As others have pointed out, Don Imus was not fired because CBS and NBC were so outraged by his racist remarks that they couldn’t stand to have him on the air anymore. Imus was fired because of money. Advertisers pulled out and the networks lost interest in supporting the controversial shock jock.
Putting aside discussions of race and racism in our country for the moment (though I personally think there are great discussions here and here), it’s interesting to examine the impact of money on the broadcast revolution that’s taking place. The Internet has made everyone a producer, but it hasn’t made all producers profitable. (Hence the reason Imus isn’t likely to start broadcasting independently online…)
At the same time, “old” media companies are still wary of what should be delivered over the Web. ABI analyst Michael Wolf brought up an interesting point earlier this week when he suggested, in the context of Apple TV, that studios won’t send HD films over the public Internet in the Video-on-Demand window.
Money is why cable and telecom TV delivery will continue to be important in the next several years even as Internet video continues to create its own niche. Operators and networks have already figured out business models that work, while Internet video providers are still feeling their way. Cable and telecom operators have also proven that they can protect producers’ content, while Internet content is pretty routinely subject to hacks.
Neither content (in Imus’ case) nor technology advances (in the case of Web 2.0 TV) have the power to completely displace the financial interests involved in delivering television. Money is still what makes the TV world go round.
