Imus holds fundraiser at MSNBC studios after cable channel drops his simulcast

The Rev. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson met with CBS Corp. chief executive Leslie Moonves to advocate Imus? removal, promising a rally outside CBS headquarters Saturday and an effort to persuade more advertisers to abandon Imus.

Sumner Redstone, chairman of the CBS Corp. board and its chief stockholder, told Newsweek that he expected Moonves to ?do the right thing,? although it wasn?t clear what he thought that was.

?This may be our last Radiothon, so we need to raise about $100 million,? Imus said at the start of the event, which has raised more than $40 million since 1990.

By midday, $967,793 had been raised for three children?s charities. Volunteers were getting about 200 more pledges per hour than they did last year, with most callers expressing support for Imus, said Tony Gonzalez, supervisor of the Radiothon phone bank. The event benefited Tomorrows Children?s Fund, the CJ Foundation for SIDS and the Imus Ranch.

Imus was in the awkward situation of broadcasting Thursday?s radio program from the MSNBC studios in New Jersey, even though NBC News said the night before that that MSNBC would no longer simulcast his program on television.

He didn?t attack MSNBC for its decision ? ?I understand the pressure they were under,? he said ? but complained the network was doing some unethical things during the broadcast. He didn?t elaborate.

He acknowledged again that calling the Rutgers women?s basketball players ?nappy-headed hos? a day after they had competed in the NCAA championship game had been ?really stupid.? He said he had apologized enough and wasn?t going to whine about his fate.

?I said it,? he said. ?I wouldn?t be here if I didn?t say it.?

Sharpton and Jackson emerged from a meeting with Moonves saying the corporate chief had promised to consider their requests.

?It?s not about taking Imus down,? Sharpton said. ?It?s about lifting decency up.?