Preview: Retiring broadcaster Don Imus on 50 years of radio
After 50 years on the air, retiring radio broadcaster Don Imus ranks himself and long-time rival Howard Stern among the top-five best ever, in an interview with Anthony Mason for CBS' "Sunday Morning," to be broadcast March 25.
In his farewell to radio, Imus signs off in an interview with Mason that includes some parting shots, regrets, thoughts about the future, and his relationship with Stern.
Stern and Imus have been on-air sparring mates for decades, dating back to when they each worked for the same New York City radio station. Their "feuds" at the time were legendary and transcended radio. Since then, Imus has been occasional fodder for Stern's radio commentary.
"I would put Stern in there," Imus tells Mason when asked for his picks for best ever.
Asked if he thought people would be surprised he included Stern in the list, Imus said it was Stern who had issues. "He had a big problem with me," Imus said. "I didn't with him."
In a career that spans decades, Imus has long been considered one of the most outrageous and influential broadcasters of his time. He's been fired several times along the way, too, most notably in 2007 when he called the Rutgers women's basketball team a racist slur. It cost him a CBS syndicated radio show and a show on MSNBC. Imus said he regrets the comments.
"It did change my feeling about making fun of some people who didn't deserve to be made fun of, and didn't have a mechanism to defend themselves," Imus said of the Rutgers incident.
Next week he says goodbye to the current version of his radio show, which he broadcasts from his ranch in Texas. Imus admits he's going to miss that connection to the listeners, and gets emotional about it when pressed by Mason.
"I always had it in my head I was talking to one person," Imus said. "I felt that when I walked in there and sat down and turned the mike on, that I was talking to you."
"I'm gonna miss that," he added.
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