Don Imus, whose nationally broadcast radio show is simulcast of MSNBC, has a long history of making racist comments on his show, and, allowing his sidekicks to make racist statements. For those who are not familiar with the comments from last Wednesday's Imus in the Morning Show, you can read the transcript at Media Matters
Yes, whether sincere or not, Imus made an on-air apology Friday. However, what led to the apology? Did he really feel that what he said was so offensive, or was it the public pressure mounted against him and his radio station? Just one day before his mea culpa, he wasn't so apologetic.
And so on Thursday, Mr. Imus wondered aloud on his show what the big deal was, saying people should not be offended by "some idiot comment meant to be amusing."
Link.
In the past, racist comments in his show have been directed towards numerous African-Americans. A few years ago, one of his sidekicks called Venus and Serena Williams "animals". The sidekick was suspended for short time, but because Imus liked him, was rewarded with a position hosting a sports talk show on the very popular sportsradio station WFAN in NYC. This same sidekick, Sid Rosenberg, also happened to participate in the racist banter on Imus' show last wednesday.
William Rhodes, a black journalist for the New York Times, and Gwen Ifill of PBS have also been victim's of the racist venom spewed from the Imus show.
The NABJ cited two other incidents in which Imus himself insulted two black journalists. Imus has called PBS' Gwen Ifill a "cleaning lady" and described William Rhoden of The New York Times as "a quota hire," the group said. Link.
Let's let MSNBC, WFAN radio (the flagship station of the Imus in the Morning program) and CBS Radio (who syndicates the Imus radio program) know how we feel about this type of racist behavior. Make sure to mention not only Don Imus, but his sidekicks including Bernard McGuirk, who is often the most egregious offender.
Contact information:
MSNBC: Simulcasts the Imus in the Morning radio show
email - feedback@msnbc.com
viewerservices@msnbc.com
phone: 201-583-5000
WFAN radio: Flagship radio station of Imus in the Morning
fanmail@wfan.com
Main Phone Number: 718-706-7690
Mailing Address:
WFAN-AM
34-12 36th Street
Astoria, NY 11106
CBS Radio: Syndicates Imus in the Morning nationwide
http://www.cbsradio.com/...
CBS RADIO
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
212-846-3939
Dana McClintock
Senior Vice President,
CBS Communications Group
(212) 975-1077
Also, there have been a couple of mentions that I've seen hoping that Keith Olbermann make Imus his "Worst Person in the World". Here's KO's email address: countdown@msnbc.com
Democratic party politicians that appear on the Imus show:
Senator John Kerry: (202) 224-2742
Senator Christopher Dodd: (202) 224-1083