T Dog Media Blog Think Tank: Is anyone really surprised?

(This is the only time I’m talking about or mentioning the Don Imus controversy on this blog. With this raging on a lot of other blogs and message boards, there is no need for this blog to harp on it continuously - I’m starting to miss coverage on last week’s overblown story – Sanjaya’s foibles on American Idol. So, with that said…)

Is anyone surprised at what Imus said? It’s the radio industry. It’s cable news. They’re both jokes.

Is anyone surprised at all the media hype? The Imus fallout is generating a racial divide we haven’t seen since the O.J. verdict, Kanye West’s comments about President Bush over Katrina, and locally, Mayor Harold Washington’s death 20 years ago. It’s a national debate that’s being exploited for ratings, not solutions or dialogue between the races.

Someone on a Chicago Tribune blog said that this issue shows that America is still divided by race. Are you surprised? Just drive down Cermak Road between Kenton Ave. and Western Ave.,, I-57 between 167^th and I-80 (between Tinley Park, Oak Forest, and Country Club Hills), and just look at the railroad tracks that divide the Canaryville and Fuller Park neighborhoods. Those roads or railroad tracks separate mostly black areas from mostly white or Hispanic areas. I still remember the Western Ave. dividing line here on the South Side during the 1980’s- blacks to the east, whites to the west. You sure you live here?

Is anyone really surprised that Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, the two “official spokesmen” of the African-American community are protesting Imus’ remarks to only benefit themselves, not those of us who live in the African-American community?

Is anyone really surprised Imus’ ilk represents the worst of the media industry? As I mentioned in the Think Tank last week (was it that long?), big media wants the most bombastic people to write their columns, to host their talk shows, etc. In Chicago, we had Mancow on the air here for 12 years, and Jay Mariotti continues to pollute the sports section at Sun-Times. (At least Imus apologized for his remarks, while we’re still waiting for one regarding borderline racist comments Mariotti made about Shani Davis last year. Gee, Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Jackson, where were the protests over that?) Irrational people + controversy = ring, ring at the cash register. Do I really need to explain why Bill O’Reilly is such a success? (Watch the video below in the post titled Fight of the Night and you see what I mean.)

This Imus story could finally bring big media to its knees, since two media companies, NBC and CBS, are involved. Should they fire Imus? They should. It was an inappropriate comment about Rutgers women’s basketball team. If big radio companies can enforce their policies on profanity (thanks to the FCC and their crackdown after the Janet Jackson Super Bowl debacle), this should be a no-brainer. If they don’t, well… it’s just big media being… big media.

I think more energy should be spent trying to fight the evils of media consolidation. Attacking the root of the problem is the best solution to this, not protests and demonstrations by groups who are only there to promote an agenda. Remember those protests outside the NBC Tower regarding The Jerry Springer Show nearly ten years ago? Yeah. Those worked quite well. Springer’s show is still on the air and is still quite successful. (And yes, the guests on the show still fight. By the way, if they can still drop the gloves on Springer, they should continue to do so in the NHL. Just the talk of a fighting ban in hockey is stupid.)

So is anyone surprised about all of this? If anyone is, they need to get in the real world. And quick. If they fire him, good. If not, what can you do about it? It’s the radio industry ... What’d you expect? But I’ll tell you one thing… The suits will get their comeuppance someday for their inept decisions, so why worry about it? Let’s move on.