Yeah, Imus got mean. But in his heyday he was funny. His ego was his schtick.
In 18 years of driving around New England before Satellite radio I became a fan of several radio folks—and then they became too rich and over exposed, and they flamed out: Imus, Stern, Beck, Dr Laura, Rush...
It doesn’t mean they are bad people. It’s the nature of the business. And as the spotlight fades, they become more outrageous in order to get us back. They always fail.
Before satellite I would listen in the morning. I was listening on 9/11. Warner Wolf was doing a play by play from his NYC apt that had a direct view of the towers. His description of the second plane hitting the tower is etched in my brain. Every time I hear of Don Imus I think of that.