Bob Sherman, the radio executive who hired Howard Stern (good idea) and re-hired Don Imus (bad idea) at WNBC, has passed away, at 69. His son told The New York Times that the cause of death was cancer. more ›

Perhaps realizing that his chance at being Governor hasn't worked out quite as he wanted, Governor Paterson says he is ready to switch careers to CNN talk show host if—Spitzer messes up. He joked with Don Imus this morning, “If anything goes wrong, they know I have to take his place." But when Imus suggested he'd be great for the job, he said he believes he "hasn't done enough" to warrant his own talk show. The public at least needs to know your socks-during-sex stance before you're allowed a regular spot on national television. more ›

Citadel Broadcasting, which syndicates Don Imus's radio show, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy yesterday. The NY Times reports it did so "after agreeing to turn over control of the company to its creditors in exchange for reducing its debt. The filing by the company, which owns 224 stations across the country... was not unexpected but does reflect the troubles plaguing the radio industry amid steep declines in advertising revenue and big debt loads." The AP adds that Citadel also owns KABC-AM in Los Angeles, WLS-AM in Chicago, WABC-AM and WPLJ-FM in New York and KGO-AM in San Francisco and that "Citadel's WABC is home to several syndicated hosts, including Don Imus, Rush Limbaugh, Joe Scarborough and Mark Levin." more ›

Don Imus, the popular radio personality, will be joining Fox Business News. Imus lost the MSNBC simulcast of his "Imus in the Morning" radio show and was kicked off CBS radio after he made questionable remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team two years ago—but then was picked up by ABC Radio. Fox Business News' EVP Kevin Magee said, "We're excited to welcome a renowned broadcaster like Don Imus to the FOX Business team. His 40 years of on-air experience combined with his superb interviewing skills and capitalist sensibilities will be a great addition to our lineup." Mediabistro says Imus will be incorporating more business into his show—can't wait to hear him make fun of fat cats! more ›

Yesterday, the much-ballyhooed gathering to demand that CBS fire talk show host David Letterman after his questionable jokes about Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's daughter (namely how A-Rod impregnated her by the 7th inning of a Yankees game and how Eliot Spitzer should be kept at bay) drew a few dozen protesters outside the Ed Sullivan Theater. Estimates are as high as 50 and as low as 15. But there was a lot of passion: Josephine Sarnok, carrying a "Over the Line, Dave" sign told Entertainment Weekly, “I’m outraged. It was a low blow. I’m insulted for women. I’m insulted for children. I’m insulted for families. I’m insulted." more ›

Don Imus, the (in)famous longtime morning DJ, announced on his radio show this morning that he has stage II prostate cancer. During "Imus in the Morning" (now on WABC 770 AM), he sounded optimistic saying, "I have great confidence in my doctors. I'll be fine. If I'm not fine, I won't be fine. It's not a big deal. The prognosis couldn't be better." The 68-year-old Imus said that he thought stress could be a factor, something he hasn't been lacking in recent years. He shared few details on his diagnosis or treatment, but did add, "The day you find out is fine. But the next morning when you get up, your knees are shaking. I didn't think I could make it to work." more ›

After months of speculation, sports fans around the Big Apple will now have to turn elsewhere for an afternoon shot in the arm as Chris "Mad Dog" Russo will no longer be on-air to give his daily intro call of "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAnnnnnnnnnnnd good afternoon, everybody! How are you today?" Last night WFAN announced that Russo will leave the station immediately with no farewell show, thus breaking the most successful duo in sports talk radio. more ›

After many questioned his Monday morning remarks about Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones, radio shock jock Don Imus defended them, explaining he was being "sarcastic." more ›

Don Imus, who was fired from his CBS morning radio show after insulting the Rutgers' women's basketball team, is back in the spotlight today. more ›

Team Obama can breathe a sigh of relief, they officially got the Russell Simmons endorsement. From a letter sent out this weekend, Simmons declared:

Today I am announcing my personal endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States. During the last nine months, I have closely observed the presidential campaigns, analyzed the issues and platforms of the major candidates, and have had substantive discussions with Senator Clinton and Senator Obama. From the sidelines of the primaries and debates, I have been particularly inspired by the fact that Senator Obama has built an unprecedented, national movement comprised of people from all ethnic, racial, political, social and economic backgrounds.

Yet another example of foot-in-mouth syndrome due to the hours of punditry on TV, followed by an apology and suspension! Yesterday, while referring to Chelsea Clinton's campaigning on behalf of her mother, MSNBC correspondent David Shuster commented, "Doesn't it seem as if Chelsea is sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way?" Yes, he totally said that. Or, as the Washington Post's Howard Kurtz writes, "Using a prostitution metaphor for the daughter of a presidential candidate is a surefire way for a journalist to get into trouble." more ›

Yesterday Imus returned to radio, which means somewhere Al Sharpton was talking about it. Happy with the changes, but not quite certain the controversial cowboy will stick to them, Sharpton announced at a press conference yesterday that: "I can only wait and see if his deeds will follow up his words. I know the statements that he made we will continue to monitor as we'll monitor others." He also commented on the new sidekicks, saying,... more ›

Don Imus made his return to the airwaves this morning, with a mostly zinger-less show -- spending the first half hour discussing the comment that got him fired. The NY Times reports that after 8-months of off-air time, Imus came back with a vow that he "will never say anything in my lifetime that will make any of these young women at Rutgers regret or feel foolish that they accepted my apology and forgave me.”... more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: serious trauma on 51st St. in Brooklyn, a missing person on 90th St. and Amsterdam Ave. in Manhattan, and a large fight at 1087 Broadway in Brooklyn.
• A Brooklyn high school student was stabbed to death yesterday after school. The fatal injury occurred as he was attempting to rob another kid on a playground.
• Don Imus will be returning to the air with a "sidekick," who is black.
• The police are taking her at her word, but it appears that a woman may have faked a violent attack against herself as an excuse to not repay her mother $800. The allegedly faked assault involved using "Krazy Glue" to seal her eyes and mouth shut.
• Today is World AIDS Day, with demonstrations last night and this afternoon emphasizing prevention to halt the spread of HIV.
• Barack Obama tipped his waitress almost 60% on the $17 check he covered having lunch with Mayor Bloomberg.
• Customers who are owed refunds by the furniture chain are not lovin' it at Levitz. The company filed for bankruptcy and checks are bouncing.
• Some tourists are booking expensive rooms on the Upper West Side only to arrive and find out they've just rented space in some woman's apartment, and she has no idea what they are talking about. NYC scams are alive and well apparently.

Fox News Porn Robert Greenwald, the man behind the 2004 documentary Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism which concluded that Fox News Channel is biased to the right based on memos and footage from the network, is at it again. This time around he is using clips from the channel culled from six months of broadcasts featuring women in bikinis and pixilated nudity in a YouTube video and website that mimics a porn site called... more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a pedestrian struck on 160th St. and Sanford Ave. in Queens, a stabbing on 10th Ave. in Manhattan, and a homicide on Kelly and East 163rd Sts. in the Bronx.
• CUNY hired a legendary graffiti artist to teach a course on the subject, which is upsetting a lot of people.
• Ron Kuby is upset that Don Imus is back on the air. Mostly because he took his job to get back there.
• Two Maltese dogs were dog-napped outside of a Manhattan restaurant this weekend. The combined price of the two "designer dogs" was almost $10,000.
• Soldiers from Fort Drum--2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division--returned home from a 15-month tour in Iraq this week. 54 soldiers did not return home alive with them.
• A disturbing account of a Yonkers firefighter, who died choking on his own blood after a series of allegedly negligent missteps at Mount Sinai Hospital.
• Dozens of car windows were shattered over the evening by BB-gun fire in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
• A day-long symposium dedicated to the socio-political importance of the public toilet.

Now that WABC-AM has announced the return of Don Imus to radio airwaves starting December 3, their morning programming is shifting. In fact, Ron Kuby, who with Curtis Sliwa, co-hosted the station's morning drive program, was asked not to come to work starting today in anticipation of Imus' arrival! more ›

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: an officer assaulted on Church Ave. and 53rd St. in Brooklyn, a car into a coffee shop in the area of Skillman and 50th in Queens, and two people shot on Park Ave. and 17th St. in Manhattan. An insurance broker pleaded guilty to idiotic target practice that launched arrows from his compound bow on the Upper East Side. Bono and Bloomberg's mutual admiration society. Brooklyn state Assemblyman Dov... more ›

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a pedestrian struck on 11th Ave. and West 43rd St. in Manhattan, a shooting on 21st St. in Queens, and a shooting on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. Veteran political reporter Gabe Pressman weighs in on the wave of mortgage foreclosures sweeping New York and finds overwhelming evidence of racism. A privately funded program to encourage lower income and minority students to take Advanced Placement courses will pay cash for... more ›

Bill O'Reilly is making people wonder "Oh, really?" after the conservative talk show host shared some thoughts about famous Harlem soul food restaurant Sylvia's. O'Reilly told radio listeners that he treated the Reverend Al Sharpton (because Sharpton frequently appears on The O'Reilly Factor) to dinner at Sylvia's the other night. He said he had a great time, but couldn't leave it at that, noting "all the people up there are tremendously respectful." And then:

I couldn't get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia's restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City. I mean, it was exactly the same, even though it's run by blacks, primarily black patronship. more ›

In a city whose mayor has made gun control one of his signature issues, it's no surprise that the number of registered gun owners has gone down. The Post reports that there are now 36,169, versus 38,000 last year. Permits that allow one to wear a gun on a holster (concealed) also dropped to 2,555, which the Sun says is almost 50% less than the 2004 number. Of course, there's now way to estimate illegal gun ownership. more ›

The same day that Don Imus settled his breach of contract lawsuit with CBS, he was slapped with a lawsuit by a member of the Rutgers women's basketball team. Initial reports yesterday put Don Imus' settlement figures with CBS as high as $20 million, but reports today say that figure is actually much lower. In addition to the settlement, The Post says the two sides agreed to a "non-disparaging" clause, forbidding the sides from criticizing the other. The Daily News talked to industry insiders who believe Imus' settlement was in the $10 million range. more ›

more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: an unusual sexual assault on Broadway in Brooklyn, an unstable building on Sutphin Blvd. in Queens, and a shooting on West 142nd St. and Amsterdam Ave. in Manhattan.
• Central Park's Sheep Meadow was the first park location to upgrade its wifi Internet connection to high speed. The new 15-megabits-per-second service is five times faster than the previous connection.
• Madame Tussauds wax museum in Times Square wasted no time in dressing its likeness of Lindsay Lohan in prison stripes, after the young star was arrested for drunk driving and drug posession shortly after leaving rehab.
• Former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason is in talks to fill the morning time slot on WFAN left vacant by the abrupt departure of Don Imus.
• Williamsburg! The Musical will premiere August 11th as part of the 11th Annual Fringe Festival.
• Gridskipper has a guide to NYC record stores for vinyl enthusiasts.
• Turning Long Island City into a giant sundial, with the Citibank tower as the shadow-casting spire.
• The City Council is thinking of revising its cell phones-in-schools policy, to allow kids to bring them to school, but not use them there. Schools would be required to set up cell phone storage facilities to secure the devices during the day.

The best rapper in the Mets organization might be Lastings Milledge, but he shouldn't be expecting a call-up because of his music anytime soon. Milledge a 22 year-old outfield prospect for the Mets who was briefly in the bigs last season. While with the Mets last year, some criticized him for his showiness at times, being late, and not running hard on the basepaths. In 166 at bats, Milledge had a .241 average. Though he's currently in the minor leagues and on the DL, it doesn't mean he can't cause controversy. Besides playing baseball, Milledge dabbles in the music business as the CEO of Soul-ja Boi records, a label he co-founded in Florida. Milledge raps as L Millz (is that for millions or Milledge - the double entendre is brilliant!) in "Bend Ya Knees," a track by Manny D, the label's "premier artist". The lyrics in the song (which you can listen to at their website) have shocked some people with lyrics that the Daily News excerpts as: "rich (N word)," "wealthy (N word)," a "top-notch ho" and having "a different bitch for every night." Gothamist could swear we heard something about getting high in the song too. more ›

JV and Elvis, the on-air duo who inhabit "The Doghouse" on 92.3 Free FM, had their suspension from CBS Radio upgraded to a firing. The morning show pair were suspended late last month after CBS received complaints about a show in which a prank call is placed to a Chinese restaurant, and lewd language and racial slurs were employed in an attempt at humor. It was the second time in a month JV and Elvis found themselves in hot water. Earlier in April, the two were criticized for using a number of anti-gay slurs against a musician guest on their show after he admitted that he didn't listen to commercial radio and had never heard of them. Their site appears to be dormant at this time. more ›

There's nothing quite like religion and politics to get people worked up. In a debate Monday night at the New York Public Library, Al Sharpton seemingly combined both, saying, "As for the one Mormon running for office, those who really believe in God will defeat him anyway, so don’t worry, that’s a temporary situation." The Mormon in question is Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. Sharpton was debating with Christopher Hitchens, author of God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, a book that calls the Mormon faith a "ridiculous cult". more ›

The firing of Don Imus has caused many to take a look at language in not only media, but music. As previously mentioned, Al Sharpton is one looking to clean up what we hear, and yesterday he led a march against racist and sexist lyrics, targeting the major labels. Around 400 others joined him in a march around midtown, outside companies like Universal Music Group. The topic reportedly carried over to a private gathering at the Apollo later on, for what would have been James Brown's 74th birthday. more ›

Via the NY Times: He also thanked the hospital staff and became verklempt as he spoke. Corzine, who lost half his body's blood and broke many bones, became a magnet for criticism as it became clear he wasn't wearing a seat belt as he sat in the front seat of an SUV. The SUV was also traveling 91 MPH, but he wasn't headed to a pressing emergency - simply the talks between Don Imus and the Rutgers women's basketball team. more ›

Yesterday, City Council members Robert Jackson, Larry Seabrook and John Liu introduced a resolution to formally apologize for NYC's role in slavery. According to the Empire Zone, Jackson hoped the resolution would "spur dialogue and interest among the new generation of New Yorkers who will lead us in the future" while Liu stated, "New York is the greatest city in the world, but let’s face it: The early foundation of this city was built on the backs of slaves." (The NY State Legislature is working on a formal apology, too.) more ›