Imus death spiral
Apr 12, 2007 Americana, Medialites
Just now on Opie and Anthony — don’t even ask me how I got them on the dial (never have before and based on how entertaining they weren’t, don’t expect I ever will again) — but they did have this to say:
We’re next… And forget about any apology — see what good that does you.
UPDATE: Now I get it. They were participating in Imus’s radiothon, held at the MSNBC studios due to previous arrangements — the same MSNBC that just cast its simulcast of Imus out of its programming. For two minutes on the car on the way to shul this morning I heard him expressing, plainly and frankly, both his continued regret and acceptance of personal responsibility — “If I hadn’t said that stuff, we wouldn’t be here” — and his disgust with MSNBC over his treatment from them.
It is disgusting. I don’t love it any more. I hate it.
Yesterday morning Steven A. Smith, ESPN’s one-note radio host on New York’s WFAN sports radio (oddly, no useful link available directly to ESPN) was railing — which is how he expresses everything — about how if Imus had made these remarks about Jews it wouldn’t even be a question whether he would be fired. This is preposterous, and disproved by the facts — repeatedly. But good to drag the Jews into this — you’re not alone, Steven.
Here’s my prediction: Imus will, contrary to my earlier prognostication (which, if you don’t mind my saying, was one of the early blog reactions to this story), go, his interesting and successful and lucrative (none of which is to say “highly meritorious”) career extinguished at a ripe old age because a true high-tech lynching is under way which cannot be stopped. I earlier expressed my lack of regret over this, because I believe that Imus played the PC game when it worked for him; those are the breaks. He’s done well.
But the “rest” of my prediction is that this is a high-water mark of this nonsense. I believe there will be a sea change following this — I don’t know how it will play out, but I believe that, as Dean Esmay says, the utter silliness and pettiness of this process will make an impact and somehow get people to regain perspective on the total babyishness of this entire concept. They will talk about the “Imus incident” as a watershed. It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy and sweeter bunch of arrogant sidekicks, true — do you just love the idea of an unemployed Bernie McGuirk? And better him than me. But it should not happen — not this — again.
April 12th, 2007 at 10:54 am
We can certainly hope!
April 12th, 2007 at 11:39 am
I just don’t know why anyone would care what an unlistened to talk show host says. If no one made a big deal about it, no one would have even known he said it. I bet even the producer doesn’t listen to the show.
April 12th, 2007 at 11:48 am
The Times says his listenership is about 2 million people which, spread across the country, may not sound like much, but the demographic is presumably pretty tasty. He does get paid millions of dollars for something.
April 12th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
Isn’t there a slot waiting for him on satellite radio?
April 12th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
I cannot believe how far this whole thing has gone. Why doesn’t MSNBC and CBS play some of the rap songs played on the black stations for everyone to hear and learn the language they use and no one cares! Let’s bring Tawana’s story back into the news and see if maybe they will cancel Sharpton’s radio show?
April 13th, 2007 at 12:43 am
It’s more complicated than that. Let’s start with the fact that Imus is white and the ballplayers are black, then go from there. Oh, and add in the part about how the I-Man picked on some college kids who were pretty much minding their own business.
That said, I counted myself among Imus’ fans and am having a hard time answering this question: “Why now?” It’s not like Imus hadn’t said some pretty loutish stuff for the past, oh, few decades. It’s what he does, it’s why he has an audience.
So, why now? How’d we get to a place, now, where CBS and MSNBC “suddenly realized” who they had on their hands? Is this some sort of long-awaited payback? Or are there some, you should excuse the phrase, white knights out there who want to purify broadcast radio? Or maybe this is a kind of demographic backlash against an over the hill boomer?
Maybe somebody can explain it to me.