he was costing them money and remember this is a capitalist country so money means everything. I been listening this on espn radio and a lot of people even African Americans believe he shouldn't have gotten fired. But everyone had to make it a big deal about just because a white person said it.But also they mention that sharpton and Jackson are opprtunists and I do agree with that though, they find anything thats a small issue and turn it to a big one and get everyone to boycot this and boycott that. People say stupid things but the fact is no one will ever get over the past and keep it their. Their are more important things to talk about then what people say and their are more important things then making money.

[pkjm17 0]

It?s a bit easy to support the firing of Imus simply because you loathe what he says. But you have to ask yourself, is this the standard our society should adopt? Should every talk show host or pundit be fired if they utter something bigoted?And who gets to decide what is and is not bigoted? Should there be a list of words or should we just leave it up to guys like Al Sharpton to make the call? And should we draw up a sliding scale of punishments as related to the offense? ?Nappy haired ho?s? gets you fired. Calling a presidential candidate ?gay? loses you a few syndication gigs but otherwise allows you to continue earning money?I?m not saying Imus wasn?t bigoted. He was. I?m just very concerned by how many people can?t separate their disgust at what Imus said from his right to say it without overly severe punishment. I prefer a more robust practice of free speech. But I?ve always been way to the traditional left on these kinds of matters

[Smack 0]

Don Imus has rightly been fired. A grown man who has many years experience on a radio show should have known better than to demean anyone on the air. His buddy Maguire or whatever his name is should be thrown in also. If anything this guy egged on Imus, him being the first to call these learned women 'hoes'. I think that Imus should have resigned - it was the honorable thing to do. Instead his was disgraced when he was fired. His choice though, if he would of resigned maybe he would be in a different situation.Imus has done great things in the past, but his time on the radio is over. He is too old-school for the media today.

[seargentpepper7 0]

Don Imus has rightly been fired. A grown man who has many years experience on a radio show should have known better than to demean anyone on the air. His buddy Maguire or whatever his name is should be thrown in also. If anything this guy egged on Imus, him being the first to call these learned women 'hoes'.

 

I think that Imus should have resigned - it was the honorable thing to do. Instead his was disgraced when he was fired. His choice though, if he would of resigned maybe he would be in a different situation.

 

Imus has done great things in the past, but his time on the radio is over. He is too old-school for the media today.

I take it smack.. You have never herd is show. He COSTANTLY is bigotted and is always making raunchy jokes.

 

Saint_Michel: Not only can people of there race make fun of there race black people can make fun of white people all they want and I personally don't mind.

 

People say stupid things but the fact is no one will ever get over the past and keep it their. Their are more important things to talk about then what people say and their are more important things then making money.

Also I have never seen someone use their so many times in the wrong way in one sentence lmao. All of the "theirs" in those two sentences should have been "theres".

[Smack 0]

I take it smack.. You have never herd is show. He COSTANTLY is bigotted and is always making raunchy jokes.

Nope never have and am proud of it. If he was constantly like this - he had no place on the air anyways.

Those are the people that make my country look like a bunch of backwood idiots. Good riddance Imus.

[street 0]

I feel that he should have been fired for what he had said he should have known better in society today racism is a big thing but you hardly see any news about it but when there is something to do with racism it is all over the news and someone in the end is either going to jail,threapy,or get fired. Imus has been around for so long and it looks like he thinks that it was not a big deal now he is trying to go against the rappers. You cant go against the rappers when they rap i have never heard a rapper called a specific group of women a ho because in the real world there are ho so that is the women they are talking about. They never said that the women who are doctors,lawyers,college students are ho's they just say the word ho but never have ever been specific.

[michaelper22 0]

Well think about when it comes to rascism in America, anything a white person says about anything else is considered racism, but when everyone talks about their own groups its ok

And that's how it's always going to be.
I think Imus deserves whatever discipline and criticism he gets. People make stupid decisions, and ultimately, they get what they deserve. I'm surprised he wasn't arrested for some applicable charge yet.

[FolkRockFan 0]

Imus is an American citizen. As such, he has the freedom to say pretty much whatever he wants.Do I like what he says? No. He disgusts me. Did I tune in? No. I read transcripts and quotes after the fact. He has spent many years insulting, demeaning and verbally defecating on just about everybody out there - from Jews to blacks to homosexuals to the Irish to women to...et cetera.But does he have the right to say these things? Yeah. He does. At the same time: his employers have the right to fire him. They were losing lots of money because corporate sponsors pulled their support. They can do pretty much whatever they want. They want to make money, so they dump the guy who is no longer making a killing for them. Fair enough.Sharpton and his cronies, however, need to realize that everybody has the same freedom of speech that they have. Instead of boycotting, crying, whining and moaning about how MEAAAAAAAN Imus is, they should grow up and accept the fact that there will always be big, stinkin' jerks on this planet - jerks who have the right to say stupid things.I doubt, however, that Imus will stay down for long. I won't be surprised if a satellite radio network or some other corporation offers him a job. He'll probably also publish more books.

[Watermonkey 0]

Just to add to what folkrockfan has already articulated, I heard a couple days ago (haven't heard anything today because I was gone most of the day) that he was threatening to come out of the 911 Truth movement closet that many celebs have been hiding in. Charley Sheen came out of that closet a while back and suffered a lot of backlash because of it and several others have since. When Rosie O'Donnell came out with the hard questions recently many "conservatives" in the talk radio circuit were calling for her to be immediately fired, one even called for her death! I don't have confirmation, but it's possible this is the real reason this hateful bigoted celeb got sacked. It's not like this is the worst thing he's ever said...I guess Mel Gibson is staying in the closet for now because he doesn't think (rightly) that his saying "911 was an inside job) will do the truth movement any good.