Neither the outrage over Don Imus' "nappy-headed ho's" crack nor the sight of a subdued and uncomfortable Imus making an apology tour seems likely to tone down his fellow edgy radio hosts.
Imus yesterday promised that his own show will change and some topics will become off-limits for humor, like, presumably, women's basketball teams.
But the JV and Elvis show on WFNY (92.3 FM) was already making "nappy-headed ho" jokes yesterday, and JV said it's almost impossible to draw strict content lines outside of Federal Communications Commission-prohibited areas like cursing.
"You're going 100 miles an hour on radio," he said. "You want to have fun, you're just making observations - how someone looks, how they talk."
Almost anything said in that kind of free-range context, he suggested, will offend somebody.
He and Elvis said their reaction to the Imus flap was, "What's the big deal? It's a joke."
Bob Grant, famously fired from WABC in 1995 over a comment about the late Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, said yesterday the freedom to say controversial things is essential, but also inevitably leads to verbal missteps.
"Everything doesn't come out the way you want," he said. "There were many times when I'd be going home and say to myself, 'What the hell did I say that for?' But that's the pace you work at. That's what people don't take into account."
Howard Stern of Sirius Satellite Radio, no fan of Imus but a big fan of unrestricted content, yesterday mocked Imus' apology.
"He's apologizing like a guy who got his first broadcasting job," said Stern. "He should have said, 'F--k you, it's a joke.'"
Whoopi Goldberg, morning host on WKTU (103.5 FM), wasn't laughing.
What Imus said "p---ed me off," she said. "But when you talk like he does, it comes back to bite you in the butt. How do you explain you're not a racist?"
Still, she said, "Firing isn't the issue. He didn't do anything illegal. Just morally reprehensible."
Morning hosts Amy Goodman and Deepa Fernandes on WBAI (99.5 FM) both featured segments condemning Imus' comments, and the Jeff Foxx show on WKRS (98.7 FM) urged listeners all morning to flood Imus' bosses with complaints.
And Bob Pickett of WKRS spent the morning outside MSNBC studios in Secaucus, N.J., urging workers to support Imus' dismissal.
On the other end, Opie and Anthony of WFNY, who have a friendly rapport with Imus, mostly joked about the case.
Anthony said a black host could have said what Imus did, criticizing what he called "a double standard."
Imus also picked up an endorsement from Star, ex-morning host at WQHT and WWPR.
"Don Imus is a national treasure," said Star, "and people better get over it." |
Mikeee
