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Don Imus is out, but nobody in at WFAN
2007-06-14
When it comes to finding a permanent replacement for Don Imus, only one thing appears certain: David Lee Roth is not a candidate. Two months after Imus' ignominious firing from his syndicated radio show at WFAN-AM, a variety of fill-ins have rolled through the revolving door at the station: tennis great John McEnroe, NBC White House correspondent David Gregory, Chicago morning man Mike North. Comedian Dennis Miller and radio host Mancow Muller were broached as possible successors, while others improbably suggested that CBS Radio bring Imus back. But the station's parent company is offering no details about its hunt for a new morning man in the nation's biggest radio market, offering only a blanket no comment. Others have offered more pointed takes on the company's pursuit of a suitable successor. "Their search has been a disaster," wrote Bob Raissman of the Daily News, who advocated Imus redux in the fall. "A mish-mosh of miscast talents has paraded into the FAN ... failing to produce compelling morning radio." CBS Radio (owned by CBS Corp.) is taking its time in replacing Imus, trying to avoid a repeat of the Roth fiasco of 2006. The ex-Van Halen frontman was hired to replace Howard Stern, but was bounced by CBS after barely three months on the air. One year after Roth's removal, Imus was ousted over his reprehensible comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team, creating a giant void. Sports talk stars Mike Francesa and Chris "Mad Dog" Russo will continue filling the Imus slot through the end of June, but there's no timetable beyond that. Michael Harrison, publisher of the trade magazine Talkers, said WFAN remains such a strong station that it can select a new morning host at its leisure. "WFAN is a success story, with or without Imus -- a gigantic success," Harrison said. "And that's why they can take their time to get the right morning host." The bigger problem, he said, was the lack of quality replacements available. Imus was brought to New York from Cleveland in the 1970s, while Stern came north from Washington in the '80s. But Harrison sees no stars these days in the smaller market cities. "This is a sorry commentary on the state of the farm system in talk radio," Harrison said. "There's no clear-cut answer for talent when openings come up." There are other factors to consider. WFAN is a sports talk station -- will it go with a sports show, or continue in the Imus mold with a more broad-based morning program? Do they want a comedian? A conservative? Co-hosts? Imus has remained silent since the outrage over his comments finally cooled. His attorney Martin Garbus, who's threatened a $120 million breach-of-contract suit against CBS, said Wednesday there was "nothing new" -- the I-man was still Un-employed. The ongoing search has provided some of the Imus replacements with morning material. Francesa, joking during one of his fill-in appearances, lobbed a few verbal grenades at NBC's Gregory. "He was doing a straight Imus impression," Francesa said of the political reporter's radio stint. "Stick with the White House lawn."
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