Is Imus' Return Too Much, Too Soon?

A six-month vacation, a multimillion-dollar contract settlement and the prospect of a new, nationally syndicated gig. Does that qualify as penance for acid-tongued Don Imus, fired last spring amid a national furor sparked by his racist on-air remark?

Hardly, say his critics. The idea of the broadcasting icon returning to the public airwaves just months after his public meltdown is nearly as insulting as his crude and misogynist comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team, the anti-Imus contingent maintains.

"To put him back on the air now makes light of his serious and offensive racial remarks that are still ringing in the ears of people all over this country," said Barbara Ciara, president of the National Association of Black Journalists.

But Imus' return appears a fait accompli, barely an eye-blink after his four-decade career seemed ruined and his ouster was supposed to foster a national dialogue on offensive language.

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Photos: Don Imus

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Imus, through attorney Martin Garbus, has declined to comment on his radio future, as did Citadel Broadcasting CEO Farid Suleman. But the Citadel executive recently defended the shock jock.

"He didn't break the law," Suleman told The New York Times last week. "He's more than paid the price for what he did."

Imus was fired in April after his infamous "nappy headed hos" comment. He sued CBS Radio for breach of contract, later reaching a lucrative settlement for the remaining time on his five-year, $40 million deal.

Imus then spent much of his "free" time at the New Mexico ranch where he hosts dying children, one of his philanthropic interests.

Among the first to give Imus a "get on the air" pass was the Rev. Al Sharpton, who said in July that Imus had a right to make a living -- barely three months after his was the most strident voice against the Hall of Fame broadcaster.

Others are less forgiving. The NABJ, one of the first groups to call for Imus' dismissal, was joined by the National Organization for Women in protesting the radio star's return -- even before it's official. Count the Rev. Herbert Daughtry, a veteran New York civil rights activist, among those perplexed by such talk.

"It seems he has benefited from his hiatus," the Brooklyn preacher said. "I'm not really sure there is any real, real repentance, and therefore you kind of hold judgment until you see what happens."

NOW President Kim Gandy said the specter of Imus coming back to the radio dial was like "a bad dream."

"Didn't they learn anything?" she asked about broadcasting executives.

Whatever they learned, they didn't forget that Imus makes money. His core audience is older, affluent and likely to rejoin the I-man.

"Imus brings, potentially, large national advertisers," said Tom Taylor of the industry Web site radio-info.com. "And there's also syndication, not only on radio but television."

Suleman's WABC-AM is already home to several syndicated hosts: Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin. And Imus' national presence would trump the local Arbitron ratings, where his WFAN-AM show consistently drew fewer listeners than WABC's current morning drive time team of Curtis Sliwa and Ron Kuby.

Taylor said he expected Suleman to stick with Imus unless the backlash becomes too intense.

"I think he understands Imus' potential power," Taylor said. "Farid is a fan, and he seems determined to do this -- absent thousands of angry people gathered outside his office."

For weeks after Imus' offensive crack, attention focused on offensive rap lyrics that used the same language. Civil rights leaders pressed music industry officials to eliminate racial or misogynist words from their artists' repertoires.

Daughtry said he was skeptical from the start about suggestions that the Imus case might spark widespread reevaluation of insensitive language.

"I was reminded of the story of the man who fell out of a 50-story building," Daughtry said. "When he reached the 25th floor, he said, 'So far, so good.' So the optimism, it seemed to me, was without firm grounding."