Don Eames net worth
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What is Don Imus’ net worth and salary?
Don Imus was an American radio host, writer, photographer and philanthropist. His net worth at the time of his death was $75 million. Don Imus is a regular program of New York and National Radio from 1977 to 2018. Unfortunately, Don Imus passed away on December 27, 2019 at the age of 79.
early life
He was born on July 23, 1940 in John Donald Ames Jr. in Riverside, California. His family is very rich. His family owns a lucrative 35,000 acre ranch in Arizona called The Willows. He has a younger brother named Fred Imus (1942 – 2011), who later became a character on Don radio show.
In 1957, Tang dropped out of high school and joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He served in the service for several years without being deployed overseas, and was eventually discharged honorably. After leaving the Marine Corps, he moved to San Bernardino, California, where he found a job as a window designer. After being fired, he moved to Hollywood to work as a composer with his brother Fred. They were unsuccessful, they were once homeless, and they slept on the streets. He had to hitchhike back to Arizona, where he found a job as a railroad brakeman and a miner.
In 1966, Tang returned to Hollywood and studied at the Don Martin School of Radio and Television Arts and Sciences. He soon won a talent contest at Johnny Otis’ nightclub, and finally started his work as a singer-songwriter.
success
In 1968, he started working as a radio disc jockey in Palmdale, California. Soon after, he was fired from a station in Stockton, California, and moved to KXOA in Sacramento. Here, he is famous for calling the local McDonald’s in a prank and persuading them to deliver 1,200 burgers to the local National Guard. This prank call led the FCC to issue a rule that would force DJs to identify themselves when making prank calls.
In 1970, he left Sacramento for KXOA in Cleveland, where he received an annual salary of $50,000. After adjusting for inflation, this is the same as today’s income of $330,000.
In 1971, after only three years of his DJ career, Imus won a morning show at WNBC in New York City. This job pays $100,000 per year. Calculated in today’s U.S. dollars, it is approximately $660,000 per year. Around this time, he also began to perform stand-up comedies, with a box office of up to $10,000 for a single show. It was also during this time that he was struggling with alcohol and drugs, which caused him to miss 100 days of work in 1973. During his shutdown, WNBC reformatted, and Imus was forced to move back to Cleveland, where he worked in the afternoon.
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In 1979, Eames returned to WNBC at 5:30 in the morning. In 1981, he signed a five-year contract with an annual payment of US$500,000. This is equivalent to today’s 1.4 million U.S. dollars. Howard Stern (Howard Stern) joined WNBC in 1982, which caused a protracted discord, which is depicted in Stern’s biographical film “Private Parts.”
In 1988, WNBC was sold and the radio was changed to a sports format. Except for Imus and his crew, all the aerial figures were fired. From 1988 to 2007, Imus’ WFAN program was jointly organized nationwide. Since 1996, the show has been simulcasted on MSNBC.
From 2007 to 2018, his show was broadcast on WABC through Cumulus Media. At the peak of his career, with various syndicated sources of income, Don Imus’ salary easily exceeded $20 million. He withdrew from the show in 2018, about a year before his contract expired and planned to retire, because Cumulus is facing Chapter 11 bankruptcy. According to reports, he was asked to step down and agreed because he thought Cumulus’ intentions were good. He also generously paid employees’ salaries throughout the year until the contract expired.
He won four Marconi Awards and was inducted into the National Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 1989.
Charity
During his career, Imus has raised and donated hundreds of millions of dollars to various charities. He almost single-handedly raised more than $60 million for a rehabilitation facility for injured veterans in Texas.
In 1999, he established a 4,000-acre ranch called Imus Ranch in New Mexico. The ranch provides support for children with cancer and brothers and sisters of SIDS victims. He sold the ranch for $12.5 million in 2018. All proceeds are donated to children’s charities.
personal life
In 2009, Imus was diagnosed with stage 2 prostate cancer. He died on December 27, 2019, at the age of 79. His wife Deirdre Coleman (Deirdre Coleman) and 6 children have died since 1994.
real estate
During his lifetime, Don Imus acquired many very valuable properties across the country. In 1997, he spent $4.6 million to purchase a 4-acre waterfront residence in Westport, Connecticut. He sold the house for $14.4 million in 2013, setting a record in the area.
In October 2013, Imus purchased a 160-acre ranch and mansion in Brenham, Texas for an undisclosed amount.
In 2016, he listed his long-term penthouse in Manhattan for sale for $17 million. For only US$19 million, buyers can also have a smaller guest room in the same building. He finally found a buyer for the penthouse at a price of US$11 million.
