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By now I'm sure you are all familiar with the controversy surrounding remarks made by Don Imus on his radio show, where he referred to the ladies on the Rutgers basketball team as "nappy-headed hos." Amid calls for his dismissal from the National Organization for Women and activists like Al Sharpton, Imus has apologized profusely and received a 2-week suspension from the network. All of this got me to thinking: Would Imus's show be better-suited for satellite radio where he won't subject to the rule of the FCC, and have more freedom to make obnoxious, ill-advised comments that are offensive on a multitude of levels?
Howard Stern, who defected to Sirius for greater editorial freedom (and a few hundred million dollars, had this to say about Imus's apology: "He's apologizing like a guy who got his first broadcasting job. He should have said, "F**k you, it's a joke."
While an angry mob is still calling for the ousting of Imus, I have to wonder how much of a controversy there really is among his core audience. Imus is a shock jock. In the past, he's drawn fire for calling Colin Powell a "weasel," New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson a "fat sissy" Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado, an American Indian, as "the guy from 'F Troop.'" He has also called the New York Knicks a group of "chest-thumping pimps." So fans of his show know what to expect.
By being on the public airwaves, Imus is essentially opening himself up for criticism. It's like running South Park on PBS at 11 AM. On satellite radio, he could find a safe haven where his only listeners would be people willing to pay to hear his ramblings. And with sponsors like Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) rushing to pull ads from his show, listener-supported content may be his only hope for a future on radio. So it's either NPR or satellite radio, and I somehow doubt that public radio is beating down his door.
Imus: Isn't it time you join Howard Stern and Martha Stewart on Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI)? Or perhaps Bob Edwards on XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: XMSR)?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-12-2007 @ 7:02AM
Jan Branam said...
I think Imus should be permitted to stay where he is now! Why single out him for speaking his mind? Too many people are to sensitive and find nothing to laugh about. Thanks to the influence of the ACLU!
If they can have freedom of speech and freedom of press, why not Imus?
4-11-2007 @ 11:15AM
John said...
Steve Harvey says "Mr. Imus .you can't say what I say" ...So I guess it's okay for a Black man to use N...... and Ho...to discribe other blacks.....since when is free speech only okay for BLACK people....
4-12-2007 @ 2:34PM
EMIL J KOVACH JR said...
SATRAD Could Be The Right Match For IMUS, But Unlike Howard's Fans, The Instant Success Will Not Be thier.
SATRAD Has One "Killer App" No Other Broadcaster Has.
ANY Fan Of Imus, Can Hear Him, If they Choose To Subscribe, To the SATRAD Service That Carries Him.
Anywhere In the USA.
Now, they Must Be Within Ear Shot Of One Of The 70 Or So Stations, That Do Carry Him.
So He Can Lose Fans, And literally Gain them, Too.
As Did Howard.
Also, the Commercial Load Will Not Be So Intrusive To The Program.And interviews.
Imus Could Get a Bounce If He went SATRAD, For SATRAD.
But his audience Is More likely to Grow Constantly, To A point, Once There
His Older, More Educated Demograph, Is Not likely To Run Out and Get SATRAD, If He Is Ousted By CBS.
But, Some will.
The wild Card Is--How Many that Use To watch Him, Would Now Subscribe--To Hear Him.
My Guess, Enough To Be An Asset To SATRAD.
This is the TRUE Future Of Satrad, Shows Of Interest, You Can Subscribe To, To Hear what You Want, UN Restricted.
SATRAD's Future Is To Be Something Unique, And Different From Terrestrial, Not A Carbon Copy.
And Take Advantage Of the UNRESTRICTED CONTENT Rules Allowed In This New Medium.
Welcome Aboard Mr, Imus.
EMIL J KOVACH JR
4-12-2007 @ 10:41PM
Chuck T said...
Don Imus on satellite radio?
How fast can he get here?
Where can we all sign up?
This is where Don belongs!
4-14-2007 @ 4:20AM
judy caldwell said...
Don Imus is an acquired taste, like oysters or truffles. Sensitive he isn't, but good-hearted he is. Kids with cancer, he started the ranch; kids who need transportation to medical treatment, he goes out of his way to pick them up and fly them to their appointments, AT HIS OWN EXPENSE; hospital for our wounded soldiers, he got it done, and gave a large contribution of his own money to get it started; autism, he initiated a dialog that sparked an article in Newsweek and made people aware that 1 in 186 children are born with some degree of autism. But now a stupid, thoughtless, throwaway remark has been picked up and magnified and created a firestorm that has resulted in his firing. And why? Why couldn't Al Sharpton and just pick up the phone and call Imus with a personal rebuke? The Rutgers women probably wouldn't have even known about the remarks and wouldn't have been forced to bear the brunt of this Sharpton/Jackson media frenzy. Imus doesmn't need the money, but how about a thought for all the support staff on that show who will now lose their jobs? Does anyone care about them? Does this activity start a dialog with the African-American community? No, it further polarizes it. We need to move on.
4-17-2007 @ 11:30AM
ned scheppegrell said...
What do Jackson and Sharpton really do? except stir up racial hatred. they do nothing to ease race relations. are we better off today? NO, now a bunch of white people are pissed off. and blacks are mad too, because they equate hatred with a joke. what are we going to do? kill cartoonist like the moslem world desired? oh now the dialogue can start about race relations? you mean how when white people say something deragatory, it means they hate you? better to teach people to take pride in their race and not to be offended. the sooner people can laugh at themselves and go on, the sooner race differences will become moot.