Imus in the Morning FAQ, Version 2.5
Jim Reed
Version #2.5
The Don Imus FAQ has been updated and recompiled by Jim Reed, and is now
titled Version #2. The credits for Version #1, on which this is based, and
quoted from, can be found at the end of this document.
This document can be found at the Super Imus Links Page
(http://imonthe.net/imus) in HTML format.
This FAQ is by fans, and for fans, and is NOT associated with the Imus in
the Morning Program, WFAN, CBS Radio, or MSNBC, and is not endorsed by any
of the preceding. Information on this list is for the sole private use of
it's audience.
Please contribute your updates to keep this a growing document.
Please send all updates to feed...@imonthe.net.
I am especially interested in information about the early years in radio,
from 1968-1977.
Contents:
1) What is Imus in the Morning?
2) Who is Don Imus?
3) What is Imus' History?
4) Where can I find Imus in the Morning?
5) How do I write to Imus?
6) How do I call Imus?
7) Where can I find Imus information on the Internet?
8) Who is in Imus' Family?
9) Who are some of the current Imus Characters?
10) Who are some of the past Imus Characters?
11) Who is on the staff of the Imus in the Morning program?
12) Who are some Imus alumni?
13) Who are some of the guests that have appeared on Imus in the Morning?
14) What's the history of the Imus in the Morning program?
15) Imus stories and anecdotes.
16) How can I listen to Imus on the Internet?
17) Imus' Records
18) How can I get Imus on my local station?
19) Where can I read more about Imus?
20) How can I contribute to the Ranch?
1- What is Imus in the Morning?
The "Imus In The Morning Program " is a radio talk show with its contents
being politics, news, satire, and comedy. With syndication in over 100
cities now, The Imus in the Morning Program has its flagship in New York.
2- Who is Don Imus?
Don Imus is a morning radio talk show host whose program consists of
outrageous humor, important political figures such as Senators,
Congressmen, and on several earlier occasions, President Clinton; parodies
of Richard Nixon and General George S. Patten, (among others), conversation
on topics of the day, and talk with other guests of the media and the
political world such as Dan Rather, Tim Russert, and Jeff Greenfield.
3- What is Imus' history?
Imus, or "The I-Man" started in radio in Palmdale, California on June 1,
1968, and worked in California, where in Sacramento he was awarded the
Billboard award for best Medium Market Disc Jockey, and Cleveland, Ohio,
where he received his first Marconi Award for Outstanding Major Market
announcer.
The Imus in the Morning program debuted in NYC in December 1971 on 66 AM
WNBC and 97.1 WNBC-FM until it spun off in 1975. After moving his program
back to Cleveland in 1978 (the only time he was on in the afternoon), Imus
returned to NYC on Sept. 3, 1979, opening up with the Right Reverend Dr.
Billy Sol Hargus. His old program (the 1st Era) consisted of Rev. Hargus,
Crazy Bob, oldies and the Top 40.
In 1988, WNBC was sold to WFAN. WFAN is an all-sports station, and instead
of moving to sports, Imus changed the whole character of his show, moving to
all-talk (which he had been transitioning to on WNBC), current events, humor
and parodies, and occasional music. Imus finally moved to syndication in
1993. He is now heard in 7 of the top 10 markets, and on over 100 stations
in the USA. In September 1996, Imus on MSNBC premiered, and is now carried
on cable systems across the country from 6-9am Eastern Time. According to
Imus, ratings for Imus on MSNBC top CNN's from time to time, though MSNBC is
only in about half as many households.
In the late 90's Imus, along with his wife Deidre and brother Fred dedicated
their time and money to building The Imus Ranch. The working cattle ranch
outside Ribera, New Mexico welcomes children with cancer for a getaway.
In June 2000, while working on the ranch, Imus was thrown from his horse. A
puncture lung and 5 broken ribs kept Don in the hospital for 2 weeks, though
just 2 days after the accident, he was calling in to the show.
You can visit the 66 WNBC Tribute Page at http://imonthe.net/66wnbc
4- Where can I find Imus in the Morning?
The "Imus In The Morning Program " can be heard on over 100 stations across
America. Imus on MSNBC can be seen from 6-9am Eastern Time on MSNBC on
cable, and Direct Satellite.
You can find a list of Imus in the Morning radio affiliates with internet
sites at:
http://imonthe.net/imus
You can find a list of radio stations and your local MSNBC cable outlet at:
http://imus.msnbc.com
You can find a variety of Imus pictures and sounds on Jack's Imus in the
Morning page:
http://kajor.com/imus
Imus now can be heard live on the internet, see question 16.
5- How can I write to Imus?
U.S. Mail:
WFAN 660 AM Sports Radio
34-12 36th Street
Astoria, NY 11106
E-Mail:
Despite various reports, Imus himself has no published e-mail address. Do
not send letters to the FAQ author, because he does not have an address for
Imus either.
There are two published e-mail addresses for the Imus program. You can
write to imus...@yahoo.com to contact the program at WFAN or im...@msnbc.com
to contact the program at MSNBC.
6- How do I call Imus?
You can call The Imus in the Morning Program 1-800-370-IMUS (4687). Calls
are usually screened by Bernard McGuirk, and can remain on hold for most of
the morning, as Imus rarely takes calls from listeners.
7- Where can I find Imus information on the Internet?
Imus information has exploded on the internet in the last two years. You can
find an index to Imus pages on the net at:
Super Imus Links Page: http://imonthe.net/imus (The home page of this FAQ)
There is a Usenet newsgroups for the IITM program at :
news:alt.fan.don-imus
You can also find the Imus on MSNBC page at: http://imus.msnbc.com
You can also find Imus related information at Rob Bartlett's website
www.robshow.com. There is a Usenet newsgroup for Rob Bartlett as well:
news:alt.fan.rob-bartlett.
8- Who is in Imus' Family?
Fred Imus is the brother of Don Imus. He makes frequent phone appearances
during the morning on Imus, and also predicts the "Jeep/Eagle Sports Lock of
the week" on Fridays. He owns an auto body shop in Santa Fe, NM. You can
call Fred to order Auto Body Express work shirts, T-shirts, jackets, hats,
or mugs. The Santa Fe catalog came out recently, which has been designed by
Don and Fred Imus, though much of the clothing designed by Joseph Abboud.
Fred has several sons, including one named "Donnie" after his uncle. Fred
remarried on June 8, 2000 in the American Express Ranch Office (Jail) at the
Imus Ranch.
Call 1-800-272-1957 to order, or visit the Auto Body Express online at
http://www.autobodyexpress.com .
Deirdre Coleman-Imus is Imus' second wife, they were married December 17,
1994. Don & Deirdre's first child, Frederic Wyatt Imus was born July 3,
1998.
Imus has four grown daughters, Nadine, Toni, Elizabeth, and Ashleigh from
his first marriage to Harriet, which ended in divorce in 1979.
9- Who are the current characters on Imus in the Morning?
1. Richard Nixon (Imus in Washington Senior Political Analyst )
Rotation: Frequent
2. General George S. Patten ( Discusses military strategies to "take out"
those on the Imus "hot seat")
Rotation: Frequent
3. Rush Limbaugh ( controversial character talks and sings about
minorities, feminists, etc.)
Rotation: Rare
4. Walter Cronkite ( Imus in Washington News Anchor )
Rotation: Frequent
5. Scott Muni (famous Top 40 DJ giving his opinion, formally with WMCA
570am NYC and was on staff at WABC during it's halcyon days
of rock and roll.
Currently afternoon host on WNEW-FM 102.7 NYC "where rock
lives.")
Rotation: Moderate
6. Paul Harvey ( National radio personality with the rest of the story )
Rotation: Moderate
7. John Cardinal O'Connor (hilarious and bad-mouthed, does the NY State
lotto numbers)
Rotation: Frequent
8. The Right Rev. Dr. Billy Sol Hargus (God's Other Son !)
Rotation: Rare
9. Ross Perot
Rotation: Rare
10. Andy Rooney
Rotation: Moderate
11. Mike Tyson
Rotation: Rare
12. Maya Angelu
Rotation: Rare
13. Beavis and Butthead (also "Beavis and Bubba")
Rotation: Frequent
14. Bubba Clinton (Bill Clinton, that pantload in the White House)
Rotation: Frequent
15. Blind Mississippi White Boy Pig Feets Dupree
Rotation: Usually on Remotes
16. Senator Edward Kennedy (from the state of Massachusetts)
Rotation: Moderate
17. Howard Stern
Rotation: Moderate
18. Mark From Milwaukee ( sycophantic Imus fan who wants to be "just like
Don")
Rotation: Frequent
18.5 Vernon "Kingfish" Jordan
Rotation: Occasional.
10- Who are some of the past Imus characters?:
19. Barbara Walters
20. John Gotti
21. Diane Sawyer
22. Joey Buttafucco
23. Spike Lee (Gives his usual comments as to the mistreatment of the
Afro-Americans )
24. Buddy Miyagi (Discontinued in 1992 but made a reappearance in 1994,
gave pro- Japanese American jokes)
25. Khalid Abdul Mohammad
26. Joe Pepitone (Discontinued in 1991)
27. Jeane Kirkpatrick (Former US Ambassador to the UN with
masculine voice)
28. Pee Wee Herman (Discontinued after 1991, makes rare cameo appearances)
29. Hannibal The Cannibal (Discontinued after 1991)
30. Jay Leno (Discontinued after 1991)
31. Madonna (Sang "Exploitable Girl" in 1991)
32. George Bush
33. Professor Leonard Jeffries
34. Audrey Hepburn (ended in 1991)
35. Frank Sinatra (Singing "My Way")
36. Clarence Thomas
37. Crazy Bob (told sick, demented children's stories)
38. Judge Hangin' (the soft-drawling, 100% American for whom police
brutality is the "fun part of law enforcement)
39. Brother Love (saucy black preacher who advises women in his parish on
affairs of the body)
40. Elvis Presley ( the King from Heaven giving his opinion ) Retired in
1996
41. Geraldo Santana Banana ( Former Vice-President and General Manager of
the Imus in the Morning show )
42. Moby Worm (Conducted attacks on various New York attractions)
43. Earl C. Watkins ( From Naugatuck, Sold Naugahyde from real live Naugas)
44. Rex the Wonder Dog (Coming Soon to Imus in the Morning)
45. Stella Steel ( Former gossip reporter )
11 - Who is on the staff of the Imus in the Morning program?
Don Imus ---------------- Host
Charles McCord ------------ Newsperson , Imus' close friend and " co-
host"
Rob Bartlett -------------- Comedian , voice over of various characters.
Bernard McGuirk ----------- Executive Producer, call-screener, sometimes
voice.
Lou Rufino ---------------- Engineer
Larry Kenney -------------- Comedian , voice over of various characters
Warner Wolf --------------- Monday, Wednesday & Friday Sports Anchor
Patrick McEnrowe ------- Tuesday & Thursday Sports anchor
Lori McNichol ------------- Traffic Reporter
Dayna Cavanugh ------------ Imus in the Morning Producer
Brant Eaton --------------- Imus' Limousine Driver
Jane Metzler -------------- Prepares the news, fills in reading the news
for Charles
Deidre Coleman-Imus ------- Wife of Don, makes frequent phone calls.
Wyatt Imus ------- Son of Don & Deidre. Don's 5th child and first son.
12 - Who are some of the Imus Alumni
Don Criqui ---------------- Former: Sportscaster Current: NBC Announcer
Lyndon Abell -------------- Former: Producer Current: Last known in
Washington DC.
Roz Frank ----------------- Former: Traffic Reporter/Voice Current: Married
Wall Street maven John Moran,
May be doing radio in Florida.
Jim Ire ------------------- Former: Imus News Man Current: ???
Chris "Mad Dog" Russo ----- Former: Sportscaster Current: Host of WFAN's
Mike and the Mad Dog program.
Frank Reed --------------- Former: WNBC DJ and "Captain Frank Reed" on Moby
Worm Reports Current: Christian D.J.
Al Rosenberg ------------ On again, off again New Your radio personality
discovered by Imus in the 80's.
Jeremy Newberger ------ Former Imus on MSNBC producer and website keeper.
Current: Television producer at an Internet only TV network.
Terry Irving ----------------- Former: Executive Producer of Imus on
MSNBC, former Nightline Producer. Current: VP of production at an Internet
co.
Mike Breen ---------------- Former: Sports Anchor Current: Voice of the
NY Knicks on TV and play by play for NBC Sports
13 - Who are some of the guests that have appeared on Imus in the Morning?
News Media: Tim Russert, Jeff Greenfield, Tom Brokaw, Connie Chung,
Mike Wallace, Bob Schiefer, Brit Hume, David Brinkley,
Mike Barnicle, Sally Quinn, Cokie Roberts.
Politics: Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Bob Dole, Bill Bradley, Lowell Weicker,
Ed Koch, Mary Matalin, James Carville, Bernadette Castro,
Joe Lieberman, Christopher Dodd, Rick Lazio, Ralph Nader,
John McCain.
Sports: Don Criqui, Terry Bradshaw, Jayson Williams, Bill Parcells,
Bud Collins, Tracy Austin, Denise Austin, George
Steinbrenner.
Authors: Michael Becholss, Doris Kearns-Goodwin, Deepac Choprah,
Andrew Weil, George Vescy, Mike Lupica, George Carlin.
Musicians: B.B. King, Little Sammy Davis, Lorrie Morgan, Willie Nelson
14 - What's the history of the Imus in the Morning program?
Born July 23,1940
1957-59 US Marine Corps
1962-65 Rhythm and Blues performer and producer
1966-67 Don Martin School of Broadcasting, Hollywood CA
1968 Morning host,KUTY AM Palmdale, CA
1969 Morning host,KJOY AM Stockton, CA
1969 Morning host,KXOA AM Sacramento, CA
1970 Morning host,WGAR AM Cleveland, OH
1971-77 Morning host,WNBC AM NYC
1978 Afternoon Host,WHK AM Cleveland, OH
1979-88 Morning Host,WNBC AM NYC
1985 Original VH-1 V.J.
1988-> Morning host,WFAN AM NYC
1993 - Began National Syndication in Tampa, with Boston and
Washington DC Joining within the next week.
2000 Heard nationwide by over 12 Million listeners.
15 - Imus stories and anecdotes.
The IMUS brothers had a band, Fred wrote, Don sang. But in order for your
songs to get on the radio, you had to pay the DJ. Imus figured to save the
money he'd become a DJ himself and play his own tunes.
This is where his career started. One of the songs they performed was "I'm a
Hot Rodder, & All That Jazz"
Imus moved around a lot, station to station, town to town. In 1969-70, Imus
was voted DJ of the Year by Billboard Magazine. Many stations were after
him.
The Imus in the Morning Program started off on 66AM WNBC in NYC, in 1971.
After being fired in August 1977, and relocating to Cleveland for a while,
NBC wanted Imus back in New York. So on September 3, 1979, Imus started off
his first program back in NYC with the Reverend Billy Sol Hargus.
In 1988, NBC decided to get out of the radio business, and decided to sell
it's station. The frequency 660 AM was sold to Emmis Broadcasting, which
moved it's station, Sports Radio 1050AM WFAN, to the 660 frequency. It soon
became Sports Radio 66 WFAN. The change was made in the parking lot at Shea
Stadium in October 1988, prior to a Mets - Dodgers playoff game. The first
voice, after a Charles McCord Station ID, on the all new Sports Radio 66 -
WFAN was Imus as Billy Sol Hargus.
Imus left his usual programming of playing the Top 40 and Oldies for
all-talk (this transition took place in the late 80's while still at WNBC).
The show, from 1987 to about 1990, did not talk much about politics. Then,
during the Gulf War, Imus' programming changed to include more
politics and current events. He had a new wave of guests. This was also the
first time that Imus had major political guests, starting out with Alfonse
D'Amato, Senator from NY and Connecticut Governor Lowell P. Weicker.
In 1993, Imus worked out a deal with Westwood One (Now CBS Radio) to
syndicate his show across the country. Today, his show is heard in all of
the top 10 markets and on over 100 stations across America.
Then comes the Howard Stern story. Stern occupied the afternoon slot on NBC
from September 1982 to September 1985. Stern played music, and well, his
show was very similar to Imus'. Stern went on to WXRK in afternoons and
within 6 months was competing with Imus in the mornings. Stern also had a
hideous TV show on WWOR Secaucus, NJ, and was syndicated before Imus. Many
will tell you (including Imus) that Stern "stole" Imus' gig, "along with
every other local morning talk show host moron". While Stern insists Imus
stole his show, it is a fact that Howard was a high school student on Long
Island while Don was hitting the big-time on WNBC.
During the NBC days, Imus and Stern both appeared in a radio ad, "If we
weren't so bad, we wouldn't be that good", read the caption. One ad had
WNBC General Manager apologizing to all the groups wronged by Imus and
Stern.
Imus said that if Stern ever beat Imus in ratings, Imus would eat a dead
dog's penis. Imus said it "tasted good", however, we don't know for sure.
Imus may be on MSNBC now, but he has been on TV twice before. In the early
70's Imus hosted the "Imus Plus" syndicated program. Later, Don was one of
the first VH-1 VJ's on cable. Don may have also hosted a show in Cleveland
called "Imus in the Movies."
In May 1987, Imus and McCord appeared on Channel 4 WNBC-TV's " Live at
Five". Imus made an announcement that would "shake 30 Rockefeller Center".
It was rumored that Imus would buy WNBC 66AM. What it was was a $66,000 Joke
Contest, which Charles went crazy at. A caller told Imus that his
appearance on "Live at Five" was "an all-time low".
In 1991 after Super Bowl XXV, Imus had Bill Parcells, then head coach of the
Giants, on the program. Parcells commented about Scott Norwood's missed
field goal. These comments received attention from the media, especially
Buffalo. Many wondered if Imus used Rob Bartlett for the voice-over of
Parcells.
Art Rust, Jr., who was a NYC radio personality on 770AM WABC, tried out for
WFAN, he got the FAN's frequency messed up, calling it 670AM instead of
660AM. Imus ridiculed Rust for a while, which Rust did not appreciate. Rust,
subsequently, did not get the job. Imus' doing?
Eileen Marchese Cohen, the former Metro traffic reporter who did the traffic
on Imus, was a constant target, especially her husband Steve Cohen, who is a
producer on WFAN. Imus often asked Eileen "how can you stay married to that
Jew?", "is Steve circumcised?" and "what is your sex life like?". Sometimes
reluctant, Eileen gave honest answers. Sometimes opening up broadcasts
saying, " Here with the NYNEX Mobile FAN highway patrol is Eileen Marchase
Cohen. Mornin' Linnie, wanna' squeeze my weanie'" He has been known to
introduce Lori McNichol, current traffic reporter, as Lori McNipple.
At WNBC after Imus' new 1979 start, he had a new producer, Lyndon Abell.
When Imus was on tour for his new syndication, Abell went to WTEM in D.C.
Abell dropped by, expecting Imus to be surprised. However, Imus made his old
producer sit in the control room behind the glass. Imus said, on the air,
that Abell "supplied drugs" to him. Happy Reunion.
In 1992, Imus worked a deal out with Gov. Lowell Weicker of CT, one of Imus'
first guests, where the two would switch jobs for a day. At 8:00, Imus was
sworn in as Gov.of CT. He said he planned to " fry a couple of people while
I'm in office". However, nothing happened, except for major protests from
Connecticut DJ's who protested the Governor's support of an out of state
radio program. At the time, though, Imus ranked in the top 5 in the state.
In 1998, Imus joined with Barnes & Noble to establish the Imus American Book
Awards. Imus' announced goal is to select books people actually read, vs.
critics picks.
In 1998, the Imus Ranch Foundation was established. The ranch, in Ribera New
Mexico, will provide the western experience for kids of the CJ Foundation
and Tommorrow's Children's Fund.
E-mail your interesting story to me: mailto:imu...@imonthe.net
16) How can I listen to Imus on the Internet?
This is probably the most frequently asked question.
CBS Radio prohibits it's syndicated programs from being carried on the
internet due to copyright restrictions.
MSNBC webcasts it's signal, so you can catch Imus on the net from 6-10am
Eastern Time. You can find more at http://imus.msnbc.com.
17) Imus' Records
Imus has published several comedy albums. In order of publication, they are:
- 1200 Hamburgers to Go (RCA)
- One Sacred Chicken to Go (RCA)
- This Honky's Nuts (Bang)
Don and Fred, under the names Jay Jay Imus and Freddy Ford produced the song
"I'm a Hot Rodder, and all that Jazz" on the Challenge label.
They are reportedly working on a new comedy CD for Mercury Records, and have
been for about 3 years.
18) How can I get Imus on my local station?
The Imus in the Morning program is distributed by Westwood One, part of
Infinity Broadcasting, which is mostly owned by CBS. The best stations to
approach are stations that carry other CBS programming, such as G. Gordon
Liddy, Don & Mike, or Tom Lykis.
The Imus in the Morning programs is reported to be expensive. It may be
helpful to approach a station with a list of people who might (or would)
advertise if Imus was put on the air. You should write to the station in
care of the program director or general manager. Call and get the NAME of
the person, and send a US. Mail letter. It is more work, but it will be
noticed.
19) Where can I read more about Imus?
Several books were released about Imus in the summer of 1999. We recommend
the book titled "Everything Imus: All You Ever Wanted To Know About Don
Imus" by Jim Reed. You can find out more about the book at
http://www.everythingimus.com.
20) How can I contribute to or contact the Ranch?
While the ranch has sold all it's acres, they are still looking for major
corporate sponsorships. Contact the ranch through the Imus in the Morning
program at the address listed in FAQ #5. There is not a website or e-mail
address for the ranch.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This FAQ was retooled by Jim Reed on February 18, 1998, and will be known
as the Imus In The Morning FAQ, Version #2.
Version 2.01 was posted on June 24, 1998, and fixed the formatting as well
as corrected several major date errors.
Version 2.1 was posted on June 26, 1998 and incorporated many wonderful
suggestions from people on the internet.
Version 2.1.1 was posted on September 16, 1998 and made some updates, and
some minor changes.
Version 2.2 was posted on January 3, 1999 and added question #18
Version 2.3 was posted on August 9, 1999. It updated "webcast" information
and added question #19 & 20.
Version 2.4 was posted on January 27, 2000. It updated question 20, and
made changes to the current and former staff.
Version 2.4.1 on June 8, 2000 updated the MSNBC webcast times, Fred's
marriage, and added Robshow.com to the Imus related links.
Version 2.5 on July 4, 2000 provided multiple updates, including the Imus
show e-mail addresses.
------------
Version #1 was found on Dejanews, posted on January 7, 1997.
The following credits appeared with version #1:
Special thanks to Mario Labot,Tripp Rodgers, Chuck Lynch, Mike Kretsch, and
Geoffrey Nimo.
Last Input 09- 28 - 95 18 09 22 ET
The Don Imus FAQ and INFO List is compiled by David Andreesen and other
contributors. This list is in no way associated with The Imus in the
Morning Program, WFAN, Infinity Broadcasting, Westwood One or is neither
endorsed by any of the preceding. Information on this list is for the sole
private uses of it's audiences. Copyright © 1995 by Internet Communications
Company. Last Updated 10/05/95
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