WISCONSINREPORT.COM (12/3/07) - Don Imus brought his morning show back to the radio airwaves and television today after being fired by his former employers following the turmoil that erupted when he uttered a racial slur against the Rutgers womens team. The show airs live on weekdays from 5-9 am (CST) on WABC radio and is syndicated nationally. The morning show is simulcast on the RFD TV Network, and rebroadcast in the evening in primetime. RFD is also offering the show on video on demand, enabling west coast viewers and millions of fans to experience the show at their convenience.
"Don's passion and understanding of rural America fits in so well with our on-going effort to bridge city and country folks with this cable channel", stated Patrick Gottsch of RFD-TV.
"The Imus Ranch Special that aired on RFD-TV this past summer, which focused on the history and good work being performed by the Imus family's non-profit organization for kids with cancer, was a huge hit. We expect the same overwhelmingly positive response
from our audience with the addition of Imus In The Morning and Imus In The Evening to our program schedule," Gottsch said.
On the new Imus In The Morning show, Imus was apologetic and assured his listeners and viewers that he learned his lesson.
"I will never say anything in my lifetime that will make any of these young women at Rutgers regret or feel foolish that they accepted my apology and forgave me," Imus said. "And no one else will say anything else on my program that will make anyone think that I didn't deserve a second chance."
The new crew Imus crew includes two black comedians, Karith Foster and Tony Powell, as well as returning Bernie McGuirk, the producer who was also involved in similar racial comments about the Rutgers women on the air and was also fired.
In addition to airing on WABC, the new program will air on four other Citadel stations and 17 stations owned by other companies. More stations are expected to sign up to carry Imus in the coming weeks.
The show also will be simulcast on cable's 24 hour RFD-TV, owned by the Rural Media Group Inc. RFD reaches nearly 30 million homes. The company hopes the addition of Imus will enable them to increase that number to 50 million over the next two years.
RFD-TV, LLC Launched in December 2000, RFD-TV is the nation's first 24 - hour - a - day, 7-day-a-week television network dedicated to serving the needs and interests of rural America.
RFD-TV is completing its 7th year of broadcasting and is currently distributed into nearly 30 million homes nationwide on DIRECTV, DISH Network, Mediacom, Charter, Suddenlink, Bresnan, NRTC and NCTC cable systems located in all 50 states. Programming
includes a wide-variety of shows focused on agriculture, equine, rural lifestyle, and traditional music offerings, which are uplinked via satellite from Northstar Studios in Nashville, Tennessee.
RFD-TV recently aired a documentary on The Imus Ranch- the 4,000 acre working cattle ranch founded by Don and his wife Deirdre that serves as a sanctuary for cancer survivors, children battling cancer and blood disorders, and kids who have lost a sibling to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
RFD HD will launch December 1 with its own 24-hour program schedule and will be offered on both DBS satellite and cable systems. In addition, the company is developing plans
to offer the Imus video programming through new technologies including VOD, streaming, and pod casts, as well as, seek worldwide distribution of the RFD-TV production to obtain the highest possible audience.
The guest lineup on the initial show included Republican presidential candidate John McCain, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, political analysts James Carville and Mary Matalin, and Democrat Chris Dodd, who is running for the presidential nomination in the primary process underway.
Other personalities aired on the new Imus originating station, WABC Radio, include Limbaugh, Hannity, and other similar talk show hosts.