TVSquad

Just as one broadcasting legend faces his slow downfall, this week also marked the triumphant return of another to the airwaves.

Don Imus, MSNBC's former morning show man who was ousted from his TV and radio time slots for racially charged comments he made about the Rutgers' women's basketball team, returned to TV on Monday on the Fox Business Channel.

The morning shock jock wasted no time at his new home by getting back to his old tricks, lambasting everyone in the biz from David Letterman to his new co-worker Glenn Beck. And the move seems to be paying off since Fox Business scored their biggest ratings hit since ... well, ever.

Do you think Imus should be back on the air?

After being suspended by both CBS Radio and MSNBC two years ago over some derogatory on air comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team, Don Imus will once again enjoy a television presence (having already regained a radio presence) on the Fox Business Network.

Granted, the whole controversy around his statements from two years ago was a little overblown. Other shock jocks have made far worse statements on the air with much less in the way of media attention. That sort of language is business as usual for them.

The question is this; what does Don Imus have to do with business? He's not exactly Warren Buffett. He's not even Jim Cramer. Mind you, his previous television show was on MSNBC, which is also a business network [update: MSNBC is not a business network. I confused it for CNBC. My apologies]. At most this can be taken as a switch of political affiliation.

So what do you think? Will you be watching Don Imus on his new show?

If you're like me, the first thing that you do after you wipe those crusty things out of your eyes is turn on CNBC, Fox Business Network or Bloomberg to see how much more the economy is in a tailspin. Sometimes you watch to see how far oil has fallen. Other times you watch just to see if another bank or investment firm failed. Still, other times you watch to shake your fist and scream in anger to no one in particular.

Should any of these reasons be the case, you are not alone. Fact of the matter is you are part of an growing audience for these business channels. Over the last few weeks networks like CNBC and FBN have been racking up the viewers, with many of them jumping on the disaster bandwagon in the last half of September. For instance, when the Dow Jones Average plunged 778 points on September 29th, CNBC's average total viewership reached an all-time high of 726,000. Fox Business Network, which has only been around for about a year and isn't on nearly as many cable systems, garnered an average of 91,000 viewers on that same day.

A lot of M*A*S*H fans were upset when Wayne Rogers left his role of Trapper John on the CBS show. Many thought he wouldn't have the success he had on the show and others just missed the character (he was replaced by Mike Farrell's B.J. Hunnicutt). He went on to many guest roles and a short-lived, 1976 private eye series I liked, City of Angels. But he actually made most of his money over the past 30 years from smart financial investments. So much so that he's now a commentator on the FOX Business Network. His recent guest was his former co-star Alan Alda.

The two talk about several things in the first video, including Alda's new movie (Diminished Capacity), memory loss, Alda's award nominations, and their days on M*A*S*H. In the second video, Alda sticks around for a discussion with an expert on shows that are actually good for you, and two of those shows are shows that Alda starred in (M*A*S*H and The West Wing).

What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• Henry Rollins wants to know what's up with Carrot Top.
• Ben Stein loves the women of the FBN.
• Time.com's James Poniewozik has some questions about Lost while we wait for new episodes.
• Speaking of Lost, check out this funny postcard (and the one that features Giles from Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
• Simon Baker (The Guardian/Smith) is returning to CBS as The Mentalist.
• I'm so glad I don't watch Celebrity Fit Club.
• Ken Jennings interviews a former Jeopardy writer.
• What if everyone died in the finale of Battlestar Galactica?

What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• FOX gives JJ Abrams $10 million to make a sci-fi pilot for the network titled Fringe.
• There are 26 crime dramas on TV right now. Radar helps you pick which one to watch.
• Jerry Seinfeld gives 30 Rock a slight ratings boost.
• Something Old, Something News has video of the classic SCTV parody The Cisco Kid.
• More evidence that Jimmy Fallon will take over Conan's spot in 2009.
• Oh, this is funny. Remember I told you about the hot women of Fox Business Network? They've changed the site!
• Hey, remember UPN and The WB? Ah, the olden days.

The Fox Business Channel, which launches on October 15th, is trying to overthrow CNBC as the go-to network for news on money, business, and stocks. It's also going to be HOT.

Take a look at the female members of their on air anchor team. The women in the pic to the right are (clockwise from the top left) Alexis Glick, Jenna Lee, Dagen McDowell, and Rebecca Gomez. I'm getting a Charlie's Angel's vibe from this. "I took them away from all that. And now they work for me...my name is Rupert."