Don Imus' 30-Year Radio Show Ends
Wife, Sidekick Finish Radiothon After Talker Is Fired By CBS For Racial Comments
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Play CBS Video Video CBS Radio Drops Imus Show Following MSNBC's decision to halt simulcasts of "Imus In The Morning," CBS Radio has pulled the plug on Don Imus, forcing the shock jock off conventional radio. Nancy Cordes reports
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Video Al Sharpton On Imus Scandal The Rev. Al Sharpton discusses with Harry Smith why Don Imus' recent controversial remarks regarding the Rutgers Women's basketball players were the last straw of his career.
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Video Imus Guest Comments On Firing Hannah Storm talks with Jeff Greenfield, a frequent guest on Don Imus' show, about Imus' firing amid a heated controversy surrounding comments made about a women's basketball team.
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Don Imus on Rev. Al Sharpton's radio program Monday, April 9, 2007. The appearance and apologies didn't save his own program. (AP)
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Don Imus leaves the governor's mansion after meeting with members of the Rutgers University women's basketball team, April 12, 2007. (AP Photo)
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Rutgers women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer, surrounded by team members and university officials, talks to reporters after meeting April 12, 2007, with Don Imus at the New Jersey governor's mansion. (AP Photo/Mike Derer)
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CBS CEO Les Moonves in October. (AP)
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Rev. Al Sharpton speaks to the press outside CBS headquarters, April 12, 2007, after hearing of the firing of CBS Radio personality Don Imus. (AP)
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Interactive Civil Rights In America A look back at the key people and events of the civil rights movement.
"If you want to send hate mail, send it to my husband. I mean, don't be sending hate mail to these young women," Deirdre Imus said on the air.
"I'm embarrassed by this company," said WFAN DJ Mike Francesa, whose "Mike and the Mad Dog" sports show with partner Chris Russo is considered a likely successor to Imus in the morning. "I'm embarrassed by their decision. It shows, really, the worst lack of taste I've ever seen."
The cantankerous Imus, once named one of the 25 Most Influential People in America by Time magazine and a member of the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame, was one of radio's original shock jocks.
He first came to prominence at WGAR Cleveland, a widely-heard clear-channel station, then moved to WNBC-AM in New York in the early 1970s. His humor then was more prankish, with routines such as "10,000 Hamburgers To Go," in which he pretended to be an Army Reserve general placing an order at McDonald's for his troops.
But a mix of cocaine and vodka made him undependable, and WNBC took him off the air. After sobering up, he returned to the air and settled into a mix of highbrow talk about politics and culture, with locker room humor sprinkled in.
When WFAN moved from the 1050 frequency and took over WNBC's 660 AM, the "Imus in the Morning" program stayed in place, the only non-sports programming on the station.
He issued repeated apologies as protests intensified. But it wasn't enough as everyone from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama to Oprah Winfrey joined the criticism.
Losing Imus will be a financial hit to CBS Radio, which also suffered when Howard Stern departed for satellite radio. The program earns about $15 million in annual revenue for CBS, which owns Imus' home radio station WFAN-AM and manages Westwood One, the company that syndicates the show nationally WFAN. CBSNews.com is also part of CBS Corp.
The radiothon had raised more than $1.3 million Thursday before Imus learned that he had lost his job. The annual event has raised more than $40 million since 1990.
"This may be our last radiothon, so we need to raise about $100 million," Imus cracked at the start of the event.
Volunteers were getting about 200 more pledges per hour than they did last year, with most callers expressing support for Imus, said phone bank supervisor Tony Gonzalez. The event benefited Tomorrows Children's Fund, the CJ Foundation for SIDS and the Imus Ranch.
Imus' troubles have also affected his wife, whose book "Green This!" came out this week. Her promotional tour has been called off "because of the enormous pressure that Deirdre and her family are under," said Simon & Schuster publicist Victoria Meyer.
© 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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- I agree! Sharpton and Jackson are two trouble makers that try to keep things stirred up among the races. And YES, when are they going to apologize to the Duke Lacrosse players they so quickly publicly slammed and who will be affected their rest of their lives b/c of lies from the girl. Perhaps they should offer the Duke boys some financial assistance for what they have endured the last year plus. Where's that girl at today and how much she has benefitted from their support? And since when did the "Reverend" Sharpton become the judge?.... Thank God he's not my "judge"!!!!
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- Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are the biggest hypocrites around. According to them the only people that do wrong, say stupid things and need to get fired, publicly persecuted and if it were legal hung by their necks in Time Square are white people. What Imus said was a stupid, irresponsible attempt at bad humor. I'm from NJ and know several women that played basketball in past years at Rutgers and I'm not nearly as offended (nor are they) as Sharpton and Jackson. Our country would be much better off without these two ignorant hate starters around. And finally I ask WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO APOLOGIZE TO THE DUKE (WHITE) PLAYERS WHO THEY PUBLICLY SLAMMED WHEN STANDING UP FOR THAT LYING (BLACK) GIRL....I bet Jesse's not too ready to send her to college anymore is he? Hypocrites!
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