NEW YORK, April 9, 2007
CBS, MSNBC Suspend Don Imus For 2 Weeks
Move Follows Radio Host's Racially Charged Comments; Al Sharpton, Others Call For His Ouster
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Play CBS Video Video Imus On The Hot Seat Radio host Don Imus admitted he went too far when he made racially-charged remarks about a women's college basketball team. As Richard Schlesinger reports, he's spent days having to apologize for it.
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Video Imus Apologizes For Remarks Don Imus apologized on the Rev. Al Sharpton's radio show for racially insensitive remarks he made about the Rutgers women's basketball team. Sharpton says he should resign. Claire Leka reports.
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Video Imus To Sharpton: I'm Sorry CBS News RAW: Radio host Don Imus appeared as a guest on Rev. Al Sharpton's radio show and apologized for making derogatory remarks about a women's basketball team.
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Don Imus is under fire for remarks he made about Rutgers University's women's basketball team. (CBS)
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Radio personality Don Imus, left, and the Rev. Al Sharpton appear face-to-face on Rev. Sharpton's radio show in New York on April 9, 2007. (AP)
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The suspension begins next Monday.
MSNBC, which telecasts the radio show, said Imus' expressions of regret and embarrassment, coupled with his stated dedication to changing the show's discourse, made it believe suspension was the appropriate response.
"Our future relationship with Imus is contingent on his ability to live up to his word," the network said.
CBS Radio released a statement promising to monitor the show's content in the future. "We are disappointed by Imus' actions last week, which we find completely inappropriate," the statement read. "We fully agree that a sincere apology was called for and will continue to monitor the program's content going forward."
Imus, who has made a career of cranky insults in the morning, was fighting for his job following the joke that by his own admission went "way too far." He 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.
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. The National Organization for Women is also seeking Imus' ouster.
"Everyone is on tenterhooks waiting to see whether it grows and whether the protest gets picked up more broadly," Taylor said.
Imus may be in hot water with his network and his listeners, but he's got nothing to fear from the Federal Communications Commission, reports CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes.
The government agency that regulates the radio and television airwaves can levy big fines for sexual content it terms "indecent." But the FCC has no jurisdiction over comments that are considered racist or in plain bad taste. Racist remarks are policed by no one but the broadcasters themselves.
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."' He and his colleagues also called the New York Knicks a group of "chest-thumping pimps."
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."
Imus made his remark the day after the Rutgers team, which includes eight black women, lost the NCAA women's championship game to Tennessee. He was speaking with producer Bernard McGuirk and said "that's some rough girls from Rutgers. Man, they got tattoos ..."
"Some hardcore hos," McGuirk said.
"That's some nappy-headed hos there, I'm going to tell you that," Imus said.
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. The NABJ's governing board, which doesn't include Deggans, wants Imus canned.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 989 Commentshttp://www.realchange.org/sharpton.htm
No more good KFC
No more booze in the bosses office
No more ashtrays
No more plastic bags.
No more IMUS%u2026
Hey want to stitch the divide in this country let%u2019s all get drunk and call each other names and have a good laugh. Let%u2019s lighten up and take the power away from these words. Good people say stupid things all the time. We need to laugh%u2026 Now more then ever!
Louie Manno
His considerable contributions to broadcasting and special charities over the years more than balance any imagined harm from some poorly chosen words regarding the Rutgers Female Basketball team.
His apologies and suspension from MSNBC were enough punishment.
Once again the gutless Sions of Media rolled over and licked the boot of political pressure groups.
If anything, this circus brings to the fore, the more serious subject of the current plague of coarse and degrading language in the public arena.
Look no farther than the rap lyrics that daily contaminate the airwaves with degrading and dehumanizing language.
I think its safe to say that the detrimental effects of rap on the formation and attitudes of young people is far more potent than the commentary of a long-haired Senior Citizen mumbled on the airwaves at an hour when most young people are still in bed!
Francisco de la Cruz
I am a professional comedian and I am sincerely disappointed that you did not stand up for a guy that has lined your pockets for a long time... but look on the bright side..more people are probably watching msnbc than ever before....but this will pass like bad gas and then you will lose your self righteousness and probably show the early AM version of Deal or No Deal
Tom Drake
forgive someone who appoligises, has forgotten
they were forgiven by just asking.
" should you have not shown mercy to you brother,
as I have shown you mercy?"
Do you really want to be put out with the hippricrits?
Johnny Walker
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