DON IMUS BACK ON THE AIR DECEMBER 3RD

Confirmed: Imus-Citadel Pact A Done Deal

Back In Business

The ASSOCIATED PRESS has confirmed what has been widely speculated: DON IMUS will take over mornings at Talk WABC-A/NEW YORK, starting DECEMBER 3rd.

IMUS will return longtime news reporter CHARLES McCORD, and other members of his morning team -- although the CITADEL announcement did not specifically mention producer BERNARD MCGUIRK, who was fired along with Imus.

"We are ecstatic to bring DON IMUS back to morning radio," said WABC Pres./GM STEVE BORNEMAN. "DON's unique brand of humor, knowledge of the issues and ability to attract big-name guests is unparalleled. He is rested, fired up and ready to do great radio."

THE NEW YORK POST earlier reported that the five-year deal will pay IMUS $5-8 million annually, and will "more likely than not" include syndication to other CITADEL/ABC stations, starting with Talk KABC-A/LOS ANGELES.

A separate TV deal is in negotiations, LAURIA reports. IMUS will be replacing CURTIS SLIWA in mornings; SLIWA's co-host RON KUBY recently left the station. Ironically, the AP story noted that SLIWA and KUBY routinely beat IMUS in the mornings when he was on WFAN-A.

RUTGERS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM TIRED OF IMUS CONTROVERSY

RUTGERS women's basketball coach C. VIVIAN STRINGER says the team is "tired of" the DON IMUS controversy that followed the team's loss in the NCAA championship game this spring. "Why should I have to marry him, walk down the aisle?,” said STRINGER at the BIG EAST conference media day in NEW YORK THURSDAY. "Every time I’m in the spotlight and this team is in the spotlight, he gets a play. I mean, what is that? Who loses in this? Maybe what I’m asking for" -- recognition for the team's accomplishments on the court -- "is impossible."

Players from the SCARLET KNIGHTS squad said that they continue to get peppered with questions about the IMUS brouhaha, and CONNECTICUT coach GENO AURIEMMA said that he was disappointed that instead of using the incident to examine racial issues, "a bunch of kids had to go through something that, from a media standpoint, a scrutiny standpoint, that nobody should have to go through."