Charles McCord

On Top Of The WorldTwo other news jobs would follow before McCord was invitedto become part of the team at WTOP/Washington’s soon-tolaunchall-News format. “I took the place of someone whowent to Vietnam and was told I’d probably be out of a job whenthat person came back,” he points out. “They did not howeverget rid of me [when he returned]. It was an interesting time tobe in Washington. I covered all sorts of stuff there [including]anti-war protests and the Poor People’s march.”When WNBC came calling in 1970, it wasn’t a slam dunk Mc-Cord would leave for the Big Apple, as the newsman confideshe endured consternation and self-debate before ultimatelyaccepting the offer. “This goofy person from Cleveland, JohnDonald Imus, arrived [approximately one year later],” recountsMcCord, who fielded and accepted a string of radio job offersleading to the NBC flagship. “I swear it was a series of lucky[breaks] and good fortune that happened over the years. I’venever really had to apply for a job which is very weird. I don’tthink that could happen in the current environment. To this day,I absolutely love and adore the business.”From the very outset and with no prior history with the giftedmorning talent, McCord found Imus to be extraordinary andobviously quite funny. “He did unusual and outrageous thingsbut wasn’t scatological,” McCord explains. “I’d write someoffbeat items for him and, as I look back on it, they were reallygoofy and dumb. Nevertheless, he wanted more of that kind ofthing. From those humble beginnings, we’ve wound up workingtogether for a long time.”www.InsideRadio.com Monday, December 8, 2008INTERVIEWPage 2 of 3Amiable chemistry notwithstanding, there have been feisty onairexchanges between “The I-Man” and McCord.Among the most memorable occurred approximately two yearsago when McCord could no longer stand Imus’ deliberate substitutionof the word “erection” for “election” and exhibiteda mini-meltdown although he insists, “I really can’t think ofanything that would represent a fracture in our relationship.There hasn’t been anything like that. The whole thing is first,foremost and always entertainment. That has to be the guidingprinciple.”Supreme SlipupWriting political/satirical commentary has given him more ofan outlet. At the same time though, McCord remarks, “I canpreserve whatever journalistic integrity I might have. People cantake me seriously even when I’m wacky with him. I provide thevoice of reason and pull him back. It’s all calculated but most ofthe time, I can bring him in before he goes out on the brink.”Operative words here are “most of the time,” since that certainlywas not what eventuated on April 4, 2007.Disappointingly it couldn’t be attributed to a tardy April Fool’sDay bit that turned sour.Faster than one could say “That’s right, I need 1200 hamburgersto go,” or, “This is the right reverend Billie Sol Hargis comingto you from Del Rio, Texas,” certain words flew from Imus’mouth he still must live with.In comparison to the program’s nascent days, more castmembers presently contribute content with McCord proudlybeing the longest-tenured. “I would wear the term `sidekick’as a badge of honor when you’re talking about this guy,” heproclaims. “When you think about it, he is one of the mostimportant and [impactful] broadcasters. It is very interesting towatch his evolution. Don’s gone from a supposedly outrageous[on-air talent] to what he has become today, which is a veryimportant and influential figure on the national scene. You don’thave much of a political campaign unless it goes through DonImus’ front door. It sounds crazy but he really is a figure to bereckoned with for anyone with high political aspirations.”As Diana Ross, Mary Wilson & Florence Ballard so perfectlywarbled in 1967, “Suddenly – it just happened” and McCordadmits when Imus uttered his now infamous statements aboutsome members of the Rutgers University women’s basketballsquad, “We got into an area we couldn’t correct. It didn’t strikeme at the time as something that was going to be as profoundas it turned out to be. We’ve goofed on many different people.At that very moment, it didn’t feel to be any different.”It’s the height of understatement to mention that assessmentdidn’t prove accurate since Imus was stripped of his CBS Radiodeal with WFAN/New York and syndication through Westwood— Sponsored by ASCAP INSIDE RADIO Personality Interviews by MIKE KINOSIAN

One as well as the show’s MSNBC simulcast. “The offendingpassage was just nine seconds,” recounts McCord, still in disbelief.“The thing that disturbed me is I know this guy so well. Iknow his head and I know his heart. It bugged me this unbelievableand historic broadcasting career was being judged on nineseconds of what he has said, time and again, was wrong. Donhas apologized for it and said there was no justification for [hison-air remarks]. He has repeatedly emphasized the girls didn’tdeserve it and weren’t there to defend themselves.”Relevance-Charged ReturnThose believing Imus had written his own professional obituarywere most likely stunned when “Imus in the Morning” was resurrectedone year ago (12-3-2007) through Citadel’s ABC RadioNetworks in what McCord maintains is a far better program. “It’smore sensitive without having the humor damaged. We obviouslyneeded to have our awareness raised. Don is now actually onmore radio stations than before the `unpleasantness.’ We’re verypleased with the way we were able to come back with a morerelevant show. We can explore areas and have some conversationswe weren’t [previously] having and probably couldn’t havehad. People who swore after everything went down they wouldhave these conversations [haven’t followed through]. Don saidhe would; he has; and will continue to do so.”Frequent guests have included Harvard University DivinitySchool preacher/theologian (Reverend) Peter Gomes, comedian/activist Dick Gregory and SUNY-Albany Journalism professorDeborah Dickerson. “Dick Gregory is a genius and has beensuch a delight on the program,” McCord states. “He’s in his 70sand hasn’t lost anything off his fastball. With Barack Obama’sascension to the White House, it couldn’t be a better time todeal with this sort of thing. It’s all been good.”Despite having worked simultaneously for the same companytwice in their careers (first at WNBC and later for CBS Radio),it’s probably a safe bet Don Imus and Howard Stern aren’t requestingto be each other’s Linked-In or Plaxo partners.www.InsideRadio.com Monday, December 8, 2008INTERVIEWPage 3 of 3gram,” the avid pianist comments. “I’m either writing for itor investing time [doing research] as everything has becomeso stinking complicated. We’re doing cram courses on thingslike credit default swaps and [other areas] we never [dreamt]we’d need to know. We’re trying to figure it out yet [TreasurySecretary Henry] Paulson and [former Treasury Secretaryunder Bill Clinton Robert] Rubin don’t even know what thehell has happened. Everything is being done on-the-fly.”Professionally and personally McCord clearly relishes his morethan three-decade association with the outrageously talentedImus. “[Whose names come to mind] when you think of thetop three [radio] figures in the country? Howard [Stern], Rush[Limbaugh] and Don Imus. There are many other wonderfulpeople who are very important but, had it not been for DonImus, how would some of these others even occurred? I don’twant to make it sound like he should be on Mt. Rushmorebut, as far as radio goes, he is. All these people stand on hisshoulders.”For several years, New York University (NYU) students wereuniquely fortunate to have McCord as a broadcast writing instructor.“That was fun and I might like to do more of it downa road,” he ponders. “I love kicking back in my bass boat atmy stupid little lake house in Northwest Arkansas, which is agorgeous part of the country. When it’s time to retire, I mightgo back to doing news at a little radio station in Harrison, AR.I’m nothing more than a hillbilly from the Ozarks and I’mdesperately proud of that. I just started wearing shoes a coupleof months ago and they’re still uncomfortable.”Surprising - if not diplomatically though - McCord opines, “Idon’t think there’s been that much of an honest-to-God animositybetween this program and that one. I know Howard remains avery important person in [radio’s] overall scheme of things. Itjust seems like when he went to satellite, and I certainly don’twant to be unfair about this, he doesn’t have the [same] currency.I really don’t know but it looks like people who go [fromterrestrial radio] to satellite lose their high profile. Don and Ijust adore Opie & Anthony. There couldn’t be two better peoplein my estimation and I know `The I-Man’ [feels the same way]about these guys.”Monumental ImpactEndeavors to remain current with news and pop culture can runthe risk of making one crazy but McCord puts forth herculeaneffort every day, especially now with the added news hour. “Itsounds stupid but, in a way, I’m always working on this pro-INSIDE RADIO Personality Interviews by MIKE KINOSIANWHO: Charles McCordWHAT: “Imus in the Morning”WHERE: ABC Radio NetworksAlso, since 11-24-2008, “Imus in the Morning NewsHour” (5-6am) on Citadel Talk WABC-AM/New YorkPublished by INSIDE RADIO.com Monday, December 8, 2008. Written byPersonality Editor, Mike Kinosian for INSIDE RADIO and M Street Corp. Allrights reserved. No alterations to the content of this story are permitted.— Sponsored by ASCAP