NEW YORK - A radio comeback for Don Imus seemed unthinkable at the height of the uproar caused by his sexist and racist comments on-air about the Rutgers women’s basketball team.
The veteran talk show host was skewered by politicians and advocacy groups and flayed in the media for referring to the players as “nappy-headed hos” on his nationally syndicated CBS Radio program. He became the target of protests led by the Rev. Al Sharpton and was eventually fired.
But industry experts say broadcast executives can have a very short memory if it means boosting ratings — which Imus can still deliver.
“We are in a society where celebrity is the most important part of fame. Whether it’s for good or for bad — that doesn’t seem to translate in corporate America’s unending quest for ratings,” said Michael Harrison, founder of the trade publication Talkers magazine. “He’s more valuable now than before the controversy. … He’s in a position to sort of reinvent himself — to make himself more pertinent and even more interesting.”
Imus reached a settlement Tuesday with CBS Radio that pre-empts his threatened $120 million breach-of-contract lawsuit against CBS, the company and Imus’ attorney said in a statement Tuesday.
Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Just before his dismissal, Imus had signed a five-year, $40 million contract with CBS.
The announcement essentially makes Imus a free agent, and broadcast industry experts say he will be back on the air soon enough.
“I’ve been comparing this to a divorce, now both parties are able to move on,” said Tom Taylor of radio-info.com, a soundboard for news and information about the radio industry.
And, it’s possible he will be a different broadcaster now.
“He’s been on the air for decades and he’s always been outrageous, and has sort of made fun of groups of people and individuals, but it’s possible he’s going to be a little wiser, maybe think twice before speaking,” Taylor said.
Sharpton issued a statement Tuesday saying the settlement is a “a legal matter between a former employer and employee.”
But he added that it is “also a testimony to the movement of people that raised their voices to fire Imus that CBS would rather pay him off than keep him on. … To the rumors that Imus may resurface, wherever he resurfaces we at National Action Network and other groups will be watching and monitoring him.”
Other critics weren’t so forgiving.
Rutgers player Kia Vaughn filed suit against Imus, CBS and others on Tuesday for an undisclosed sum — claiming the offensive comments had damaged her reputation. A spokeswoman for CBS Radio declined to comment, and a lawyer for Imus did not return a call about the suit.
Vaughn’s attorney, Richard Ancowitz, said, “The full effect of the damage remains to be seen.”
“This is about Kia Vaughn’s good name,” Ancowitz said. “She would do anything to return to her life as a student and respected basketball player — a more simple life before Imus opened his mouth.”
Rutgers spokeswoman Stacey Brann said basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer was on vacation and not available to comment.
Former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason and New Jersey radio personality Craig Carton were named Tuesday to take over Imus’ former morning time slot on WFAN, the CBS-owned New York radio station that was Imus’ flagship.
* __
Associated Press writers Colleen Long, Tom Canavan and Rebecca Santana contributed to this report. Copyright 2007 Associated Press
One Response to 'Don Imus Settles With CBS and Could Return to Radio'
Leave a Reply
More Resources:
Pages
Admin
- March 2008 (1)
- November 2007 (3)
- October 2007 (4)
- September 2007 (6)
- August 2007 (13)
- July 2007 (10)
- June 2007 (3)
- April 2007 (7)
- July 2006 (1)
- April 2006 (1)
Rev. Sharpton, heard your comments on fox last night, and im trying 2 figure out what kind of christian you are. because you claim to be a baptist preacher. now i hear your causing a problem because thats what it is about one player who got her feelings hurt by a comment that was made by don imus. now either she is a ten year old child, or you have raised enough raical issues that she doesn’t understand how to be a grown up. now that being said the white girls on the team hasn’t said a word about being called a nappy headed whoe. But you being the REV. and a christian political person that you are wont let it go. i would have a lot more respect for someone that doesn’t jump on the black ban waggon everytime something like this comes up. and until you stop your so called brothers from calling young black women WHOES, BITCHES,NIGGERS, and by the way you sir and i use that word lightly are the biggest raicist out of all of us. because you do not try and defend poor white people… now everytime i hear you talk on tv it has nothing to do with poor white people, and everything to do with young blacks.which to me makes you bias. and by the way stop bitching about people saying the word nigger. because before the NAACP got a hold of websters the meaning meant a worthless person not black, white, yellow,or brown it meant a worthless person so you REV. keep alot of black peoples problems alive. and by the way this girl that played on the basketball team all you are trying to show other young black women is if somebody says the nigger word or whoe word or bitch word to them then go cry to you or a lawyer instead of growing up and dealing with something somebody said and get over it like everybody else has to. now REV. stop giving young blacks faulse hope. because all including blacks are tired of you and your staff and by the way a CHRISTIAN supposedly always causing problems with everybody else but blacks. because you and your friends aint the only people who struggle so stop trying to cram this BS down the poor white peoples throat please because we are sick of it you want to fight for what is right take on a person who is poor black white brown yellow or what ever color they are, because your black people aint the only ones struggling and by the way cracker honky whitey oh and by the way my wife and daughters have been called whoes bitches and sluts as well but we didn’t try to run down and sue somebody because they were taught to get the hell over it. so REV. cut out your crying game tell her to grow up and get over it because everybody else does. and by the way i am 40 years old i am disable i recieve $600.00 a month with a wife and two kids at home so do not try and talk to me about being discriminated against i already know. like i said before she needs to grow up deal with it its part of life, in the job field you know and so does everybody else the question of weather or not shes a nappy headed whoe will never come up. so REV. if you don’t want to be looked at like a racist your self you might think about taking on all poor people who are being discriminated against. and by the way im a baptist christian to. and if you have any questions about how i feel being poor white trash in your eyes you can contact me at leeroyingram@yahoo.com and thank you my christian brother for a little of your time. type me