Imus Producer Fires Back In Interview

For The Defense

Former "IMUS IN THE MORNING" producer BERNARD MCGUIRK, in his first interview since his firing, ripped CBS RADIO management and Rev. AL SHARPTON while lamenting the inability of people to joke about each other.

MCGUIRK, appearing on FOX NEWS CHANNEL's "HANNITY AND COLMES," admitted that the discussion of the RUTGERS women's basketball team that led to the firing was wrong and apologies to the team were appropriate but told HANNITY and COLMES that it was the same kind of discussion that had drawn approval and raises from CBS in the past and that he "didn't get the memo" that the word "hos" had become as offensive as the "n-word." "It's a horrible thing for this country where people can't poke fun at each other and just joke around, have a good time, without fear of being hammered by the PC police or lose your livelihood over it," he added.

They caved to [Sharpton]. They acted sort of like the Neville Chamberlains of broadcasting.

On SHARPTON, MCGUIRK said that the activist and rival talk show host (a "classless clown," according to MCGUIRK) had "terrorized" the executives ("It seemed like they were in a fetal position under their desks sucking their thumbs on their BlackBerries, trying to coordinate their response") and used the incident to further his own career. "They caved to this guy with that record. They acted sort of like the NEVILLE CHAMBERLAINs of broadcasting. I mean, they appeased, really, this terrorist here," MCGUIRK said. He also criticized the media for failing to ask SHARPTON about his own "inflammatory" remarks in the past ("the media treated him like he was NELSON MANDELA, for GOD's sakes").

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