OT: Imus Dead
- Thread starter ashokan
- Start date
He stole nothing. The issue was the personal use of the ranch outside of the summer, when the kids were there. Title was always held by the charity and funds from the sale stayed with the charity.
I was a big fan of his from the late 70s on WNBC. He was much more witty and intelligent than Stern. Then about 10 years ago I just kinda lost interest and started listening to other things on my morning commute. I had a lot of laughs over the years thanks to him, so I am grateful.
Times in life like the time Imus made the joke about the Rutgers Womens Basketball team often truly reveals the character of the peripheral players in the story ...
The three things that stood out to me during that ordeal were:
1. I felt Stringer allowed and encouraged her team to portray themselves as sad-sack victims to their own detriment. The guy apologized and that should have been the end of it, but she tried to exploit the situation (post-apology) to make herself (and worse, her players) into some kind of martyr. I actually really liked her style before this incident, but I lost all respect for her because of the way she handled it.
2. Tim Russert, who was on Imus' program almost every week, who had a close relationship with Imus' son (and vice-versa), and who referred to Imus as one of his best friends completely abandoned him. With the position he had at NBC, Russert could have gone on shows (including his own show) and said, "Listen, the guy said something crude, but he apologized. And nothing he said changed the fact that he's been doing incredible charity work for decades for kids with cancer. And he's a good person." But he didn't, because it turns out he was a scumbag. It made me irate when he died and people lionized him - all he was worried about was promoting himself and he abandoned his best friend the instant things got a little hot.
3. Most importantly, at least to me, Mike Francesa and Chris Russo not only stood up for Imus and defended him ... but they went on their show and attacked Russert for being a coward. They called him a phony and everything. These two showed loyalty to someone they considered a friend. I might not agree with their approach to everything, but they were both definitely someone you'd want in your foxhole. They even attacked CBS and WFAN on the air for firing Imus.
EDIT:
I found some of the audio from Francesa and Russo the day after Imus was fired from WFAN ...
The three things that stood out to me during that ordeal were:
1. I felt Stringer allowed and encouraged her team to portray themselves as sad-sack victims to their own detriment. The guy apologized and that should have been the end of it, but she tried to exploit the situation (post-apology) to make herself (and worse, her players) into some kind of martyr. I actually really liked her style before this incident, but I lost all respect for her because of the way she handled it.
2. Tim Russert, who was on Imus' program almost every week, who had a close relationship with Imus' son (and vice-versa), and who referred to Imus as one of his best friends completely abandoned him. With the position he had at NBC, Russert could have gone on shows (including his own show) and said, "Listen, the guy said something crude, but he apologized. And nothing he said changed the fact that he's been doing incredible charity work for decades for kids with cancer. And he's a good person." But he didn't, because it turns out he was a scumbag. It made me irate when he died and people lionized him - all he was worried about was promoting himself and he abandoned his best friend the instant things got a little hot.
3. Most importantly, at least to me, Mike Francesa and Chris Russo not only stood up for Imus and defended him ... but they went on their show and attacked Russert for being a coward. They called him a phony and everything. These two showed loyalty to someone they considered a friend. I might not agree with their approach to everything, but they were both definitely someone you'd want in your foxhole. They even attacked CBS and WFAN on the air for firing Imus.
EDIT:
I found some of the audio from Francesa and Russo the day after Imus was fired from WFAN ...
Good riddance. As a black man, those statements about those women who worked their asses off, who were great representatives of this University will never leave my memory. I've heard people curse out Politi for a lot less than that.
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I don't care if it
Rains or freezes
As long as I've got my
Plastic Jesus
Ridin' on the dashboard
Of my car
Those girls were 18-21 year olds playing in the national championship game. They didnt deserve to have their memories ruined the next day because some racist prick disparaged them.
No excuse and he will always be remembered for that
No excuse and he will always be remembered for that
There were serious tax implications to precisely what you describe.
The government considers that stealing.
Unfortunately I think you are wrong. I wasn't a big Imus fan, but I'm not even sure if I ever heard about his cancer work. As I type this, across ESPN goes "Don Imus dead: known for his derogatory remarks against Rutgers women's basketball team in '07". No mention of cancer work. Negative propaganda works and ESPN seems to enjoy using our name for negative propaganda whenever they can.
Stealing? No. Taxable compensation and possible excess compensation as it's. a 501(c)(3), possibly.
Stern and Robin on Imus and his racism:
No love lost between Howard and Imus:
No love lost between Howard and Imus:
To some of us, those actions point to Fatso and Dumb-dog as being the scumbags and Tim Russert was the stand-up guy. And this comes from someone who did find Imus entertaining at times and enjoyed many of his interviews with politicians and parts of his irreverent style.
It is pathetic for you to paint Stringer in the light you do here; she was definitely a victim, and handled the matter with total class.
This coming from a trump supporter is just too much.
Consider the source - it's consistent with his whole persona. Imus was unfunny and was way over the line with his disparaging remarks about the RU women's team, although Stringer and her team's maturity and grace in dealing with the media circus that ensued were a source of great pride to the University.
Throw “Rutgers” in the title, byline or make it the theme of the story and ta da...ya got clicks. We are (or should be) an advertisers dream.
I was a big fan. His career was complex with plenty of highs and lows but in the end he was one of the most successful radio personalities ever. He was highly paid but he brought in the revenue due not just to the size of the audience but to the demographics that any radio show would die for, I will miss him.
We can agree to disagree. I see it as the build-up to that cancel culture garbage everyone in 2019 hates. Stringer's career really took an upward trajectory after this whole ordeal too.
A
anon_ivydyf0amkzay
Guest
Imus deserved to get the boot for his comments about the RU players. Uncalled for and entirely inappropriate.
However, I'm not so sure I can call him a racist. Obviously, he said things that were racist. However, his actions (i.e, hiring a black engineer for his program in 1975, adopting a black child) were certainly not racist. He was a tough nut to crack. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about him.
I was an average fan, listened some not everyday. I knew about his work with the kids at his ranch. I saw coverage on a news channel and they talked about his charity work and his radio work. I don’t get news from ESPN.
My point is that for me his charity work outweighs a moronic statement that was a racist remark and any other non funny stupid things he said.
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Kind of fitting. I mean look at the guy, have you ever seen an uglier human both inside and out?
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anon_ivydyf0amkzay
Guest
Unflattering obit by Rolling Stone:
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/don-imus-obituary-931797/
As the cowboy-hat-wearing, pistol-toting host of the popular Imus in the Morning syndicated radio show for nearly five decades, Imus found ways to offend all walks of life. With an abrasive personality and a knives-out mentality, Imus took on liberals and conservatives alike, calling Dick Cheney a “war criminal” and Hillary Clinton “Satan.” He also drifted into racism, homophobia, and sexism, and despite losing his contract several times at various stations, managed to bounce back.
Despite his scabrous persona and frequent turnover at stations, he was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters and the National Radio Hall of Fame. He also managed to show a softer side with his charity work, inviting children with cancer to spend their summers at his Imus Ranch in New Mexico for the past 20 years, and donating money to Iraq war vets.
He gained notoriety in the political arena in the mid-Nineties after insulting Bill and Hillary Clinton at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and started inviting politicians and presidential hopefuls on his show. But he found himself in the biggest trouble in 2007 when he expressed outrage at the success of Rutgers University’s women’s basketball team, which had entered the NCAA finals. He referred to the women, who were mostly African American, as “rough girls” and “nappy-headed hos.” The statements sparked outrage from activists like Rev. Al Sharpton and Barack Obama, the latter of which had just begun his first presidential bid. Although he apologized — “This time we went way too far,” he said in a statement — his employers, CBS and MSNBC, fired him. He nevertheless was back on the air less than a year later with a new contract at a competitive broadcaster; he and CBS also settled a lawsuit over his $40 million contract and a suit by a Rutgers player was dropped, according to the Times.
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/don-imus-obituary-931797/
As the cowboy-hat-wearing, pistol-toting host of the popular Imus in the Morning syndicated radio show for nearly five decades, Imus found ways to offend all walks of life. With an abrasive personality and a knives-out mentality, Imus took on liberals and conservatives alike, calling Dick Cheney a “war criminal” and Hillary Clinton “Satan.” He also drifted into racism, homophobia, and sexism, and despite losing his contract several times at various stations, managed to bounce back.
Despite his scabrous persona and frequent turnover at stations, he was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters and the National Radio Hall of Fame. He also managed to show a softer side with his charity work, inviting children with cancer to spend their summers at his Imus Ranch in New Mexico for the past 20 years, and donating money to Iraq war vets.
He gained notoriety in the political arena in the mid-Nineties after insulting Bill and Hillary Clinton at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and started inviting politicians and presidential hopefuls on his show. But he found himself in the biggest trouble in 2007 when he expressed outrage at the success of Rutgers University’s women’s basketball team, which had entered the NCAA finals. He referred to the women, who were mostly African American, as “rough girls” and “nappy-headed hos.” The statements sparked outrage from activists like Rev. Al Sharpton and Barack Obama, the latter of which had just begun his first presidential bid. Although he apologized — “This time we went way too far,” he said in a statement — his employers, CBS and MSNBC, fired him. He nevertheless was back on the air less than a year later with a new contract at a competitive broadcaster; he and CBS also settled a lawsuit over his $40 million contract and a suit by a Rutgers player was dropped, according to the Times.
Trump was a regular on his show during airing of The Apprentice. He was actually low key and professional. Another person who appeared frequently was John McCain who after the Rutgers comment stated something to the effect of Imus was a good person and everyone deserves a chance at redemption when he was brought back on the radio.
No excuse for what Imus said, but he apologized in person to the team and went on an apology tour and even pleaded forgiveness from Sharpton in person. He got no forgiveness and an RU player even tried to sue him.
You think the team memories were ruined by the slur from Imus? They received an outpouring of support from the media and the public.
Also didn’t CVS cash in on her book deal that was previously rejected years earlier and then granted after the Imus incident?
Nope. Nor do I necessarily agree with the current tax structure. But it is what it is and people who deliberately work to evade their obligation should be dealt with accordingly.
Somehow, I'm not surprised that the RU alum who never seemed too troubled by the pedophile enabling in central PA is equally accepting of Imus' horrible labeling of the RU women's basketball team. Now, I can understand all the fans with mixed emotions about Imus, Imus was a complex human being who certainly had his attributes and his successes. But such unabated worship of a public figure who made so many racist (and other bigoted) remarks without acknowledging what went down with CVS and team is so Big Lou-ish.
BTW, whenever I see the name "Big Lou", I think of the life insurance commercial where an insurance broker named Big Lou says "I'm on meds, too!", LOL.