Time has passed Imus by

Now's the time for WFAN to become a true all-sports station

Jim Baumbach

11:16 AM EDT, April 10, 2007

The only way this whole Don Imus saga is going to go away is by you, the listener, taking action. It's time to hit the mute button on his show, change the station, and look the other way. It's time for him to leave.

Imus is in full-fledged damage control right now, making the rounds on the national media circuit and apologizing for his racist comment about the Rutgers women's basketball team. But this time, finally, this guy has gone too far. No turning back now.

CBS, which owns the radio station that airs his program each morning, along with NBC, which simulcasts a portion of his show on MSNBC, have both announced two-week suspensions.

And that should give whoever still listens to this snoozer of a show just enough time to find something else to get them through their morning commutes.

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The people who run WFAN, the all-sports radio station owned by CBS, are of course driven by the bottom line, as is every company. And Imus' show brings in major advertisers, which means major money. But now is the perfect time for the popular all-sports radio station to become just that, all sports, all the time.

Just five months ago Imus went through a similar cycle, offending and apologizing. Back then, in the coarse of a regular conversation with sidekick Charles McCord, Imus referred to Asians with a widely known offensive term. We won't repeat it.

Most troubling was that he didn't seem to know -- or care -- that it was offensive. McCord immediately tried gently telling Imus that term is not preferred by Asians, which was his way of telling his boss he better correct himself while he had the chance.

Anyone who was listening that day could tell McCord's message flew right over Imus' head.

The next day, after outrage from leaders of the Asian community, Imus apologized on the air, but he made fun of "idiot lawyers" who gave him a booklet to brush him up on offensive terms. Guess the nasty phrase he used the other day to describe the Rutgers women's basketball players wasn't in that lawyer guide.

Somehow, through the years, Imus' show has morphed into a place for nation/world news and opinion, and a platform for respected journalists and politicians. Why well-thought-of people such as journalists Tim Russert and Maureen Dowd and Senators Joe Lieberman, Chris Dodd and John McCain to name just a few repeatedly choose to go on that show is beyond me.

Now, whether they continue is another story.

The coach and some players of the Rutgers women's basketball team are expected to break their silence this afternoon and discuss Imus' comments. They'll probably take the high road, saying they were offended but accept his apology, as they should. This, of course, is the first time that this has happened to them.

But to Imus' listeners, who have been down this road time and again, they're the ones who should say this is enough. We cannot consider this stuff to be satirical material, not when there are racially sensitive comments made off the cuff far too often. They should take a stand.

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Jim Baumbach's column, which appears only on Newsday.com, is posted by noon Monday through Friday. You can e-mail him at jim.baumbach@newsday.com