Posted on 05/02/2007 1:04:11 PM PDT by Anti-Bubba182
NEW YORK (Fortune) -- Don Imus, the tousled and acerbic radio host whose racial remarks engendered a media storm that triggered a swift upending of his career, is not going away quietly even if the imbroglio has all but disappeared from the national conversation in the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre.
For Imus, who made a career out of operating in the murky space between sophomoric humor and high-brow political talk, there is the little matter of about $40 million left on his contract with CBS Radio - whose boss Les Moonves fired the shock jock on April 12. CBS' lawyers contend Imus was fired for cause and not owed the rest of the money.
But Imus has hired one of the nation's premiere First Amendment attorneys, and the two sides are gearing up for a legal showdown that could turn on how language in his contract that encouraged the radio host to be irreverent and engage in character attacks is interpreted, according to one person who has read the contract.
The language, according to this source, was part of a five-year contract that went into effect in 2006 and that paid Imus close to $10 million a year. It stipulates that Imus be given a warning before being fired for doing what he made a career out of - making off-color jokes. The source described it as a "dog has one- bite clause." A lawsuit could be filed within a month, this person predicted.
A CBS spokesman declined comment, and Imus, through his attorney, also declined an interview........."
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
I never thought I’be be rooting for Imus. Go, Imus!
Les Moonves = more debt for CBS
It’s CBS! I say I-Man ripem a new one!
Bet CBS-Radio settles this one.
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CBS Radio needs to finally say to one of these groups, "it was a joke, get over it."
I second that emotion. Imus is spending this summer running a ranch for kids with cancer. What’re Moonves or Redstone doing with their time?
How is calling someone a cleaning lady racially charged? Sounds like the listener never heard of a white cleaning lady.
Go Imus those girls never said he had to be fired. Since when does Al Sharpton decide who speaks and says what. Like thye American people really listen to rap.
>Sounds like the listener never heard of a white cleaning lady.<
Sounds like the listener never heard of rap either.
Come to think of it, it has been a while since I have seen a white cleaning lady. A few blacks but seems most of them have been replaced with Hispanics. I suppose there are no complaints from those who are displaced and placed on welfare?
This ‘IS’ about freedom of speech. Black people can sing, speak, and market lyrics with the word “HOs”, but let a white guy say that, and BAAMMO!
Let’s see now, wouldn’t he be having dinner with Jesse?
Really, it doesn't matter who fights the good fight ... just so's long as it's done.
Sounds like a good contract,they need to pay him.
I don’t care for the guy, but I hope he ends up owning CBS.
The theory on this that makes the most sense is that he was fired due to pressure from Hillary. He doesn’t like her at all, so her people started looking for him to say something that they could make a case out of and get him marginalized. Don’t tread on Hillary or else. If he had been one of her sycophants he would still be saying anything he likes and the democrats would just giggle about it.
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