DON IMUS, whose cowboy hat and western wear looked out of place on MSNBC, may have found a more comfortable saddle. On DECEMBER. 3rd, when he returns not only to radio but also to television, it will be on RFD-TV, a cable and satellite channel that caters to farmers, ranchers and equestrians, as well as others who merely aspire to live a small-town life, writes THE NEW YORK TIMES.
PATRICK GOTTSCH, a former satellite-dish installer from NEBRASKA who founded RFD-TV in 1988, said in an interview yesterday that he had reached agreement with IMUS on a five-year contract to televise his program. While GOTTSCH would not discuss any financial terms, someone else briefed directly on the deal said it could be worth up to $5 million a year -- about what WABC-A and its parent company, CITADEL BROADCASTING, are paying for the radio program. IMUS declined comment, but one of his representatives, who agreed to speak only on condition of anonymity, said yesterday that the host expected to sign a contract with RFD (which stands for RURAL FREE DELIVERY) in the next day or so.
Even with a portion of the RFD payment going to CITADEL, IMUS’s annual compensation from his new radio and TV outlets could be within range of the roughly $10 million he was being paid annually by CBS RADIO before he was fired last spring over his racial and sexual aside about the RUTGERS women’s basketball team.
The deal could pave the way for RFD to be seen on large cable systems in cities like NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, where IMUS has traditionally drawn some of his biggest audiences.
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