How Much Is Don Imus Worth?
The campaign to get controversial radio (and recently, television) personality Don Imus back on the air is gaining momentum as Nebraska station RFD-TV announced it will televise Imus' return to the mainstream on a station that caters to farmers, equestrians and ranchers. While Patrick Gottsch, founder of RFD-TV, would not discuss any financial terms, someone else briefed directly on the deal said it could be worth up to $5 million a year--about what WABC-AM and its parent company, Citadel Broadcasting, are paying for the radio program, reports The New York Times. Imus, who was silenced earlier this year for racial comments directed toward the Rutgers University women's basketball team, is returning to mainstream media with a compensation package some estimate to be around $10 million.
(See also: Don Imus Is Back: Who Hired Him?)
'Buckwheat?' La. Politician Slurs Black Civil-Rights Activist
Louisiana state lawmaker Carla Blanchard Dartez is in hot water with many voters after calling a black civil-rights activist "Buckwheat." Democratic House member Dartez admittedly referred to 75-year-old Hazel Boykin as "Buckwheat" after the activist helped drive black voters to the polls. Boykin, who helped desegregate local restaurants and schools, says Dartez has yet to apologize for the racial slur. The local chapter of the NAACP held a press conference and called for voters to withdraw their support for Rep. Dartez. Boykin's son, Jerome, is president of the Terrebonne Parish chapter of the NAACP, reports The Associated Press.
No Driver's Licenses for N.Y. Undocumented Immigrants
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer scrapped his plans to issue driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants, saying "the opposition was too overwhelming." Spitzer initially rolled out his plan this past September, but plummeting poll numbers and thwarted efforts by state legislators and the state Department of Motor Vehicles ultimately swayed the state leader to back down. "You have perhaps seen me struggle with it because I thought we had a principled decision, and it's not necessarily easy to back away from trying to move a debate forward," Spitzer told The New York Times.
(See also: Should Undocumented Immigrants Get Driver's Licenses? [scroll down])
Sitcoms Pull Race Card for Cheap Laughs
Despite an overarching heightened sensitivity toward racially charged remarks, sitcoms are increasingly playing the race card to garner more laughs. Jokes about race and racial tensions are suddenly all over television, or more precisely, all over comedies that pride themselves on tweaking convention and political correctness, reports The New York Times. While there is a double standard on this subject between cartoons like "Family Guy" and "The Simpsons" (both on FOX) and shows that feature live actors such as "30 Rock" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," both have relied on racial jokes to increase their audience--and in most cases, it works. Why?
(See also: Which Words (And the Celebrities Who Use Them) Are Most Offensive?)
Sex-Discrimination Trouble Swells for Bloomberg
Another woman has joined the class-action sex-discrimination lawsuit against Bloomberg L.P., alleging she was subjected to harsh treatment after having her first child in 2005. Monica Prestia joined Bloomberg as an account executive in 1997 and within two years was promoted to Latin American sales manager for Bloomberg Television. After she had her first child in 2005, she received the worst performance review of her career; her compensation fell, and a supervisor who could not have children of her own was openly hostile toward her, reports The New York Times. Prestia is the fourth woman to join the class-action lawsuit filed in September.
(See also: EEOC Charges Bloomberg With Pregnancy Discrimination
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