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Imus in the Morning is an American radio show hosted by Don Imus on Citadel Media (formerly ABC Radio Networks), and simulcast for television on Fox Business Network. The show originated on 66 WNBC-AM in New York City in 1971. In October 1988 the show moved to WFAN when that radio station took over the spectrum license for the 660 band when WNBC went off the air. It was later 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. Beginning September 3, 1996, the 6 to 9 am portion was simulcast on the cable television network MSNBC. The show had been broadcast almost every weekday morning for 25 years on radio and 11 years on MSNBC until it was canceled on April 12, 2007 due to controversial comments made on the April 4 broadcast. The remark resulted in the program's cancellation the following week (see Cancellation). The Imus in the Morning program returned to the morning drive on New York radio station WABC on December 3, 2007. WABC is the flagship station of ABC Radio Networks (now Citadel Media), which syndicates the show nationally. From 2007 to August 2009, the show was simulcast on television nationwide on RFD-TV and rebroadcast each evening on RFD HD in high-definition. After Imus and RFD reached a mutual agreement to prematurely terminate the five-year deal, Fox Business Network began simulcasting the program on October 5, 2009.
[edit] HistoryImus in the Morning began in 1971 on WNBC-AM in New York, the flagship of the old NBC Radio Network. After being fired in August 1977 and relocating to Cleveland, 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 Hargus". 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. For the first 15 months of Imus' simulcast on RFD, the show originated from a custom set created for RFD located in the Cablevision Rainbow studios (home to the Fuse TV studios) in midtown Manhattan's Penn Plaza. In April 2009, the show moved to the multipurpose WABC radio studios; Imus cited the high cost of the Cablevision studios as being the reason for the move. In September 2009, the show moved to Fox Business Network's television studios in Rockefeller Center, where Fox Business began simulcasting the program on October 5, 2009. The fourth hour is not simulcast on television. The first half-hour is original material, while the second half consists mainly of replayed interviews and comedy bits played earlier in the program (as such, flagship WABC preempts the final 15 minutes for a daily commentary by Roe Conn, who replaced Paul Harvey in 2009). [edit] Influence and demographicsOriginally 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,CNN, Fox News and other media outlets. Among the cream of the press who regularly appeared on the show were Tom Brokaw, Tim Russert, Dan Rather, Brian Williams, Andrea Mitchell, Cokie Roberts, Sam Donaldson, Howard Fineman, Mike Barnicle, Frank Rich, Jonathan Alter and Jeff Greenfield. 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[2], although at the time of its 2007 CBS Radio/MSNBC cancellation it was carried by 61 stations.[3] Arbitron analysis put the program among the most listened to radio talk shows in the United States,[4] with about 1.6 million radio listeners per week[5]. 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."[6] (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 2007 MSNBC 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.[7] 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.[8] MSNBC is said to have paid CBS $4 million annually in simulcast fees and to have averaged $500,000 per year in production expenses.[5] Imus generally selects country and western songs as bumper music, often playing them at substantial length, and he often promotes artists he likes such as Delbert McClinton, Lucinda Williams, Levon Helm, Little Sammy Davis, and The Flatlanders. Rock music, blues, oldies, rock and the occasional jazz piece is also used as bumper music. Imus is known for playing bumper music at a length that is unusual for talk radio. [edit] Cast membersImus in the Morning has a regular cast of members who supply news and comedy, and act as foils to Imus. Present cast members include:
Part of the appeal of his show is the overt display of office politics: cast members are frequently the object of Imus' sarcasm, largely because of their outspoken points of view, while McCord affects a neutral, reasoned tone and thus stays out of Imus' line of fire. Previous sports reporters have included Chris Carlin (best known for "the fat boy lock of the week!,") Patrick McEnroe (who auditioned to replace Imus on WFAN), Don Criqui, Mike Breen (valued for his deadpan delivery of false sports news, and ridiculed after his head injuries during the 2008 NBA Finals), and Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo. Sid Rosenberg is a semi-regular correspondent to the program, usually on sports-related topics, reporting via phone from his home in Florida. He has returned to a regular position on the show after being removed from his own show on WAXY in early 2009. Rosenberg first joined the show as a sports reporter after Wolf's departure, but was fired in May 2005 for comments made regarding Kylie Minogue's battle against breast cancer. He made sporadic appearances as a substitute between those times. Other previous reporters included Janice Dean and Christy Musumeci, who departed for Fox News Channel and MSNBC, respectively, as well as gossip reporter Tracy Burgess. Karith Foster, a Texas-raised black woman hired in the wake of the Rutgers controversy, was a comedian and general contributor, but left the show in August 2009 after her contract was not renewed. Larry Kenney, an impersonator who (along with Bartlett) served as a celebrity impersonator (some of the voices Kenney impersonated Richard Nixon, George Patton, Ted Kennedy, Andy Rooney, Jack Nicholson, and Jerry Falwell), but was bumped from the program when it returned on WABC and RFD in favor of Foster and Powell. For years, Larry "Ratso" Sloman contributed humorous New York Rangers reports but after he collaborated with Howard Stern on "Private Parts" he was persona non grata on the show and became a whipping boy for Imus especially when Imus' guest was Kinky Friedman, who is a close friend of Ratso. 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." [edit] ControversiesSee 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.[11] On October 19, 1998, Newsday reported that Imus called Washington Post media writer Howard Kurtz "that boner-nosed ... beanie-wearing little Jew boy". 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.[12] In late 2005, Imus commented that he wished Stern would do well at Sirius satellite radio, as Imus held Sirius stock. When the program was simulcast on MSNBC, Imus frequently ridiculed NBC/MSNBC personalities, staff, programs, and policies. During election coverage in 2004, NBC set up an outdoor interactive visitors attraction, Democracy Plaza at Rockefeller Center. Imus referred to it as "Hypocrisy Plaza." 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”. 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 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.[13] 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..."[14] He was fired from the Don Imus show after making crude remarks about Australian singer Kylie Minogue's breast cancer diagnosis.[15] Chris Carlin replaced Rosenberg, although Rosenberg continued to call into the Imus program up until its cancellation on WFAN/MSNBC. He has appeared on the WABC/RFD incarnation on different occasions, notably providing reports from Super Bowl XLIII. [edit] Cancellation
[edit] Rutgers women's basketball remarksOn the Imus in the Morning broadcast of April 4, 2007, at 6:14 a.m. eastern 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[16]". McGuirk then compared the game to "the jigaboos versus the wannabes," alluding to the Spike Lee film School Daze.[17] The following day, Bryan Monroe, the president of the National Association of Black Journalists, described Imus's comments as "beyond offensive"[18] 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.[19] 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".[20] 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".[20] 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.[21] 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:
[edit] MSNBC cancellation On Wednesday, April 11, 2007, NBC News announced that MSNBC would no longer simulcast Imus in the Morning, effective immediately.
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.[5] 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."[5] The absence and silence from Imus' frequent NBC guests Brian Williams, Andrea Mitchell, David Gregory, Chris Matthews and close 'friend' Tim Russert was obvious and an indication of NBC's future action.[22] MSNBC's timing of Imus' cancellation was criticized on WFAN, as Imus in the Morning had been scheduled to kick off 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."[5] [edit] CBS Radio cancellationOn Thursday morning, April 12, 2007, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton met with CBS President and CEO Les Moonves to demand that Imus be fired. That afternoon, Moonves issued a statement announcing that CBS Radio had cancelled Imus in the Morning, effective immediately:[23][24].
Following the announcement, Jackson called the removal "a victory for public decency. No one should use the public airwaves to transmit racial or sexual degradation."[23] 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."[23] 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. [edit] Reaction to the cancellationDon 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.[25] 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:
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.[26] This idea itself, however, has been countered, as some think it laughable that "pundits and politicians have apparently decided on a consensus culprit to cleanse the national soul: hip-hop" .[27] In reaction to the Imus show and its cancellation, there were calls for an end to offensive language in the rap music genre.[28] "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."[3] [edit] SettlementBefore his show was canceled, Imus and CBS had signed a contract extension for about $10 million per year.[29] Before Imus could explore another broadcasting job it was necessary for Imus and CBS to reach a settlement on the contract.[30] On May 4, 2007, Martin Garbus, a lawyer for Imus, claimed that the broadcasters of the program could have edited Imus's comments, given that the program was subject to tape delay. The lawyer also indicated that Imus would sue CBS Radio for $120 million in unpaid salary and damages. CBS Radio replied that it would vigorously defend against the suit.[31] During a June 29, 2007 broadcast, comments were made by WFAN host Mike Francesa and McCord which seemed to indicate that Imus would be returning to the air in the near future, possibly rejoining WFAN. The comments were made during a 20th anniversary celebration of WFAN, as part of a broadcast meant to honor Imus's contribution to the station. McCord noted that the broadcast seemed to reflect on Imus through a rear-view mirror. Then he quipped, "Be warned: Objects in the mirror may be closer than they appear." Francesa then cryptically added that by, "this September, I hope the team will once again be complete."[32][33] Technically, both comments were accurate: McCord's "warning" could be seen as a prediction that he and Imus would reunite, which would indeed happen on a rival station, and Francesa's comment was true on the basis that Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton took over the morning position permanently in September 2007. On August 14, 2007, it became clear that Imus would not return to WFAN when it was announced that Imus and CBS agreed to a settlement.[34] [edit] Broadcast returnAlthough speculated since his dismissal, the return to morning radio for Imus was officially announced by New York talk-radio station WABC on November 1, 2007. The show's first broadcast aired on December 3.[35] The financial package between Imus and WABC is a 5-year deal worth up to $40 million.[36] Newsman Charles McCord, producer Bernard McGuirk, and engineer Lou Rufino are part of the new show, along with most of television production crew that worked the MSNBC broadcast; the first guests were historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, Senator John McCain, Senator Christopher Dodd, Democratic Party strategist James Carville, and Imus regular Bo Dietl. A significant rollout of Imus in the Morning took place in March 2008 following mass layoffs at Citadel Broadcasting. Imus was packaged with The True Oldies Channel to replace select underperforming Citadel stations. In August, Imus claimed his show was heard on more stations than it was at the time of his 2007 firing. [edit] Television simulcast[edit] RFD-TVImus was originally in talks with "big-market" TV suitors Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, and others to simulcast the show on national television.[37][38][39][40] On November 13, it was announced that a 5-year deal was reached to simulcast Imus in the Morning on RFD-TV, which is available on both DISH Network and DirecTV but only (as of November 2007) on a limited number of cable providers. The number of systems carrying RFD was anticipated to increase because of the Imus deal.[41][42] The show was broadcasted from 6-9am eastern time on RFD-TV and from 6-9pm in high-definition on RFD HD. In addition, the RFD press release announcing the deal stated:
However, during the program's tenure on RFD, none of the above "new technologies" (VOD, steaming, nor a podcast) ever materialized. [edit] Fox BusinessThe final show on RFD TV aired August 28, 2009. Although the contract between Imus and RFD was originally for five years, both parties decided to mutually end the simulcast prematurely, amid reports of the program's inevitable move to Fox Business.[1] Shortly thereafter, Imus inked a new television deal with Fox Business Network (FBN), a channel that was already a significant sponsor of the show.[44] The show debuted on FBN on October 5, 2009.[45] The Imus in the Morning program physically moved from ABC Radio studios to Fox Business studios as part of the deal, and is simulcasted live on FBN from 6am to 9am. [edit] Station listing
Note: all times local [edit] Quotations
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