James Brady On Media
Talking Up Imus
James Brady, 04.24.08, 6:00 AM ET
Following a six-month exile, Don Imus came back on the air last
December over WABC radio in New York and a scatter of other stations,
and telecast over a jury-rigged television setup anchored by the rural-
based RFD-TV. Since he'd been sacked last April by Viacom, CBS, WFAN
radio, MSNBC and everybody but the Boy Scouts of America, the National
Rifle Association and The Little Sisters of the Poor, there was much
drama about his return: yelps of outrage, cheers from Imus cultists, a
few shrugs of disinterest and some genuine puzzlement.
Had the man learned his lesson? Would the public buy his "new, cleaned-
up act," would the usual suspects, the pols, celebs and authors who'd
been sucking up to him for years, and then recoiled in pious horror,
once again be scrambling for a piece of his precious air time, and
could the ABC folks ever recoup the serious dough they were paying
him? Would Madison Avenue boycott the guy and spend its advertising
dollars elsewhere or embrace him with touching hosannas and "welcome
homes"?
This last factor is key since it was not until advertisers began
canceling out on Imus a year ago that the broadcast suits and the ad
agents abandoned him for his sins.
On Sunday, Feb. 3, The New York Times' Jacques Steinberg did a
favorable piece headlined: "All Forgiven, WIMUS Is On A Roll." Wrote
Steinberg: "Mr. Imus has moved with relative ease from transgression
to redemption." The Times re****ter also ticked off the major
advertisers, the celebrity names and the additional media (such as the
huge Comcast (nasdaq: CMCSA - news - people ) cable system), that have
now apparently returned to or newly listed themselves in Imus' corner.
I was a guest on one of those early shows the second week in December
plugging my new non-fiction, the tenth book of mine he'd allowed me to
flog on his show since 1990. Imus was still s****ting the cowboy hat
and boots, but had recruited two new African-American on-air talents.
Longtime producer and on-air wit Bernie McGuirk (also sacked with
Imus), was back on the show but at work across Seventh Avenue
producing from an ABC studio, along with veteran engineer Lou Ruffino,
while Imus newsman and sidekick Charles McCord and comedian Rob
Bartlett worked the show onstage with Don and the cast in a mini-
theater of sorts. TV cameras sent a video version of the show to RFD-
TV in the Midwest.
On air, Imus appeared delighted to be back, but acknowledged still
being sore at some of his former "friends" for their lack of sup****t
during his (self-created) crisis. "I like Tom Brokaw, but you don't
share a foxhole with him," was typical of his remarks. Since then,
I've continued to listen (Jesse Jackson was on recently, all bonhomie
and guffaws, with the two men promising to have lunch), as Imus seemed
to be getting up to speed, while from time to time re****ting the
positive news that yet another station or major advertiser had signed
on. But that was Imus talking. What were the facts?
Last Friday, I called WABC radio honcho Phil Boyce in Manhattan to get
some specifics. "We've got him on about 40 stations now," said Boyce.
"The old show (the one based on WFAN) claimed about 62, but we've only
been able to confirm 47. So we're getting close to level. New stations
are in D.C., and Atlanta, both of them FM stations we own, and an FM
in Boston and stations in Providence and Tampa. Ratings from February
are good. In the 12-plus category, he's No. 3 in morning drive, behind
WINS at 6.8 and ZOO100 at 5.7, with Imus in the Morning at 5.6."
Being a troublemaker, I asked about WFAN, Imus' old station. In those
ratings that placed Imus at No. 3, WFAN's new morning drive team was
in 19th place in the count at a 2.3, Boyce noted with what I suspect
was some pleasure. In another rating system based on average quarter-
hour listener****p, Imus scored 105,700, while WFAN had only 44,000.
"We're trending up," concluded Boyce.
But what about the advertising? "It's coming in," said Phil, "and
we're getting much higher rates, and we're getting closer to
sellouts." And the man himself, a good coat, clear eye, is he
behaving? Said the ABC exec, "He's sounding well and seems at peace
with himself. And I think he's in a better place. He was doing issue
talk on a s****ts station and now he's doing issue talk on an issue
talk station."
Early in May, Don will also host his annual radiothon with the bucks
going to several different charities, mainly for kids. Contributions
and pledges this year should be another yardstick by which to measure
how far the guy has come back. Stay tuned
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