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Imus Fallout Claims Show Producer
Don Imus' right-hand man is following his former boss into the radio ether.
Longtime Imus in the Morning executive producer Bernard McGuirk was fired Thursday for what theoretically could be characterized as conspiracy to emit racist and misogynistic remarks.
McGuirk, the "bald-headed stooge" to Imus' "wrinkled-up old buzzard," was actually the first participant in the now-infamous Apr. 4 conversation about the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship to utter the word "ho's," therefore prompting Imus' "nappy-headed ho's" remark about Rutgers University's team.
But while Imus was fired by CBS Radio on Apr. 12, McGuirk was merely "absent" from the a.m. airwaves this week, during which fellow WFAN-AM personalities Mike Francesa and Chris "Mad Dog" Russo filled in, accompanied by regular Imus contributors Charles McCord and sportscaster Chris Carlin.
Known for his rightwing political leanings and exaggerated impressions of prominent figures such as poet Maya Angelou, New York Cardinal Archbishop Edward Egan and New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin, McGuirk joined WFAN in 1984 when it was still WNBC. Along with serving as Imus' on-air foil, McGuirk was also in charge of booking the wide variety of politicians, journalists and other notables that constituted the program's prominent guest list.
But it was probably only a matter of time before McGuirk, who played a larger role in the offending chat than any civil rights group and media outlets calling for Imus' head gave him credit for, was sent packing.
In addition to calling the Rutgers players "hardcore ho's," the producer also characterized the Scarlet Knights' losing match-up against the University of Tennessee's Lady Vols as "the jigaboos versus the wannabes."
Except for confirming that he had been let go, CBS Radio, which owns WFAN, had no further comment on the decision or on the status of McGuirk's contract. (Let's just say that, while McGuirk's headshot can still be found on the WFAN Website's list of personalities, clicking on his picture leads you nowhere; his bio is still listed at MSNBC, which simulcast Imus until the last week.)
Imus, meanwhile, had recently inked a new five-year, multimillion-dollar deal that now needs settling.
The station hasn't yet chosen a permanent replacement for Imus, whose show was nationally syndicated on 60 stations and drew approximately 2.5 million listeners a week. Russo and Francesa are scheduled to spend at least one more week in that time slot.
In related news, CBS Radio has sued a Southern California radio station for continuing to air "best of" Imus shows.
The federal copyright-infringement lawsuit was filed against San Bernadino's KCAA-AM and its operators. The station announced that it would continue to air Imus reruns after his firing in open defiance of CBS Radio, claiming it was do a service for its listeners.
CBS Radio claims in its suit that defandants "have made it clear...that only a judicial decree will prevent them from persisting in their actions." The company is asking for a temporary restraining order to halt further broadcasts and $150,000 per each of the alleged violations.
KCAA says it promised CBS Radio to stop airing the Imus shows after Apr. 27, with the station promising to destroy all tapes.
A hearing is set for Tuesday.
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