Last Wednesday radio and television personality Don Imus made inappropriate remarks on his "Imus in the Morning" radio program broadcast on radio throughout the country and on television on MSNBC. By Friday Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson among others were calling on Mr. Imus to be fired from his broadcasting job. On Monday he was suspended for two weeks, but his employers reserve the right to take further action. Today at least three advertisers, including heavyweight Procter & Gamble, pulled their ads from his show.From WSJ.com:
The advertisers' reaction suggests fallout over Mr. Imus's remarks could persist. Marketers aren't saying whether their pullouts are permanent, and they are likely to watch carefully to see if the fuss dies down. But the withdrawal of more advertisers could potentially undercut support for Mr. Imus returning to the air. Civil-rights groups such as the NAACP have called for him to be fired, while the Rev. Al Sharpton is calling for advertisers and guests to boycott the program.
Mr. Imus has long been known for his irreverent humor, but he has come under intense criticism since referring to the Rutgers team, which lost to the University of Tennessee in the NCAA championship last week, as "nappy-headed hos" during his show. Mr. Imus went onto Mr. Sharpton's radio program on Monday to apologize, but the controversy hasn't let up. Talkers, a trade publication, estimates Mr. Imus has a radio audience of about 2.25 million, placing him among the nation's top 25 radio personalities.
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