General Motors Corp. joined other sponsors that are pulling ads from the “Imus in the Morning” program following last week’s controversial comments of the jock about African Americans as well as female college athletes.
GM said it will stop advertising during the Imus show. The show originated on the CBS-owned WFAN in New York and is syndicated nationwide. The program also is simulcast daily on the MSNBC cable television channel. GM in 2006 was the top advertising spender at MSNBC overall and during the Imus program, according to TNS Media Intelligence.
The automaker issued a statement that stated: “General Motors obviously does not condone the comments Don Imus recently made in reference to the Rutgers University women’s basketball team. Mr. Imus has publicly apologized, and admitted his comments were ‘completely inappropriate and offensive.’ He has also stated his intention to make changes to his show. We acknowledge and welcome these actions. We have decided, however, to suspend our advertising while we continue to monitor the situation.”
In 2006, the largest automaker spent an estimated $692,000 purchasing commercial time during the MSNBC simulcast of the Imus program. The ads were not as simple and affordable as those of Volvo car parts for it does mean that they include a heftier sum. Overall, the automaker spent $7.95 million at MSNBC. The data was divulged by TNS. Other top sponsors of Imus include Sprint Nextel Corp., PetMed Express Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and drug maker GlaxoSmithKline PLC. Spokesmen for the Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler Group said that those car companies do not advertise during the Imus show, but said that it is possible some of their dealers may independently buy spots in their local markets.
On April 4, Imus, along with producer and sidekick Bernard McGuirk, bantered about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team which had lost an NCAA Championship game the night before. He referred to the athletes with the slur “nappy-headed hos.”
The next day Imus issued a brief apology but retort to the derogatory dialogue on his show continued throughout the weekend. On Monday a visibly shaken Imus offered a longer on-air mea culpa, describing himself as a “good person” who “said a bad thing.” But the mea culpa failed to appease many critics. These critics pointed to comparable misogynistic and racist remarks Imus and his staff have made in the past.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, the NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, and others have called for the ouster of Imus, who nonetheless appeared on Sharpton’s Monday broadcast. Imus, up until now, continues to convey his remarks and apologies to the players and their families. The Rutgers basketball players and their coach held a press conference Tuesday and agreed to meet with the radio host.
“This young team fought through immeasurable odds to reach the highest pinnacle and play for the school’s first national championship in a major sport,” said C. Vivian Stringer, the coach of the team. “To serve as a joke of Mr. Imus in such an insensitive manner creates a wedge and makes light of the efforts of these classy individuals, both as women and as women of color.”
CBS and MSNBC have said they will punish Imus by suspending the program for two weeks starting April 16. Procter & Gamble, office-supply chain Staples Inc. and other sponsors already have pulled their commercials from the program. The decision was made notwithstanding Imus’ repeated apologies and promises of reform.
GM intimated it will carry on its support to Imus’ charitable efforts that cover work with sick and disabled children. Ryndee S. Carney, the GM spokeswoman, said the automaker has donated vehicles for use at The Imus Ranch, a nearly 4,000-acre cattle station in New Mexico. The ranch is used to offer kids with cancer and other diseases a ‘cowboy experience.’
Glady Reign
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/gm-pulls-ads-from-imus-show-131296.html
#1 by Secret Asian Man on July 6th, 2009
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Should KFC & Popeyes pulls its ads from the Imus show?
#2 by manonthestreet1 on July 6th, 2009
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No, more like Preparation H and Geritol. His audience is mostly made up of fossils.
but I hear the Klan is running spots on his show, so it won’t be a total loss
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#3 by gib000 on July 6th, 2009
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This question is racist. I mean like something out of "Mississippi Burning". No point of me being upset.
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#4 by no_way_amigo on July 6th, 2009
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Yes, they have enough RATS in their restaurants! I’m surprised that IMESS didn’t say, "Thoes Nappy Headed Ho’s love their fried Chicken", just to promote KFC…
Imus is a MILLIONAIRE celebrity that needs to be SUED!!! Rutger Girls please sue him!!!
Imus is a Radio/TV personality on "Imus In The Morning".
Imus is a white cranky old ex-crankster that is prejudice against minorities and hates any woman that doesn’t look like a Hooter Girl. . He has two hats the KKK bonnet and the look at me I’m a Do-Gooder now give me my tax breaks hat!
His politics are only designed to make money for himself and his cronies. He pretends to be charitable but really just wants the notoriety and tax write offs and government grants and loans that he’s using for advancement his own personal property the Ranch. The kids he claims to help probably don’t come near his personal house. They probably live in a Barn or Barracks in the south 40 of the Ranch in the Summer months that Imus visits like he visits his live stock. He probably doubles their quaters as a horse barn or storage in the winter months! He knows that when he sells the Ranch that the government and taxpayers improved his personal property and he didn’t have to spend a dime and he’ll make a huge profit.
He measures his existence with money his caring with money. He called the Rutgers womans basketball team nappy headed Ho’s (whores) and referred to them as skanky because some had tattoos and they didn’t look like Playboy Pinups. So why not measure his apology with a monetary value so we can see how sorry he is, say like 5 – 10 MILLION! That would prove how sorry he is.
The big deal is that Imus degrades minorities and women all the time and has for 40 years. He’s so out of touch with modern women and the real world, time for Imus to go!
He degraded a Rutgers University womans basketball team when those women are real heros in our society. Rutgers is the 8th oldest college in America and not easy to get into. The coach was a courageous black woman who struggled with a child that had meningitis and is in wheel chair and suffered when her Rev. husband died. The 10 women on the basket ball team were 17 to 22 years old and are someone’s dear child. Some are Valedictorian’s in their class, there’s a musical prodigy, and a future Doctor and a future lawyer, there is even a Girl Scout in the group. The captain of the team had a 4.0 grade point average. Let alone all were superior athletes! Their parents have sacrificed to make their children’s life better. Imus never went to college and is 66 years old with more money than God, that loves to belittle women and minorities. You know what they say old dogs never learn!
If Imus was black and said a remark against a white woman’s basketball team by calling them Red Bushed C’s would that be any different?
Imus is jealous because his 11 year old obese, potty mouthed son will never be an athlete! His son is a chip off the old block! Imus is training him to be a womanizing bigot just like his daddy.
Imus should be punished by being fired! See how he likes the struggle. He should be sued! No one buy any of Imus’s products boycott any name brands that support him!
Imus isn’t the most popular radio talk-show host — the trade publication Talkers ranks him the 14th-most influential — but his audience is heavy on the political and media elite that advertisers pay a premium to reach. Authors, journalists and politicians are frequent guests — and targets for insults.
He has urged critics to recognize that his show is a comedy that spreads insults broadly. Imus or his cast have called Colin Powell a "weasel," New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson a "fat sissy," referred to Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado, an American Indian, as "the guy from `F Troop,’" and to Gwen Ifill, a black journalist, as "the cleaning lady." He and his colleagues also called the New York Knicks a group of "chest-thumping pimps."
On his show Monday, Imus called himself "a good person" who made a bad mistake. He’s only sorry he got caught AGAIN, and got nailed to the wall. He’s hoping like hell that the girls and coach don’t sue him. That’s all he’s really sorry about. The only way to make him truly sorry is take a few million dollars out of his personal bank account!!!! SUE HIM!
Now, we’ll all have to suffer the next 2 months listening to "The Imus I’m Sorry Tour"!
Imus finally grew his thingy long enough to stick it in his mouth and now he’s choking on it.
NO ONE’S ON TRIAL HERE EXCEPT IMUS!
He made his bed now let him lay in it!
SUE, SUE, SUE!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070410/ap_on_en_ot/imus_protests;_ylt=Ai3vVG5g5qBphN6Z4I9Ilsis0NUE
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#5 by Sugar on July 6th, 2009
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Why those two? Are you being funny? They all should .
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#6 by Monty L on July 6th, 2009
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It’s A**HOLES like you that’s the problem.
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#7 by I'm Right, You're Wrong on July 6th, 2009
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Cant say ho but is whore ok?
As in- "those crybaby , bubble headed, ugly, 2 dollar whore bitches who should be popping out babies and cookin in the kitchen instead of at college"
is this better?
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#8 by Nadine Sellers on July 6th, 2009
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Should any corporation pull ads from shows that promote intrusive wars, excessive consumerism, obsession credit and external beauty? There would not be any shows left on major channels!
Should we give so much attention to a truly spectacular mistake and ignore the way we treat immigrants and poor people?
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#9 by newguy9191 on July 6th, 2009
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If the consumers of their products indicated they have a distaste for Imus and his show then they definitely should. Business is business and decisions must be made accordingly. Imus and his crew have increasingly become out of touch with reality for a long time. Making fun of Spears, Anna Nicole or other media creations is certainly fair game but randomly selecting groups and individuals who have nothing to do with such things is only asking for trouble. Imus asked and the consequences are all his.
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#10 by mychungdokwan on July 6th, 2009
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Were I the ad manager for either, I would, but then, I wouldn’t have ever placed ads there in the 1st place.
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#11 by frenchy62 on July 6th, 2009
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Absolutely!!!! Since they won’t fire the jacka$$, everyone should pull their ads from his show. So no money will come in; that would hit the network in their pockets. Then they would come to their senses.
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