The rancher

Oh man, do we really need to have Imus polluting vast swaths of our rural countryside?

Don Imus, expected to announce soon that he will begin broadcasting on WABC radio in New York City in December, is in serious discussions with an unlikely partner to simulcast his radio show on television. It is RFD-TV, a satellite and cable channel aimed primarily at farming and other rural communities.

The conversations with RFD-TV were described yesterday by someone on the Imus side who insisted on anonymity because no deal has been signed. Patrick Gottsch, the founder and president of RFD-TV, based in Omaha, did not return a telephone message yesterday seeking comment. The channel says it can be seen in more than 30 million homes.

For Mr. Imus, whose previous show on CBS Radio was seen nationally on MSNBC, RFD (which stands for rural free delivery) would offer a lower profile. Mr. Imus used to share a cable network with hosts like Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews; at RFD-TV his show would be a marquee lead-in to others with titles like “Cattlemen to Cattlemen” (a 30-minute newsmagazine about the cattle industry) and “Horse Babies” (an eight-week mini-series).