Imus blast away

Parent Cafe
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<p>Poetsheart</p>

<p>“…Anyway, given Imus’ long history of sexist, racist, generally idiotic, and otherwise offensive comments on the air,…” </p>

<p>…and this was news to NBC and CBS?</p>

<p>“After all, didn’t he simply do what he’s long been extremely well paid to do—shock and titillate his radio and television audience?” … by NBC and CBS</p>

<p>“Were his racism and sexism secret prior to this fiasco?” …he is an equal opportunity “hater”, so I do not believe your characterazation is correct. However, his actions which lead one to either of the above opinions was certainly no secret - especially to CBS and NBC - he has been in the employ of one or the other or both for almost 40 years</p>

<p>"Why has only this particular insult been deemed as “crossing the line”?
… because the paticular targets here are not “in the public discourse”</p>

<p>“Maybe he should call up Mel Gibson, George Allen, and Michael Richards and throw themselves a little pity-party. Perhaps together, they could figure it out.” … not at all the same. Imus was behaving as he always has behaved while working and on the airwaves - 25 hours a week - for the past 40 years. Something for which CBS and NBC have rewarded and congratulated him for. There is no record of censure or warning by the networks about his behavior. His boss is gone not because of an inability to control Imus - but for an inability to make up for the loss of Stern and develop more revenue producers like Imus.</p>

<p>As you and numerous others have pointed out, Imus last week was not substantially different than Imus anytime before that. This is what NBC and CBS were paying for. This is what they wanted. They are full partners in this episode and are equally culpable. They should have been sitting side by side with Imus at that meeting with the players yesterday.</p>

<p>For them to take the position that this is all Imus’s fault and none of theirs is a crock.</p>

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<p>I seem unable to get a highlighted link on here. But here’s a very interesting article regarding some of the many racist/sexist comments made by Limbaugh, O’Reilly, Glen Beck, Neil Boortz, and Michael Savage over the past year or so.</p>

<p><a href=“http://mediamatters.org/items/200704120010?f=i_related[/url]”>http://mediamatters.org/items/200704120010?f=i_related&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Ah, it highlighted! Well, I must be some kind of computer genius! Not.</p>

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<p>Good commentary in The Washington Post today:</p>

<p>Why Imus Had to Go</p>

<p>By Eugene Robinson
Friday, April 13, 2007; Page A17</p>

<p>Now that the networks have pulled the plug on Don Imus, let’s have no hyperventilation to the effect that the aging shock jock’s fall from undeserved grace raises some important question about just who in our society is permitted to say just what. Wherever “the line” delineating acceptable discourse might be, calling those young women from Rutgers University “nappy-headed hos” is miles on the other side.</p>

<p>Especially for a 67-year-old white man with a long history of racist, sexist and homophobic remarks.</p>

<p>For young black hip-hop artists to use such language to demean black women is similarly deplorable – and, I would argue, even more damaging. But come on, people, don’t deceive yourselves that it’s precisely the same thing. Don’t pretend that 388 years of history – since the first shackled African slaves arrived at Jamestown – never happened. The First Amendment notwithstanding, it has always been the case that some speech has been off-limits to some people. I remember a time when black people couldn’t say “I’d like to vote, please.” Now, white people can’t say “nappy-headed hos.” You’ll survive.</p>

<p>While we’re at the business of blunt truth, do the big-time media luminaries who so often graced Imus’s show have some explaining to do? You bet, and so do the parent news organizations, including my own, that allowed their journalists to go on a broadcast that routinely crossed the aforementioned line. All these trained observers couldn’t have failed to notice Imus’s well-practiced modus operandi. “He never said anything bad while I was on” doesn’t cut it as a defense.</p>

<p>Nor is there much exculpatory power in Imus’s defense of himself, which can be paraphrased as “I’m not a racist, I just keep saying racist things.” What characteristics, do you suppose, could possibly identify a person who was indeed a racist? You think maybe that saying racist things might be a fairly reliable clue?</p>

<p>One of the most interesting things about the Imus meltdown is how MSNBC and its parent company, NBC Universal, moved from sluggish inaction to ordering a two-week suspension to bidding Imus, his cowboy hat and his unfunny entourage an abrupt adios. A day later, CBS Radio followed suit and canceled Imus.</p>

<p>The pressure applied by Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and other activists certainly got NBC and CBS’s attention, and the news conference held by the offended Rutgers team was devastating. News stories citing Imus’s past transgressions were embarrassing. And the withdrawal of Imus’s biggest advertisers – General Motors, GlaxoSmithKline, American Express, Ditech.com, Procter & Gamble, Staples, Sprint Nextel – removed any financial incentive for MSNBC to keep the show on the air.</p>

<p>It would be logical to conclude that money talked and therefore Imus walked. But I tend to believe NBC News President Steve Capus when he says that the biggest factor was the internal reaction from NBC News employees, who told him in no uncertain terms that enough was enough.</p>

<p>Two of the network’s on-air stars – “Today” weatherman Al Roker and NBC correspondent Ron Allen – authored strong anti-Imus posts on NBC blogs. Producers of NBC and MSNBC news shows gave the controversy nonstop coverage. Meanwhile, Capus was hearing from dozens of NBC employees who worried about what continued association with Imus would do to the network’s reputation. Among them were women and minorities who told Capus they felt the sting of Imus’s attacks personally.</p>

<p>Which is a sign of how the world has changed.</p>

<p>Four decades ago, when Imus started his long and lucrative radio career, there were few women and minorities at NBC in a position to influence the company’s decision on an issue like this one. Take it another step: There were few women and minorities in positions of authority at the firms that advertised on Imus’s show.</p>

<p>In think tanks and on college campuses, intellectuals still argue about diversity, but in corporate America the issue is settled: Diversity is a fact of today’s world. In the nation’s two most populous states, California and Texas, minorities already form a majority. Companies realize they cannot survive, let alone thrive, without courting diversity among their employees and their customers. You certainly can’t run a television network these days without taking diversity into account.</p>

<p>Imus’s advertisers couldn’t afford to be associated with racist, misogynistic views, and neither could NBC. This doesn’t portend any sort of chilling effect on free speech, as some have suggested. It doesn’t mean that white males are being relegated to the dustbin of history. Last time I checked, guys, you still ran most of the world. You just have to be a bit nicer these days, and you have to share.</p>

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<p>Mediamatters is, quite frankly, a joke. They love taking comments out of context. They’re very good at that. People who make a living talking all the time are going to fumble the ball once in a while. Mediamatters loves taking those fumbles completely out of context. </p>

<p>Dennis Miller’s analysis of the Rutgers/Imus situation has been spot on. It’s nothing more than a morality tale for our times. It’s all so predictable how the usual suspects are going to react.</p>

<p>I’m one who thinks that Imus should have been fired a long time ago, but the reaction of his employers, sponsors, Jackson, Sharpton, and even Hillary et al could have been predicted by anyone who follows the passing scene. High dudgeon all around.</p>

<p>The Duke lacrosse players got caught up in the same maelstrom. Their whiteness and supposed privilege perfectly fit into the stereotypes that so many on the left (the 88 gangsters, for example) have concocted about those “other” than themselves.</p>

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<p>Unfortunately, I’m required to listen to Limbaugh and O’Reilly because I have several family members who are fans, as is their perogative. And I used to be quite taken with O’Reilly’s willingness to cast PC aside on the important issues berurah mentions. But somewhere along the line, I realized that extremism is so destructive, be it conservative or liberal extremism…and I guess I became cynical at how lucrative fomenting controversy and divisiveness has become. I give no one a pass on this. Rush Limbaugh = Jesse Jackson = Michael Savage = Al Sharpton = Bill O’Reilly, etc… in my book.</p>

<p>To me, what is so distasteful and unacceptable about Don Imus is that one of two things is true. He really thought his comments were no big deal, or he knew they were a big deal, but didn’t care because that’s how he makes the big bucks.</p>

<p>I’ve watched a bit of the news this morning and a few of things have bothered me. I’m extremely upset to hear the Rutger’s ladies are being inundated with hate mail and death threats. And to hear that Imus left the meeting ‘surprised and confused’ that his comments were so hurtful is disturbing. As one of the Rutgers team member asked him…‘how could you be in your industry for over 30 years and not know the power of your words?’ </p>

<p>Good Question.</p>

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<p>The good news.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070413/NEWS03/704130372/1007[/url]”>http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070413/NEWS03/704130372/1007&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>“And with all the new attention, donations to the university are up, more students are applying, and merchandise with the school’s trademark bright red “R” is seemingly everywhere.”</p>

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<p>Obviously there is no intellilgence/internal logic test required to write for the Washington Post. Perhaps Mr Robinson would be kind enough to tell us when the free pass for the hip hop “artists” runs out. If its worse, why overlook it?</p>

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<p>They have a gripe, but , really!!?..devastating??? . Give me a break!</p>

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<p>As long as this article is in any way representative of the thinking of
diversitites, who “runs the world” will not change. I recommend Jason Whitlock’s column on aol today for a constructive view. My great suspicion is that MKLjr, Arthur Ashe, GW Carver, (add your favorite here) and some others would support Whitlock’s take on things over Mr Robinsons.</p>

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<p>“They have a gripe, but , really!!?..devastating??? . Give me a break!”</p>

<hr>

<p>I took that passage to mean the Rutgers team press conference was devastating to Imus and his chances for keeping his job.</p>

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<p>They usually publish transcript excerpts that are two to three paragraphs long, along with the clips. That should be plenty of “context.”</p>

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<p>How can anyone defend an individual, with a long history of targeting Afro-Americans, who gratuitously insulted a group of innocents so young that they could be considered children? </p>

<p>What does this have to do with Duke, or Jesse Jackson, or the First Amendment, or Limbaugh?</p>

<p>And btw as to Duke; both Rutgers and UNC.</p>

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<p>“What does this have to do with Duke, or Jesse Jackson, or the First Amendment, or Limbaugh?”</p>

<p>Nothing. Also has nothing to do with rap music.</p>

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<p>"As one of the Rutgers team member asked him…‘how could you be in your industry for over 30 years and not know the power of your words?’ "</p>

<p>because Mr. Imus thought he was untouchable…because he’s been around that long. He took for granted that his ability to be on air is directly related to paid advertisement. Good or bad person, if no one will buy adtime, he’s toast. He forgot he was always selling himself to his advertisers. There was a time when advertisers didn’t care about people of color or hispanics or asians or what ever… things change. Donnie didn’t.</p>

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Absolutely! Imus is a jerk, whose vulgar, mean comments have finally caught up with him. As a believer in free markets, I’m glad it’s worked out this way.</p>

<p>Those girls are only 19 or 20 years old – I haven’t followed the news enough to know for sure. But they could be any CC poster’s daughter. It’s one thing to target public figures – it’s quite another to go after kids.</p>

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<p>Eugene Robinson has it right. More than a few folks have some explaining to do. Personally, I suspect that Russert and David Gregory were such regular guests on the show because that’s the deal NBC arranged when it signed on for the similcast; that NBC on-air personalities would be regularly featured and interviewed on ‘Imus in the Morning.’</p>

<p>Also, I hope other folks saw Ashley Banfield on CNN Larry King last night. While other talking heads this week seemed to be offering CYA or diversionary comments, Banfield spoke personally of being the victim of a vile verbal assault by M. Savage, when they were co-workers at NBC some time ago. Banfield related that Savage used an epithet only cast upon women. She complained to management, whom essentially told her to get over it and go away. The first person she encountered outside of the management’s office was now-NBC leader Capus. Capus reportedly reached out, held the tearful Banfield and said how terrible the incident was and that the higher-ups should take action. Thus, said Banfield, she was not surprised that now in power himself, Capus actually did reach out to NBC’s employees (not just the bean counters and not just women) to solicit their perspectives on what to do about Imus. I understand that Keith Olbermann also complained to Capus about Imus on the day after the comments but did not disclose that fact publicly out of deference to his boss.</p>

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<p>Opie</p>

<p>According to WFAN on air voices - Radio ad time reaction to Imus’ comments and suspension was minimal. However, significant ad dollars have been pulled in protest of his firing. </p>

<p>They are just killing CBS management.</p>

<p>As for the Rutgers young women - they are apparently the only ones who have accepted Imus’ apology. …and they are the only ones who count.</p>

<p>They are the only players in this farce to leave the scene with their dignity intact. Their stature has been nothing but enhanced.</p>

<p>As for Imus, he is not mortally wounded - Mel and satellite radio may beckon or he could take over his syndication with Westwood One himself. </p>

<p>His radio advertisers have not left him en masse and he will resurface sooner rather than later. He has too many people who depend on him for their livihood to wait. His staff need their paychecks even if he does not. </p>

<p>This never would have played out as it did had Mel or even Joel still been around.</p>

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<p>Hi, Sjmom! Imus may be a vile-talking jerk, but he’s also one of those rare folks who puts his considerable money and influence toward something good. I don’t believe the hundreds of kids with cancer who have spent therapeutic time on the Imus ranch over the years were all lily-white, anglo-saxon, protestants. In fact, I know they weren’t. … The fact that Imus has done plenty of big-hearted charitable work does not give him license to spill hurtful bile over the airwaves as he did with the Rutgers comment. That’s bad enough, but I get even more outraged when opportunistic hypocrites like the “reverend” Jesse Jackson start pointing fingers and mugging for the camera.</p>

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<p>'This never would have played out as it did had Mel or even Joel still been around"</p>

<p>Things change. As I tell my kids… be aware of your surroundings and situation.</p>

<p>Imus took for granted that he could always be himslef and do what he wanted, bad move. </p>

<p>I couldn’t tell you if he was a good man, bad man or somewhere in between. What I could tell you from watching how this unfolded, he had a greater image of himslef than others had of him. His mistake, not theirs. When your income comes from somebody else, a little humility helps.</p>

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<p>If you really think that Limbaugh and O’Reilly and “extremists,” I would urge you to brush up on your history (or lay off the left-wing blogs).</p>

<p>There is no popular commentator right now that I know of (and I even listen to the Olbermann show once a week or so, when I think I might have the stomach for it), who is outside the realm of debate in a democratic society.</p>

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