MSNBC Drops Imus Simulcast Amid Furor

[leobold1]

MSNBC Drops Imus Simulcast Amid Furor

Apr 11 07:19 PM US/Eastern
By DAVID CRARY
AP National Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - MSNBC said Wednesday it will drop its simulcast of the "Imus in the Morning" radio program, responding to growing outrage about the radio host's racial slur against the Rutgers women's basketball team.
"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," NBC news said in a statement.

The announcement also was made on air.

Talk-show host Don Imus triggered the uproar on his April 4 show, when he referred to the mostly black Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos." His comments have been widely denounced by civil rights and women's groups.

The decision does not affect Imus' nationally syndicated radio show, and the ultimate decision on the fate of that program will rest with executives at CBS Corp. In a statement, CBS reiterated that Imus will be suspended without pay for two weeks beginning on Monday, and that CBS Radio "will continue to speak with all concerned parties and monitor the situation closely."

MSNBC's action came after a growing list of sponsors—including American Express Co., Staples Inc., Procter & Gamble Co., and General Motors Corp.—said they were pulling ads from Imus' show for the indefinite future.

But it did not end calls for Imus to be fired from the radio portion of his program. The show originates from WFAN-AM in New York City and is syndicated nationally by Westwood One, both of which are managed by CBS Corp.

Bruce Gordon, former head of the NAACP and a director of CBS Corp., said before MSNBC's decision Wednesday he hoped the broadcasting company would "make the smart decision" by firing Imus.

"He's crossed the line, he's violated our community," Gordon said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "He needs to face the consequence of that violation."

Gordon, a longtime telecommunications executive, stepped down in March after 19 months as head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, one of the foremost U.S. civil rights organizations.

He said he had spoken with CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves and hoped the company, after reviewing the situation, would fire Imus rather than let him return to the air at the end of an unpaid two-week suspension beginning next Monday.

A CBS spokesman, Dana McClintock, declined comment on the remarks by Gordon, who is one of at least two minorities on the 13-member board.

The 10 members of the Rutgers team spoke publicly for the first time Tuesday about the on-air comments, made the day after the team lost the NCAA championship game to Tennessee. Some of them wiped away tears as their coach, C. Vivian Stringer, criticized Imus for "racist and sexist remarks that are deplorable, despicable, abominable and unconscionable."

The women, eight of whom are black, agreed to meet with Imus privately next Tuesday and hear his explanation. They held back from saying whether they'd accept Imus' apologies or passing judgment on whether a two-week suspension imposed by CBS Radio and MSNBC was sufficient.

Stringer said late Wednesday that she did not call for Imus' firing, but was pleased with the decision by NBC executives.

Imus has apologized repeatedly for his comments. He said Tuesday he hadn't been thinking when making a joke that went "way too far." He also said that those who called for his firing without knowing him, his philanthropic work or what his show was about would be making an "ill-informed" choice.

At the Rutgers campus in New Brunswick, N.J., about 300 students and faculty rallied earlier in the day to cheer for their team, which lost in the national championship game, and add their voices to the crescendo of calls for Imus' ouster. One of the speakers was Chidimma Acholonu, president of the campus chapter of the NAACP.

"This is not a battle against one man. This is a battle against a way of thought," she said. "Don Imus does not understand the power of his words, so it is our responsibility to remind him."

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Here's my problem. NBC Radio and MSNBC have both had Sharpton and Jesse Jackson on their shows, And there's no ban against them for racial insults.

But, its because they're black, and they're talking about blacks. And they get invited back.

Personally, I don't like Imus' show...never have. But if he can get fired from a National Cable show over a comment, what chance do any of us have with trying to discuss this.

"He said it, fire his a$$!" Just like this Pennsylvania DJ.

Even Rosie O'Fata$$ is on Imus' side on this...and Edwards wants him forgiven.

CBS' chief wants him gone, Hillary has never liked him, apparantly...and Obama is thinking like CBS' chief.

[Woodmonkey]

Originally Posted by leobold1

[i]Here's my problem. NBC Radio and MSNBC have both had Sharpton and Jesse Jackson on their shows, And there's no ban against them for racial insults.

That's my problem too. Both of them have their own history of racial slurs. Why haven't they been called on them? I don't like selective outrage.

[Betty Boop]

Why is it that liberals are the first ones to scream when THEIR civil rights are abridged - but also the first ones to want to deny them to others? Imus may be a jack-a$$ and a jerk but he still had the right in a land where there is "freedom of speech" to say what he did - in jest or otherwise. It may not speak highly of his character but he still should not be denied his livelihood for using one of the rights he is guaranteed in this country under our Constitution. Same thing goes for Isaiah Washington and his "***" comments regarding a co-worker on the set of "Gray's Anatomy."

JMHO