The voice of Don Imus could resurface somewhere on the radio dial as soon as this fall, after he and CBS announced yesterday that they had settled the remaining differences surrounding his firing in April over remarks deemed insensitive to women and blacks.
Neither Martin Garbus, the lawyer representing the radio host, nor CBS, which owns WFAN, the AM station that had been the flagship for his morning talk show, would comment on the terms of their agreement, citing a confidentiality clause. Had he not been dismissed, Mr. Imus would have been paid nearly $40 million over the nearly four years that remained on his contract. While some Imus associates suggested yesterday that his final payment was at least $20 million, Karen Mateo, a spokeswoman for CBS Radio, characterized that figure as too high.
In fact, it was impossible for an outsider to know for sure yesterday how much CBS had agreed to pay him. It was also unclear yesterday where on the radio Mr. Imus might be heard next. Two people who had been apprised directly of his plans, but who would only speak on condition of anonymity, said he had yet to line up a deal elsewhere. But his agreement with CBS does not, apparently, set any restrictions on how long he must wait before restarting his morning show elsewhere. (It does, however, preclude his making disparaging remarks about Leslie Moonves, the president and chief executive of CBS, and vice versa.)
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