CBS, The Goose And The Ganders
Leslie Moonves, the President and CEO of CBS Corporation said yesterday that the firing of Imus, CBS's Golden Goose, "is about a lot more than Imus." CBS had dumped Imus, he said because Imus "has flourished in a culture that permits a certain level of objectionable expression that hurts and demeans a wide range of people. In taking him off the air, I believe we take an important and necessary step not just in solving a unique problem, but in changing that culture, which extends far beyond the walls of our Company."
Though his statement carries a publication date and time of about 11:00 a.m. yesterday and GM, Sprint/Nextel, Staples, Proctor & Gamble, TD Ameritrade and Bigelow Tea had pulled their ads on CBS, resulting in the loss of millions of dollars in ad revenue, earlier in the week, I take Mr. Moonves at his word that the firing was all about getting "objectionable expression" off of the airwaves and not about money.
That being the case, I assume that CBS will be doing something soon about the formats on its Ganders, four "Urban" and "Urban Adult" radio stations it owns, two in Atlanta and two in Charlotte, that play racist, misogynistic, anti-police, anti-family, anti-education urban music.
This is a no-brainer right? If Moonves is a little slow about changes, Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Jackson will be on him right away calling the same corporations, urging them to pull their ads again, right?
When pigs learn to fly.
2 comments:
In truth, I never listened to Imus before this happened. But I have very conflicting thoughts about this. I think I noticed a title on Time(?) that paraphrased says: Who Can Say What?
I believe with all my heart that we should all treat each other equally and fairly. But I also believe that it is just as wrong for black comedians to stand up and make jokes and insults towards white people and cry uncle and lawsuit when it's the other way around.
If this is the case, then white and black men should pay reparations to me and other women, right? WRONG. My female ancestors were treated as second-class citizens but I wasn't. No one owes me a thing. Middle Eastern great-grandchildren decades from now shouldn't have to pay for what Bin Laden did to us on 9-11.
I watch my kids and their friends and I think that the generation coming up will have the least amount of prejudism. I have children of different backgrounds in my home on a regular basis...white, black, hispanic. It wasn't the young women on the basketball team who got upset first...it was the older Rev Sharpton and them. Yes, it was wrong of this Imus guy. But it works both ways.
I am really enjoying your writing more and more. Sorry this was so long-winded.
I read this post yesterday, but didn't comment because I needed to think about it a little....
I have so many different views on this, and at the risk of even sounding slightly racist - I don't normally express them.
I stick with a very safe theory that I'm not racist because I hate everyone equally... but that is nothing more than an excuse. I don't hate everyone, in fact I hate very few people - and I don't judge by race, color, or creed. I dislike people on the simple principal that there is something about them I just don't like, and I pass that judgement out one person at a time.
I think Imus was an ass for what he said, but not necessarily for his comments but more for the frenzy he created afterwards. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are nothing more than bandstanders and it seems to me that if I was to make those comments on a well attended broadcast - I would be making that comment with the knowledge that Jesse and Al would be all over it.
In my humble opinion, there is more to the story that what we are hearing - but the truths and theories that have formed since Imus made his remarks are actually the most important part. Imus's remarks were small, and will be forgotten. What I won't forget is how Al and Jesse took advantage of the situation to bandstand (again), and how people actually opened their minds to thought that maybe Imus was the minor player in this game that has two very differing points of view.
I read Jason's article in the Kasas City Star. I thought that could have been of the most honest peice of writing I had ever read.... however - what would it be called if I wrote that peice?
Jesse and Al would have had a hay day with me.
I hope I've been respectable in expressing my views. If I haven't, in your opinion - my views are open for discussion.
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