Dec 4, 2007 5:41 am US/Eastern
Sharpton Encouraged By Changes To Imus Show
'I Can Only Wait And See If His Deeds Will Follow-Up His Words'
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Rev. Al Sharpton said during a news conference that he will monitor Don Imus' new radio show and hoped the disc jockey will live up to his apology.
CBS
With Don Imus returning to the airwaves eight months after being fired for making a racially charged comment about the Rutgers women's basketball team, Rev. Al Sharpton said Monday he was encouraged by changes made to Imus' new program and that he'll keep a close eye and ear on the outspoken disc jockey.
"I can only wait and see if his deeds will follow up his words," Sharpton said during a news conference Monday morning. "I know the statements that he made we will continue to monitor as we'll monitor others."
And Imus said his world on the radio will change, promising to diversify the cast. Toward that end, he brought on longtime regulars like Charles McCord and Bernard McGuirk, but he also introduced comedian Karith Foster, an African American from Texas and Harlem.
He also brought on another African American, Tony Powell, to do sports.
"The fact that he now has a black sidekick and he is on delay clearly may speak of the measures that his new employers have put to make sure there is not a repeat offense," Sharpton said.
With his cowboy hat seeming larger than ever, an apologetic Imus promised the young women of the Rutgers basketball team that he would never say anything that would make them feel foolish or regret forgiving him for the racist and sexist remarks.
"I will never say anything in my lifetime that will make any of these young women at Rutgers regret or feel foolish that they accepted my apology and forgave me," he said. "And no one else will say anything else on my program that will make anyone think that I didn't deserve a second chance."
Then it was business as usual for Imus, who joked that not much has changed in the world during his eight month hiatus.
"Dick Cheney is still a war criminal, Hillary is still satan, and I am back on the radio," he said.
Imus's new show runs from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on WABC radio.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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