Decency bows before the advertising dollar once again:
While many in the press have reported the decisions by NBC News and CBS Radio to suspend Don Imus for two weeks following his racist "nappy-headed hos" comment from last week, few have addressed the convenient timing of Imus' return to broadcasting later this month.
Imus' suspension from MSNBC and CBS Radio is set to begin next Monday, April 16, and end two weeks later on Monday, April 30. He'll be back on the radio and MSNBC just in time for the spring ratings sweeps in May.
"It is unfortunate that MSNBC and CBS Radio have failed to accept any responsibility for airing Don Imus' bigoted remarks over the years," said Karl Frisch, spokesman for Media Matters for America. "Equally troubling is the possibility that his return to broadcasting is scheduled just in time for the spring ratings sweeps. It would be inappropriate for MSNBC to benefit financially from the publicity likely to surround Imus' return."
