Imus in the Morning

Imus in the Morning
File:Imuslogo.gif Imus in the Morning
Starring	Don Imus Cast Members
Country of origin	United States
Production
Running time	4 hours, 30 minutes (WFAN) 3 hours, 30 minutes (MSNBC)
Original release
Network	WNBC/WFAN (Radio) MSNBC (Television)
Release	1982-1988 (WNBC) – 1988-2007 (WFAN) September 3, 1996-April 11, 2007 (MSNBC)
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Imus in the Morning was a comedy, news, and political radio program the United States, hosted by radio personality Don Imus. The show originated at WFAN in New York City, and was syndicated to 60 other stations across the country by Westwood One, a division of CBS Radio, airing weekdays from 5:30 to 10 am Eastern time. In its later years, the first three-and-a-half hours were simulcast on the cable television network MSNBC, beginning September 3, 1996.

The show had been broadcast almost every weekday morning for 25 years on radio and 11 years on television when it was canceled on April 12, 2007, due to a furor arising from on-air comments made by Imus about the Rutgers University women's basketball team on his April 4 broadcast. The remarks, criticized as racial and gender slurs, resulted in the program's cancellation the following week.

History

Imus in the Morning began in 1971 on WNBC-AM (660 KHz) in New York, the flagship station of the old NBC Radio Network. After being fired in August 1977 and relocating to Cleveland, Ohio, NBC brought Imus back to New York. On September 3, 1979, Imus started off his first program back in New York with his old character/voice/bit, "The Reverend Billy Sol Hargis". The show regularly parodied songs and voices, satirizing national and local events and persons. WNBC signed off in 1988, and WFAN, previously on 1050 AM, moved to WNBC's old frequency. WFAN decided to retain Imus, replacing its original morning drive-time show hosted by Greg Gumbel.

Initially limited to the broadcast range of WFAN in the Tri-State Region, the show's radio audience and influence expanded considerably once Westwood One began syndicating it in 1993.

For many years the program was based at WFAN's studios in Astoria, Queens, New York, but in 2005 the program moved to a special Imus in the Morning set at MSNBC's studios in Secaucus, New Jersey, although certain cast members remained at the WFAN studios using a split-screen format. When at the Imus Ranch, Don Imus would broadcast the show from Ribera, New Mexico, while the rest of the cast remained in New York and New Jersey.

Influence and demographics

Originally considered a shock jock, Imus turned his show more towards politics and news and gained public influence as a result. During the 1990s, Imus in the Morning became increasingly important as a useful, non-traditional platform for politicians to express their views and gain exposure. Former U.S. Sen. Al D'Amato (R-N.Y.) was one of the first officeholders to ingratiate himself with "The I-man", as Imus was frequently called by cast and guests. The show's many guests included prominent politicians such as Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Mitt Romney, John McCain, John Kerry, Vice President Dick Cheney, J.D. Hayworth and Harold Ford, Jr., as well as reporters and columnists from Newsweek, NBC, MSNBC, and other media outlets. In 1997, Imus was named as one of Time magazine's "25 most influential people in America"; he was also on the cover of Newsweek in 1999.

In 2005, Imus in the Morning was carried by about 90 radio stations across the United States, although at the time of its cancellation it was carried by 61 stations. Arbitron analysis put the program among the most listened to radio talk shows in the United States, with about 1.6 million radio listeners per week.

In an April 26, 2005, article, David Kiley wrote in Business Week magazine that Imus in the Morning commanded higher advertising rates compared to competing talk shows with larger audiences, because the Imus show was less politically partisan and its demographics were "affluent, educated and influential men". Kiley also quoted former CBS News anchor and Face the Nation moderator Bob Schieffer as saying, "I don’t know anyone in Washington who doesn’t listen to Imus or watch him on TV. I get more feedback off my spots on Imus than from my own shows." (This included the former Howard Stern terrestrial radio broadcast. In comparison, Stern attracted more than 8.25 million listeners on half as many stations and Rush Limbaugh attracts 13.5 million listeners).

At the time of its television cancellation, Imus in the Morning averaged 361,000 viewers in the first quarter of 2007 and was up 39 percent over the previous year, ranking third among cable morning news programs in the Nielsen ratings, compared to 769,000 viewers of Fox and Friends on Fox News Channel and 372,000 viewers of CNN's American Morning. The program was reported to generate $20 million in annual revenue for WFAN, representing approximately 25 percent of the New York anchor station's revenue. Total revenue, including affiliate advertising and MSNBC, was said to be $50 million. MSNBC is said to have paid CBS $4 million annually in simulcast fees and to have averaged $500,000 per year in production expenses.

Imus generally selected country and western songs as bumper music, often playing them at substantial length, and he often promoted artists he liked such as Delbert McClinton, The Dixie Chicks, and The Flatlanders. Sometimes when soundbites were played as part of the news, such as a dissembling politician, a shrieking "SHUT UP!" sound effect was played, abruptly ending the sound bite.

Cast members

Imus in the Morning had a regular cast of members who supplied news and comedy, and acted as foils to Imus. Featured cast members/co-host included:

• Charles McCord, was his newsman, often playing a sycophant. He also wrote many of the comedy bits featuring voice over personalities Larry Kenney and Rob Bartlett (below).
• Bernard McGuirk, his producer, often played an antagonist, whom Imus sometimes referred to as a "bald-headed stooge"; a few character voices (such as New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, Cardinal Egan, Cardinal O'Connor, and Maya Angelou)
• Larry Kenney, various character voices (Richard Nixon, George Patton, Ted Kennedy, Andy Rooney, Jack Nicholson, Jerry Falwell...)
• Rob Bartlett, more character voices (Bill Clinton, Rush Limbaugh, Scott Muni, Dr. Phil, Brian Wilson, Omar Minaya, Alberto Gonzales, Vicente Fox, Al Gore, Blind Mississippi White Boy Pig's Feet Dupris, Liza Minnelli...)
• Chris Carlin, his sports reporter; gimmick was "The Fat Boy Lock of the Week!"
• Tracy Burgess, "scum reports" of gossip and entertainment news, also Shadow Traffic (as "Rear-end Rhonda" and other aliases) for WFAN local breaks
• Lou Rufino, program engineer

Part of the appeal of his cable show was the overt display of office politics: cast members were frequently the object of Imus' sarcasm, largely because of their outspoken points of view, while McCord affected a neutral, reasoned tone and thus staying out of Imus' line of fire.

Previous sports reporters have included Sid Rosenberg (fired in May 2005 for comments made regarding Kylie Minogue's battle against breast cancer), Warner Wolf, Patrick McEnroe, Don Criqui, Mike Breen (valued for his deadpan delivery of false sports news), and Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo. Other previous reporters included Janice Dean and Christy Musumeci, who departed for Fox News Channel and MSNBC, respectively.

Imus had regular guests on the program to discuss upcoming sporting events. Typically, these guests appeared only during the season of their respective sport. Such guests include Jim Nantz and Phil Simms (of CBS) and Terry Bradshaw (of Fox) for football, and Darrell Waltrip (of Fox) for NASCAR. During an interview with Boomer Esiason, after ridiculing him, Imus chided Esiason with a trademark phrase "get off my phone," insisting he hang up. Esiason shot back with "no, you get off my phone."

Controversies

See also Don Imus

Imus offended President Bill Clinton with remarks in front of the Clintons during a 1996 Radio and Television Correspondents Association dinner speech.

Imus has had a long-standing rivalry with Howard Stern. It most recently boiled to the surface in 2003, when Stern called Imus while both were on the air to demand an apology for a comedy skit that Imus had aired. After exchanging insults, Imus cut Stern off. In late 2005, Imus commented that he wished Stern would do well at Sirius satellite radio, as Imus held Sirius stock.

Beginning in February 2005, MSNBC featured Amy Robach, and then afternoon regular Contessa Brewer as news readers on Imus in the Morning. Brewer held the position for over two months and was the target of Imus's constant ridicule, which was initially dismissed as typical show fodder. On April 29, 2005, the New York Post published a statement attributed to Brewer calling Imus a "cantankerous old fool." He responded on-air by calling her "fat" and "painfully stupid," and hurled countless personal insults. Brewer left Imus in the Morning immediately.

On the December 15, 2004, Imus in the Morning show, Don Imus referred to the publishers Simon & Schuster as "thieving Jews" and later in the same show gave a mock apology, calling the phrase "thieving Jews", “redundant”.

On October 19, 1998, Newsday reported that Imus called Washington Post media writer Howard Kurtz "that boner-nosed ... beanie-wearing little Jew boy".

On November 30, 2006, on Imus in the Morning, Imus referred to the Jewish management at CBS as “money-grubbing bastards”.

Sid Rosenberg, who provided sports updates on the Imus show, got into trouble when he suggested on air that tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams were animals better suited to pose for National Geographic than Playboy. Rosenberg also stated that Palestinians mourning the death of Yasser Arafat were "stinking animals" upon whom the Israelis "ought to drop the bomb right there, kill 'em all right now..." He was fired from the Don Imus show after making crude remarks about Australian singer Kylie Minogue's breast cancer diagnosis. Chris Carlin replaced Rosenberg.

Cancellation

Rutgers basketball remarks

On the Imus in the Morning broadcast of April 4, 2007, substitute sportscaster Sid Rosenberg of WAXY reported on Rutgers University's 59-46 loss the previous evening to the University of Tennessee, in the final game of the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship. As MSNBC rolled tape of the game footage, Imus said in a voiceover, "They're some rough girls from Rutgers. They got tattoos." Bernard McGuirk then interjected, "yeah, hardcore hos." Imus then added, "nappy-headed hos". McGuirk then compared the game to "the jigaboos versus the wannabes," alluding to the Spike Lee film School Daze.

The following day, Bryan Monroe, the president of the National Association of Black Journalists, described Imus's comments as "beyond offensive" and called for his immediate firing. MSNBC responded later that day with a statement disassociating itself from Imus's remarks. On the April 6 Imus in the Morning show, Imus expressed regret over his remarks, contending that it was said in jest by "a good man who did a bad thing".

On Saturday, April 7, the Rev. Al Sharpton, described by the New York Times as "among the leaders of the movement to force Don Imus off the air", told an angry audience in Harlem, New York that Imus should be "taken off the airwaves" for the racially disparaging remark.

Protest demonstrations by "Rainbow/PUSH" in Chicago, Illinois, in front of NBC's owned-and-operated Chicago station were led by Rev. Jesse Jackson on April 9 as 50 demonstrators held signs reading "No apologies, no forgiveness" and chanting "Imus must go".

Also on April 9, presidential candidate Barack Obama termed Imus's comments, "Divisive, hurtful and offensive to Americans of all backgrounds", saying "With a public platform comes a trust. As far as I'm concerned, he violated that trust".

Clarence Page, who had occasionally been a guest on Imus in the Morning, wrote that Imus broke a promise made to him six years previously to eschew racially offensive remarks.

Amidst the gathering protests, Imus delivered a second, lengthier apology at the beginning of the Imus in the Morning program on Monday, April 9 and offered to meet with the Rutgers team to apologize personally. Imus again stated that he "is a good person who made a very bad mistake", citing his charitable works. Later that day, CBS Radio and NBC (which owns MSNBC through its NBC News division) announced a two-week suspension of Don Imus' program on radio and television starting Monday, April 16. The initial delay in the start of the suspension was to allow the WFAN Radiothon, which was to begin on April 12, to still be broadcast on MSNBC. NBC News President Steve Capus released a prepared statement explaining the network's action:

“Beginning Monday, April 16, MSNBC will suspend simulcasting the syndicated Imus in the Morning radio program for two weeks. This comes after careful consideration in the days since his racist, abhorrent comments were made. Don Imus has expressed profound regret and embarrassment and has made a commitment to listen to all of those who have raised legitimate expressions of outrage. In addition, his dedication – in his words – to change the discourse on his program moving forward, has confirmed for us that this action is appropriate. Our future relationship with Imus is contingent on his ability to live up to his word.”

MSNBC cancellation

On Wednesday, April 11, 2007, MSNBC announced that it would permanently cease simulcasting Imus in the Morning, effective immediately.

This decision comes as a result of an ongoing review process, which initially included the announcement of a suspension. It also takes into account many conversations with our own employees. What matters to us most is that the men and women of NBC Universal have confidence in the values we have set for this company. This is the only decision that makes that possible. Once again, we apologize to the women of the Rutgers basketball team and to our viewers. We deeply regret the pain this incident has caused.

— Steve Capus, NBC News President, "MSNBC drops simulcast of Don Imus show". MSNBC. April 11, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

Several advertisers of Imus in the Morning announced their withdrawal from sponsorship, including General Motors (Imus' biggest advertiser) Staples Inc., Sprint Nextel, American Express, and Procter & Gamble.

Capus also revealed that in staff meetings, NBC's African-American news staff and on-air personalities opposed Imus' return to MSNBC, with Al Roker of the Today show expressing particularly strong opposition both internally and on the Today show's website. Capus denied, however, that the loss of ad revenue was a determining factor in his network's decision to drop Imus. He was quoted by the New York Times as saying that "The reputation of the news division means more to me than advertising dollars. Because if you lose your reputation, you lose everything."

MSNBC's timing of Imus' cancellation was criticized on WFAN, as Imus in the Morning had been scheduled to kickoff the 18th Annual WFAN Radiothon, a large annual fundraising event, the next morning. The Radiothon aired April 12 on radio only.

Asked for his reaction, Sharpton told the New York Times that "we have been halfway successful so far" and that he was planning to organize a demonstration in front of CBS’s Manhattan corporate headquarters. He said, "This has never been about Don Imus. I have no idea whether he is a good man or not. This is about the use of public airwaves for bigoted, racist speech."

CBS cancellation

On Thursday morning, April 12, 2007, the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton met with CBS President and CEO Leslie Moonves to demand that Imus be fired. That afternoon, Moonves issued a statement announcing that CBS Radio had fired Imus and cancelled Imus in the Morning, effective immediately:

From the outset, I believe all of us have been deeply upset and revulsed by the statements that were made on our air about the young women who represented Rutgers University in the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship with such class, energy and talent.

— Leslie Moonves, CBS President and CEO, "CBS Corp says cancels Don Imus radio show". Reuters. 2007-04-12. Retrieved 2007-04-12.

Following the announcement, Jackson called the firing "a victory for public decency. No one should use the public airwaves to transmit racial or sexual degradation."

Sharpton said of Imus, "He says he wants to be forgiven. I hope he continues in that process. But we cannot afford a precedent established that the airways can commercialize and mainstream sexism and racism."

The final day of the WFAN Radiothon, April 13, was co-hosted by Deirdre Imus and Charles McCord during the hours when Imus in the Morning formerly aired.

Reaction to the cancellation

Don and Deirdre Imus met with the Rutgers team on the evening of April 12 at the New Jersey Governor's Mansion, according to a report broadcast by CNN, which characterized the meeting as "emotional". C. Vivian Stringer, coach of the Rutgers team, said the next day that she and her team "still find his statements to be unacceptable," but that they accepted Imus's apology.

Civil rights and women's groups such as the National Organization for Women praised CBS and MSNBC for their action, saying that there is no place on the public airwaves for racial and anti-female slurs. Newsweek magazine in its April 23, 2007 cover story said that for too long its own reporters coveted an invitation to appear on Imus in the Morning:

Suddenly some of America's largest media companies and most important corporate advertisers were confronted with the fact that they had been complicit in the rise and reign of a purveyor of ugly stereotypes. Mainstream figures and institutions that had chosen to compartmentalize the Imus kingdom "enjoying the salon while overlooking the slurs" realized they could no longer have it both ways.

— "The Power That Was", Newsweek, ""The Power That Was"". Newsweek. April 23, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

Others, however, criticized the cancellation of Imus in the Morning as a "double-standard", arguing that Imus was merely echoing the misogyny common to rap music lyrics heard on recordings, MTV, and BET.

In reaction to the Imus show and its cancellation, there were calls for an end to offensive language in the rap music genre. "Bo" Dietl, a regular guest on Imus in the Morning denounced Moonves on Fox News Channel for CBS' cancellation of Imus while producing rap music with anti-female lyrics, saying, "Mr. Les Moonves, you care about the quality, why don't you care about your CBS records with all the garbage my 17-year-old daughter listens to and they use this word 'ho' back and forth and they degrade women all the time. If I thought that Don Imus was a racist in any part, shape or form, I wouldn't be here today."

Future possibilities

Before his show was canceled, Imus and CBS had signed a contract extension, which is still valid, for about $10 million per year. A move to any other broadcasting job would likely require a settlement between Imus and CBS for the remainder of the contract.

Quotations

• "Quack quack" -- sound effect played whenever Imus said the time.
• "That'llllll be fine" -- said in response to provocative descriptions by other cast members.
• "I luv yar Fred ...Who do you like in the car race?" -- Imus speaking to brother Fred via phone.
• "Aw man it don't get much better than that" --used to describe musical acts either played on tape or performing in studio.
• "Haaave muy-see" --similar to the previous quote.
• "My man Richard Santouli started this (Net Jets Inc.) over there on Wall Street doodling when he should have been doing work."
• "That's some nappy headed hos there, I'm going to tell you that," -- Imus' controversial description of the Rutgers women's basketball team, who had played the previous evening in the NCAA Division I Women's basketball championship game, and in turn led to the cancellation of Imus in the Morning by CBS.

External links

• Imus in the Morning (WFAN Radio)
• Imus in the Morning (MSNBC Television)