Citadel (CSL) may give mike back to Imus

Posted Oct 5th 2007 12:00PM by Tom Barlow
Filed under: Deals, Rumors

The Hat That Mumbles, aka Don Imus, is close to reaching agreement with Citadel Broadcasting (NYSE:CDL) to bring his talk show back to the public airwaves. According to Variety, Imus will spurn the interest of Sirius Satellite Radio (NASDAQ:SIRI) to join Citadel's network. The corporation, the third largest radio group in the U.S., owns ABC Radio, as well as a number of web sites and on-line radio stations.

Imus, you will recall, was canned by CBS Radio (NYSE:CBS) for his idiotic 'nappy-haired ho's' remark in reference to the Rutgers woman's basketball team. Ironically, the controversy proved to be a goldmine for Mumbles, who won a $20 million settlement from CBS Radio for improperly terminating his contract.

Variety wrote that, since ABC Radio traditionally chooses its own talent (and I use the word loosely), Citadel's signing of Imus would not guarantee that he would appear on ABC Radio stations. However, given the money that Imus will likely demand, I believe he'll have to run on the radio network in order for Citadel to recoup its investment.

Tags: abc radio, AbcRadio, cbs radio, CbsRadio, citadel broadcasting, CitadelBroadcasting, imus, inthenews

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

10-05-2007 @ 2:07PM

Joesesto said...

I would bet Imus got more than $20 for wrongful termination.

10-05-2007 @ 3:35PM

Tom Barlow said...

Oops! Thanks for catching that.

10-06-2007 @ 11:25AM

Bob said...

Great missed hearing Imus, I am on West Coast so get a station out here to carry his show

10-07-2007 @ 4:20PM

arlene said...

Finally we can listen to intelligent conversation. With the elections soon to be we need Imus and Charles and Bernard; I hope.

10-09-2007 @ 12:19AM

dba said...

I can’t wait for the return of the I-Man, hopefully with his entire crew intact, unchastened and unleashed, not a kinder, gentler, Imus lite. Yes, the joke about the Rutgers team was insulting and misguided, given the context of the show which has always been an eclectic unpredictable mix of satire, juvenile comedy and serious politics (which is why it was so entertaining to his listeners). But the humor was not malicious in its intent, and certainly not “reprehensible”,“despicable”,“ speech”, and other hyperbolic characterizations. The likes of Michael Savage, Rush Limbaugh, Neil Boorz, and others spew racist content as serious ideology on a regular basis. I believe it was Neil Boorz and Glen Beck who described the victims of Katrina as thugs, thieves and hoodlums deserving of their fate – and they were not kidding. I don’t recall anyone clamoring for their immediate dismissal. And I would not support their dismissal from the air – I would rather argue against them.

I'm still waiting for Sharpton, the NABJ, NOW and other outraged saints to demand the firing of rap moguls such as Russell Simmons, Snoop Dog, etal., BET and music execs who have accumulated billions of dollars by denigrating the women of their own community. "Protests" and "marches" now and again will not suffice, nor will "recommendations" by Russell Simmons to refrain from such language.

I don’t want to live in a sanitized society in which every utterance is scrutinized and is “approved” or “disapproved”. I would rather be offended than have a self-appointed thought police determine what I can and cannot listen to or what should or should not offend me.

The “market” did not fire Don Imus since we, the listeners/consumers are the market, and Capus and Moonves did not consult with us. It is a mind-boggling disgrace that such craven “executives” caved into a group of employees when making a business decision, rather than considering the actual consumers/listeners who buy pay their salaries by tuning in and buying the advertised products.

I just hope that Imus will not be muzzled and will continue to speak truth to power!