Imus and Risk Reward

You'd have to live in cave not to know that Don Imus has been fired by both CBS and MSNBC for his "nappy headed hos" comment. What really got Imus fired instead of just suspended was the threat that advertisers were going to be leaving and not coming back because Imus was just not someone they wanted to be associated with anymore.

It came down to money. Simple economics. Simple risk vs reward economics basics.

Imus brought in an audience because he took risks (where do you think the word risque comes from?). His show was the definition of being suggestive or bordering on indelicacy or impropriety. People tuned in to see what he'd say next. And advertisers spent money to put spots on his show because he had an audience.

Somewhere along the line the risk / reward matrix became inverted. It was now the advertisers who were taking the risks by advertising on his show and it was Imus that was reaping the reward. However, with the threat of boycott from professional race baiters like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson - the risks for the advertisers outweighed the reward of reaching Imus' audience and once that happened - Imus' value to CBS and MSNBC vanished as did his status as an employed person.

The obvious cautionary tale here is to be careful of what you say as a public person. The not so obvious cautionary tale may be more impactful.

If advertisers start to shy away from shows that take risks then those shows will cease to be. What you will end up with is bland entertainment on radio and TV and who wants to watch or listen to that? Advertisers will start to spend less and less money on traditional media and more money on new media that is taking risks and getting bigger audiences because of it.

There is blood in the water for the PC police and woe be to the next traditional media person to cross the line. What's getting lost in the shuffle is the fact that the average person (the very people who make up a show's audience) really doesn't care about this issue and all the navel gazing by the media and watering down on the risk factor will cause these people to find their entertainment elsewhere. And the advertisers and their mother's milk of advertising dollars will follow them.