Citadel Broadcasting Corp. (NYSE: CDL) may be struggling even more than its potential new employee Don Imus.
Shares of the Las Vegas-based company have tanked more than 55% this year because the company is in the radio business which continues to suck wind. Excluding the acquisition of ABC Radio from Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS), the company's revenue fell 2 percent in the second quarter. Net income was a tiny $3.8 million, or 3 cents per share. The acquisition made Citadel the proud owners of New York's WABC, Imus' possible new home.
Imus seems to be a good fit with the rest of WABC's lineup which includes Sean Hanity and Rush Limbaugh, both of whom can be at least as offensive if not more so. The I-Man's legion of fans, many of whom responded to my posts on their hero, will no doubt flock to his new show. He will be hailed as someone who got beaten down by the forces of political correctness and lived. Advertisers will be attracted to the program like moths to a flame.
The question is will this new Imus be much different than the old one. If he's too nice, people won't listen. If he's too much like his old self, people won't think he's learned his lesson and advertisers will be turned off.
Interestingly, Craig Carton who is replacing him at CBS Corp.'s (NYSE: CBS) WFAN is no slouch in the controversy department himself. As the more talkative and funny half of the "Jersey Guys" radio show, Carton grabbed huge ratings and controversy for offending politicians and members of minority groups.
Back in April, I suggested that he would make a good replacement for Imus. Someone emailed Carton the post which he read on the air. I called into the "Jersey Guys" and spoke with him briefly. He promised to send me token of appreciation. I'm still waiting.
And Craig, you're welcome.











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-14-2007 @ 11:39PM
David said...
enough already about Imus. I must say as much.
8-15-2007 @ 4:26AM
Georgie said...
What do you mean by saying "disgraced DJ Don Imus"
It is not Imus who is "disgraced" it is CBS for breach of contract and they paid. And it is Sharpton and Jackson because they tried to take Imus 1st amentment rights who are really "disgraced" especially since their followers expound on killing cops and abusing women.
And lastly the author this piece is "disgraceful" due to his biased article
8-15-2007 @ 8:19AM
David said...
enough already. The lawsuit gains him sympathy. Are the news sources so desperate?
8-15-2007 @ 1:45PM
Jeff said...
the only person who is disgraced is Georgie, suggesting that followers of Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson (overwhelmingly black) "expound on killing cops and abusing women". The racists are a tight nit group.
8-15-2007 @ 1:49PM
Jim S. said...
Looking forward to seeing Imus and his associates back on the air. He's entertaining,blunt and painfully honest. He doesn't jump on any bandwagons like others who seek attention every chance they have to get in front of a camera or on the air.
8-15-2007 @ 1:49PM
michael w. said...
Its really is sad that we have come this. Imus did not say anything thats not being said on the air waves a 100 times a day. When is sharpton going to appollogize to the young men who lives were ruined at Duke by a nappy headed "ho".
8-15-2007 @ 2:26PM
I-Fan said...
We all know who and what Sharpton and Jackson are. Sure Imus offends people, that's his style, but he doesn't try to extort money, which to me is a much more serious offence. It made my skin crawl to see him on Sharpton's show.
Now he's being sured. About reputations, no. About money, yes.
I watched Imus every morning and hope he will be back. I stopped watching CBS and MSNBC and stopped buying the products from the cowardly sponsors who immediately bolted. You should do the same.
8-15-2007 @ 2:52PM
shirley combs said...
Miss seeing and listening to you Imus. Always enjoyed seeing your family. I always remember your day in July!!
Hope to hear and see you soon.
Shirley C
8-15-2007 @ 3:36PM
EDDY said...
Al and Jess...BIG RACISTS they not march went cop of any color it kill or white peaple is kill,abuse,rape and meny more crime.
8-15-2007 @ 4:00PM
Jo said...
I agree with all the pro Imus comments, Jim S, Michael W. and especially H. Dixon. I,too am anxiously awaiting his return and hope he will be just as he was before, not afraid of ANYONE, political or otherwize. Remember it was Imus who got the ball rolling on the completion of the Intrepid in San Antonio, "screamed" about the deplorable conditions at the building at Walter Reed, shaming the goverment to so "something" about the conditions(by the way...I haven't heard much if anything about the progress since Imus went off the air..hmmmm?), the ranch for the kids with cancer, not to mention ALL the other charties he has helped, with his OWN money, no less. I could go and on and on, but I think you get the message.
8-15-2007 @ 8:43PM
BRYAN IGNATOVICH said...
In my lifetime Iv'e been exposed to radio (G.M.) & I KNEW THE MINUTE THE I 'MAN WAS IN BIG,BIG,BIG TROUBLE!!! NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CURRENT
SITUATION AND YOUR COMMENTS, PERHAPS BIGGER
THAN LIFE YOU GAVE HIM MORE THAN HIS FAIR CHANCE FOR REVENGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
******** signed mr. a, CAN YOU GUESS?********
NOW! BACK TO WORK I HAVE NEVER MISSED YOUR
PROGRAM. YOUR RARE AND UNIQUE AND BEING
RETIRED FOR 12 YEARS I ENJOY YOU SO MUCH...
8-15-2007 @ 8:48PM
H. Dixon said...
I am happy that they settled with the "I-Man" so soon, as well they should have! We "I-Fans" want him back! This whole thing was blown way out of proportion right from the start -- it was just an 'aside' -- an utterance, meant almost as an "endearment," [albeit perhaps an insensitive one] a 'testament,' if you will, to those female's scrappy prowess on the basketball floor, for Pete's sake!
When you parse the words that were uttered; here's what they actually meant [in "I-Man-ese"]: "There's some rough, tough ["scrappy"] women ball players there -- and I'm here to tell you that I'm admiring the hell out of 'em"! That's it -- that's what his statement was indicating! Hell, Imus has referred to his own wife as "The Green Ho" -- from him, this was a 'term of endearment' -- just a 'testament' to her environmentalism, nothing more! Of course, everyone knows he wasn't actually calling his own wife a whore -- that should go without saying, right?!
The term "Ho" was just used in the 'vernacular' of the day, it's slang, that's all -- nothing about it was meant to be seriously and literally taken! Sharpton and Jesse, and others like them just pounced on it and made sure that it snowballed into a huge, ugly mess that would 'bring the I-Man down' -- not [for a minute] realizing that it would just prove, once again, what small-minded, priggish bigots it would show they, themselves, to be! But that's what they do -- they are 'stuck in the 60's'! The only 'card' they know to play -- the 'race card' -- even when it's not relevant! So, we can't expect them to just be cool, and to forget about being the one-track-minded, holier-than-thou, self-designated watchdogs of "politically-correct-because-I-say-so" wanna-be reverends of the spoken word -- all according to them!
I'll end this by wishing our I-Man 'Godspeed' in his new endeavor, and hoping he will be bigger and better than ever, and will prove all of his detractors wrong! I just hope they will eventually bring him and his "posse" back to TV, so we can all 'pick up where they left off' in April! We have missed our I-Man, and we're hungry for his 'take' on the political scene -- there's an election coming and we want him back to "make things hum" and shake it up. He has been missed!
8-17-2007 @ 8:33PM
Karen Smith said...
I certainly hope the I-Man is back on tv as soon as possible. We fans have missed him and his crew. We want to have OUR RIGHTS to be able to watch him every day. He had the best show on tv and I, like others on this board, haven't watched MSNBC or CBS since they fired him. Imus, you're the BEST. There are a lot of people who are indebted to you for your charity work and you are a man of your word. You are NOT a LIAR like so many people today and I admire you immensely. No matter what tv station you might be affilated with when you make your comeback, I and a lot of my friends will be watching even if we have to pay to do so. We love the I-MAN.
8-18-2007 @ 11:19AM
Liz said...
I don't watch MSNBC since there's no Imus. Still find it hard to believe they actually paid any attention to the rantings of Al Sharpton-by the way, did he ever have a church? The way he plays the race card is a disgrace,and CBS and MSNBC should be ashamed for giving him any credence.
8-21-2007 @ 7:53PM
Joe the Ho said...
Who funds Brawley Al and Hymie Jessie? They should reveal who their supporters are so the rest of us can decide to boycot them or the programs they sponsor.
8-21-2007 @ 7:54PM
Joe the Ho said...
Who funds Brawley Al and Hymie Jessie? They should reveal who their supporters are so the rest of us can decide to boycot them or the programs they sponsor.