The fall of Don Imus has triggered plenty of high-minded talk, particularly from the media outlets that until last week happily employed him.

CBS boss Leslie Moonves, who fired Imus from his radio show, spoke of striking a blow against the culture Imus flourished in, "a culture that permits a certain level of objectionable expression that hurts and demeans a wide range of people."

And NBC News president Steve Capus, who a day earlier had announced MSNBC would no longer simulcast "Imus in the Morning," stressed the importance of protecting NBC News' reputation while restoring confidence among the ranks of NBC Universal "in the values we have set for this company."

Mighty righteous!

But will Imusgate really lead to greater diversity and heightened sensitivity on the airwaves? Will it, as some propose, be a catalyst for change?

Only two changes are guaranteed. CBS must find someone to fill Imus' morning slot for the 61 stations that were airing him until last week.

And MSNBC has a similar daunting task: to replace its Imus simulcast with something new that can compete in the morning-TV battle.

This problem, however unsought and unwanted, is also a great opportunity.

MSNBC's "Imus in the Morning" simulcast was certainly different.

Imus welcomed eggheads and politicos and media bigs as guests, who, in his company, let down their guard. A solid interviewer, Imus was informed enough to ask good questions, interested enough to shut up for the answers. His show was one of the few places on TV where open-ended conversation could be heard.

The show was newsy enough, with all the requisite headlines. Its pace was leisurely. And since this, after all, was televised radio, its look was refreshingly bare-bones. (Who the heck needs razzle-dazzle in the morning?)

As for the coarse humor and vulgar wisecracks: Maybe some satisfied viewers put up with the show's raw moments as the price of enjoying its more substantial elements.

In any case, the telecast obviously had its appeal, attracting an estimated 361,000 viewers the first three months of this year, up by one-third from 2006 and closing in on CNN.

But what was this strange interloper — an interview-and-humor anti-TV program hosted by a cantankerous shock jock — doing on MSNBC?

More than a decade later, isn't a morning program long overdue that's better suited to MSNBC's presumed mission?

My clear choice on morning TV now, as then, is CNN's "American Morning," which gives news its first priority and keeps fluff to a minimum.

"American Morning" this week introduced its umpteenth set of co-anchors: John Roberts and Kiran Chetry. A work in progress since it premiered five years ago, "American Morning" demonstrates that finding the right formula doesn't happen overnight. MSNBC better get cracking.

For now, Imus' former network is plugging its 6-to-9 a.m. slot with news coverage and features. No word was available from MSNBC execs on when any New Thing might be unveiled.