It looks like Imus isn't out of hotwater, in fact it looks like it's just getting hotter.
General Motors and Sprint Nextel have suspended advertising on Don Imus' show, joining Staples, Procter & Gamble. and Bigelow Tea. If those A-list names aren't bad enough, add American Express to the list.
"This is a very fluid situation, and we'll just continue to monitor it as it goes forward when he returns to the air," said a GM spokeswoman, adding that GM would continue to support Imus' charitable efforts.
Meanwhile, the former head of the NAACP and a director of CBS Corp, Bruce Gordon, has called for Imus' firing.
"As an African-American, I believe that Imus has crossed the line, a very bright line that divides our country," said Gordon. "His remarks are so significant that I believe that the right outcome is for him to be terminated."
So with the swarm of controversy swarming around, The Motley Fool asks "What if Imus was on Satellite Radio?" The Fool notes that satellite shock-jocks Howard Stern and Opie & Anthony wouldn't endure the same level of criticism that Imus has. They also call this the end of terrestrial radio as we know it.
Stern and O&A have both had their terrestrial radio offenses, but satellite not only allows for adult language, but for "the opportunity to expand and experiment before a receptive audience of subscribers."
To answer the "Motley Fool" question, I don't think Stern or O&A have ever directed a racial slur at someone. IMUS actually reffered to people directly with a racist remark and I do not think that would fly on Satellite radio either. In Stern's case, he makes fun of people who uses racial slurs, but has never attacked anyone by using a racial slur...
This is BS, I'm a Stern fan and not really an Imus fan, but I really think this guy is getting the shaft. There are those who are taking advantage of the situation..... WHERE the FUCK is free speech here?? The man was just screwing around...Al Sharpton is the Biggest Bigot on the planet. I am afraid Mr. Imus's biggest mistake is apologizing for anything. He made his own "bad" situation worse. Listen to some of the black morning shows if you want shocking.
This crap makes me sick. If Don Imus was black and he had said something like that, nobody would be saying anything. Look at all the rap lyrics in the songs out today. All you hear about are bitches and hos and other really degrading names made toward women, and just because you're black that's ok to say? what a bunch of bullshit! No it probably wasn't the smartest thing Imus ever said, but people are really making a bigger deal out of this than has to be. Imus went on his show and made a very good apology for what he said, and that should be where it stands. But people just aren't going to let this go and as an American it really is sad to see. You just wait. By the end of this week, Imus will be fired. and I'm really enjoying O and A while I have them, because I'm seriously afraid they may be next. I hate to have such a dark view, oops shouldn't say dark because that might be another racist term, lol, but i hate to be so grim. I would like to think someone will come along and tell all these assholes to get over themselves and get the rappers and other radio hosts to practice what they preech and stop all the lyrics. If Imus says it, can't say it, the rappers shouldn't be able to say it either. We are losing our freedom of speech here, and fast.
i could care less what sharpton and jackson have to
say.there are alot of white preachers that have people
banned.
what bugs me is these women worked their asses off to get to the final game of the season and some old fart
takes it away from them by calling them nappy headed hos. not about their play but what they look like.
yse he should be fired.
Isn't this what makes Satellite Radio distinctly unique to terrestrial radio? O&A and Stern can say whatever they want. How is that direct competition?
"If Don Imus was black and he had said something like that, nobody would be saying anything."
Very true. Unfortunately there is a double standard. He should have never gone on Sharpton's show. Sharpton has said much worst.
WOW black people have sunk to a new low. this is just nuts.
when are black people going to get over this crutch that every other ethnic group has gotten over long ago. HELL even the fucking indians that we took all this fucking land from got past it. Of course they got casino's...lol
if he called a jewish team a bunch of cheap jews, there would just be a bunch of laughter. oh noes he called some black people ho's....crap guess we were lucky there was not a riot....
hate the guy but this is fucking retarded....OOPS i said a bad word about the mentally challanged KICK ME OFF THE AIR!!!
Have to agree that any type of controversial talk on terrestrial radio is on it's way out the way things are going. Now more than ever SatRad offers something worth the price, adult/ranchy talk in your home or car without futher censorship.
If you are for or against what happended to Imus I think it's clear that radio is going to be futher sanitized in the not too distant future.
msnbc just pulled the plug on his show it wont be back
Yep, just posted it:
http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/breaking-msnbc-drops-imus.html
This is just Al Sharpton trying to get some camera time. If he was serious about this situation he would get the rappers to stop using the same language in there rap songs. Rappers are looked up to by the youth in this nation, if you asked someone under the age of 25 who Don Imus was before this went down they would most likely say Who is Don Imus? This just proves how racially divided our country is getting when one racial group can throw around words and the other isn't. No wonder membership in the KKK is on the rise.
"Isn't this what makes Satellite Radio distinctly unique to terrestrial radio? O&A and Stern can say whatever they want. How is that direct competition?
NO they can say whatever they want and not get fined by the FCC they CANNOT SAY WHATEVER THEY want and not get fired by sirius or xmradio.
i am sure somewhere even sirius/XM would draw the line on stern or anyone else.
Didn't Tim Hardaway just get fired from all his gigs for saying that he hated gay people? Is he black or does he not count.
You fucking mouth breathers need to learn a little bit of accountability.
Sat radio (talk) is not immune to this scrutiny.
Remember - it was advertiser's that got IMUS fired.
Advertiser's on Sirius 100 & 101 could get Stern fired as well - if he crossed that imaginary line.
I don't think he'll end up on satellite.
First, the evidence from Stern (who had more hardcore fans as a percentage of his audience than most shows) is that 15-20% or so of his previous listenership followed him over to satellite. Even assuming that Imus brings listeners over at that rate, that's only about 350 thousand subs (and that's assuming that none of his current listeners are already satellite subscribers who, because they prefer Imus to Stern/O&A/Bill Bennett/Mike & Mike/etc., continue to listen to terrestrial in the morning). At this point, a deal that brings over 350k subs is not going to be valued at a premium, especially as the OEM agreements kick in.
Second, I don't actually think Imus will be fired. I suspect that CBS will be content to pay him his salary until his contract expires (I believe Stern said that it would expire in the 2010-2012 timeframe) without getting a show out of him; this is essentially an O&A situation, though one could argue that Imus is less likely to immediately go to ClearChannel, etc. than O&A were c.2002.
sternfan73 said, "what bugs me is these women worked their asses off to get to the final game of the season and some old fart takes it away from them by calling them nappy headed hos."
You self righteous, disengenuine ass!
It is not like they cured cancer. They play a sport. Imus has raised MILLIONS for children, soldiers and to fight cancer. These women played a game well.
Stop putting these basketball players on some high mountain of saint-hood. Also, I sure would be interested in seeing what is loaded on the basketball players iPods.. Both black and white. Are you going to tell me the words "hos" "bitches and the ever so dreaded N-Word are nowhere to be found?
Also, it is ok for Jackson to go after Jews, but Imus is a criminal? Shame on you for drinking the self righteous PC kool-aide. Shame on you. ANYONE who has SAT RAD should know better. If this is so damn bad and too much too handle stop listening to Stern, O&A, Rona and Fez, XL channels, etc. Go back to crappy local NPR stations.
Unless you block ever channel on your Sat Rad that has bad language and off color jokes, you are a hypocrite, period.
He is such a dope. I can not believe that a European American would say what he said but to even go on Sharpton's show was stupid. It did make for some great radio on the Stern Show as I am sure it made great radio for O&A.
Tim Hardaway got fired. Now that is BS. I might not agree with him in a sense but I will agree to the fact that it was his opinion and should be taken as such. Is Oprah going to get fired or Tom Crusie going to wither away. Probably not and there are millions on people that hate them and their opinion.
What really irks me is that people need to grow a damn back bone. It is true in our little community hear and else where that not everyone is going to agree with what someone else has to say and the sooner everyone understands that the better off we are going to be.
The sooner people realize that they don't have an open forum for hatred and bigotry, the better off we all are going to be.
People talk about how much they hate jesse jackson and sharpie for their stupid shit, yet its perfectly okay for "others"??? Where's the logic?
>> The sooner people realize that they don't have an open forum for hatred and bigotry, the better off we all are going to be. >>
The point is this sort of thing exists *everywhere*, but Imus just happens to be in too much of a national spotlight to get away with it. Are you *really* advocating the abolishment of any type of colorful language EVERYWHERE? I, for one, don't want to live in such a bland existence - people aren't always nice to each other, and humor isn't always pretty.
Isn't that why you subscribed to satellite radio in the first place? Who's to say that medium won't be targeted next?
>> People talk about how much they hate jesse jackson and sharpie for their stupid shit, yet its perfectly okay for "others"??? Where's the logic? >>
Perfectly okay for who? If you're paying attention, the critics of the Imus witch hunt are pointing fingers at the hypocrites leading the charge, not absolving Imus of his actions. Imus is doing everything in his power to atone for his mistake, but the Sharptons and Jacksons of the world would rather see him stomped into the ground.
Meanwhile, Jackson and Sharpton can make all the dumb comments they see fit to, and somehow they still retain their positions & their income. What a crock of sh#t.
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
This situation makes me sick. I am biracial (half german american and half african american) and I am so tired of people like Sharpton screaming RACISM every five minutes. I DO NOT think that what Imus said was racist. What about it was racist? He called them Hos and said they had nappy hair. That has nothing to do with race. There are plenty of people who are not black who have nappy hair and who are hos. Would it have been ok if they were white and he called them nappy hos? People like Al Sharpton reduce black people to second class citizens when they act as if this group of people is SO sensitive that they deserve some special treatment or that people should walk on egg shells when talking about them. Give me a break! Further more, people keep talking about the great ACOMPLISHMENTS that these girls have made only to be insulted. I don't call running around a court and tossing a ball in a hoop a great accomplishment. These girls are being far more than compensated for their efforts. In short, when one puts themselves in the public spot light ultimately they will come under scrutiny by someone. Imus' comments were in bad taste and tacky but then thats his career and it IS appropriate in the context that he said it in just as he said it was. If you don't like that kind of humor then don't watch it. Howard Stern is FAR worse! He's a disgusting pig and I would love to see him perminenty taken off the air. I TOTALLY disagree with Al Sharpton and the whole situation. These people DEFINITELY do not speak for me. Oh, by the way, I normally do not get into this kind of humor but I have to say that when I actually heard what Imus said,on YouTube, I was on the floor laughing for like ten minutes:D