Imus hints career may be ending
By Matthew Robinson 33 minutes ago
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Radio host Don Imus hinted on Thursday his days on the airwaves may be numbered after a 30-year career that erupted in controversy over racist and sexist comments about a women's college basketball team.
MSNBC dumped its simultaneous cable television broadcast of his "Imus in the Morning" radio show on Wednesday, and several major advertisers have backed out a week after he called the mostly black Rutgers University team "nappy-headed hos."
The word "nappy" is viewed as a vile slur describing the tightly curled natural hair texture of many African-Americans, while "ho" is slang for "whore," usage of which has exploded in hip-hop music and popular culture in recent years.
On Imus' broadcast on Thursday -- his annual drive to raise money for children with cancer -- the radio host who trades on a curmudgeonly persona called the media "hypocritical" in its coverage of the flap. But he acknowledged it will be hard to continue broadcasting.
"I don't know if this will be my last radiothon, my suspicion is it will be," Imus said, adding the situation had become "insane" and "out of control."
The 66-year old Imus holds an annual drive on his show to raise money for his ranch for sick children and to fight diseases such as sudden infant death syndrome.
"I don't want this to turn into a memorial service for me," Imus said, repeating that he planned to meet with the Rutgers team for what he called "idiotic" remarks.
CBS Corp. unit CBS Radio, which has suspended Imus for two weeks and makes millions of dollars annually from the show, said on Wednesday it had not made a final decision on Imus's fate even as black leaders and others press the radio station to fire him.
Activist
Al Sharpton, a leader in the calls for Imus to be fired, plans to hold a rally outside CBS's Manhattan studios on Thursday.
Even if he remains on radio, Imus may have a hard time drawing the celebrities and leading politicians who were once a staple. U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record), an Illinois Democrat running for president, said on Wednesday he would never again appear on the program.
Major advertisers -- General Motors Corp., GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Ditech.com, a unit of GMAC Financial Services -- on Wednesday pulled their advertising. They joined Procter & Gamble Co. and Staples Inc., which previously pulled out.
MSNBC television is a joint ventures of Microsoft Corp. and General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal News.