MSNBC drops simulcast of Don Imus show
NEW YORK – MSNBC said Wednesday it will drop its simulcast of the “Imus in the Morning†radio program, responding to growing outrage over the radio host’s racial slur against the Rutgers women’s basketball team.
In a statement, NBC News announced “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. What matters to us most is that the men and women of NBC Universal have confidence in the values we have set for this company. This is the only decision that makes that possible.”
The network statement went on to say, “Once again, we apologize to the women of the Rutgers basketball team and to our viewers. We deeply regret the pain this incident has caused.”
(MSNBC TV is wholly owned by NBC Universal. MSNBC.com is a joint venture between NBC Universal and Microsoft).
The network’s decision 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. For its part, CBS has not announced plans to discontinue the show.
Before the announcement was made, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) had appeared on the MSNBC program “Hardball,” where host David Gregory asked the senator and presidential candidate if he thought Imus should be fired.
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“I don’t think MSNBC should be carrying the kinds of hateful remarks that Imus uttered the other day,” Obama said.
He went on to note that he and his wife have “two daughters who are African-American, gorgeous, tall, and I hope, at some point, are interested enough in sports that they get athletic scholarships. … I don’t want them to be getting a bunch of information that, somehow, they’re less than anybody else. And I don’t think MSNBC should want to promote that kind of language.”
Obama went on to say that he would not be a guest on Imus’ show in the future.
Advertisers had been pulling out
Earlier Wednesday and Tuesday, advertisers had begun pulling out of supporting the Imus show. General Motors Corp., a significant advertiser on the show, said on Wednesday that it was suspending its advertising but could resume it at a later date.
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“This is a very fluid situation, and we’ll just continue to monitor it as it goes forward when he returns to the air,†GM spokeswoman Ryndee Carney said, adding that GM would continue to support Imus’ charitable efforts for children dealing with cancer and autism.
American Express said Wednesday that it had also pulled its advertising from Imus’ show as of Tuesday. “Our policy isn’t to advertise on controversial programming,†company spokeswoman Judy Tenzer said.
Procter & Gamble Co. and the office supply chain Staples Inc. have also said they would pull out, and Bigelow Tea said it was considering doing so. How many other advertisers follow suit could depend largely on how Imus handles the fallout from the controversy.
Kim Hillyer, a spokeswoman for TD Ameritrade, said the brokerage was “evaluating†its continued advertising plans in the program but did not have any further comment.
Imus’ program is worth about $15 million to CBS Corp. through advertising on WFAN and syndication fees received from MSNBC and Westwood One.
A CBS Radio spokeswoman declined to comment on the advertiser actions or to identify other advertisers that may have pulled out of Imus’ shows.
Team wants to question Imus about remarks
On his April 4 show, Imus and his producer had referred to the Rutgers women’s basketball team as “nappy-headed hos.”
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, called his comments insensitive and hurtful.
The women agreed, however, 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.
Several players said they wanted to ask him why he would make such thoughtless statements.
Junior forward Essence Carson said she had done some research on Imus and his past inflammatory and derogatory statements about other people.
“Just knowing that this has happened time and time before, I felt that it might be time to make a stand,†she said Wednesday on NBC’s “TODAY†show.
“He doesn’t know who we are as people,†Carson said. “That’s why we are just so appalled with his insensitive remarks, not only about African-American women, but about women as a whole.â€
At the Rutgers campus in New Brunswick, N.J., about 300 students and faculty rallied earlier in the day to cheer for their team 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.â€
Former NAACP head: ‘He’s crossed the line’
Imus’ comments have been widely denounced by civil rights and women’s groups, and Bruce Gordon, former head of the NAACP who is also a board member of CBS, has told the Associated Press that he hopes that Imus is fired.
“He’s crossed the line, he’s violated our community,†Gordon said in a telephone interview. “He needs to face the consequence of that violation.â€
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 “make the smart decision†by firing Imus rather than letting him return to the air at the end of a two-week suspension beginning next Monday.
“We should have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to what I see as irresponsible, racist behavior,†Gordon said. “The Imus comments go beyond humor. Maybe he thought it was funny, but that’s not what occurred. There has to be a consequence for that behavior.â€
Gordon said that as a matter of principle, firing Imus should be an easy decision to make, though he respects the right of CBS leadership to consider all factors, including legal and financial repercussions.
“When I look at it from my position as a director, where my responsibility is to represent the best interest of the shareholders, it’s more complex,†Gordon said. “But at the end of the day, the image of CBS is at risk. … the ad revenue of CBS could be at risk.â€
“What I expect is for management to take the next two weeks to do their homework,†he said. “I hope that the result of their due diligence is to terminate Don Imus.â€
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. Linda Griego is Hispanic and is one of two female board members.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17999196/
