Posted on 01/20/2014 8:20:05 AM PST by SoFloFreeper
A San Antonio weatherman apologized Thursday for using a “racially insensitive” term while referencing Martin Luther King Jr. Day during KABB FOX 29's morning broadcast.
Meteorologist Mike Hernandez referred to the upcoming holiday meant to celebrate the life of the civil rights leader as “Martin Luther 'coon' Day.”
The word has historically been used as a racist term to refer to African Americans.
The station issued an apology via their Facebook page and Hernandez later said he was sorry for what he claims was a mispronunciation.
Hernandez apologized to those who were offended by the mistake and told the San Antonio Express-News that he is mortified anyone would think he intended to use a the racial slur on the air.
It was “absolutely” a slip of the tongue, he said. “I would never ever, ever say anything like that intentionally. It just came out.”
Horace Brown, vice president for the San Antonio Branch of the NAACP, declined to comment on the incident.
Responses on social media erupted after the San Antonio FOX affiliate posted an apology to Facebook.
“Meteorologist Mike Hernandez unintentionally said a term when trying to reference Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This term is racially insensitive,” the station wrote. “We do not tolerate this language. We sincerely apologize to you, our viewers, for the use of this offensive language on our air.
“Please know that we take this seriously and we are taking action internally. We appreciate each and every one of our FOX San Antonio viewers and this in no way reflects the views of our station,” the post continued.
Hernandez said he meant to say “Martin Luther King Jr. Day,” which is Monday, but in his hurry to get it out, he misspoke. In every subsequent reference in the broadcast he made a point to say King's name “slowly and clearly,” he said.
KABB General Manager Dean Radla said he reviewed the tape and believes it was clearly a case of “Mike misspeaking.” Radla said his biggest concern is that “we don't want to offend anybody” who heard it.
Radla added that the station would issue an on-air apology during its 9 p.m. broadcast and on the morning show, “FOX News First” which airs from 5 to 9 a.m. on KABB.
Hernandez said he was meeting with station leaders Thursday to discuss the matter. Radla said the station was “handling it internally,” and that Hernandez would continue to do weather on KABB and fill in occasionally on its sister station, WOAI.
Before coming to KABB's weekend news some four years ago, Hernandez worked at WOAI (then KMOL) from 1989-99, and for years as the main meteorologist at an Albuquerque, N.M., station.
He said he didn't receive any calls or complaints at the station during the broadcast and continued with the morning show.
“I'm from the old school,” Hernandez, 57, said. “You make a mistake, you just keep going.”
But if he said Reagan was a %&&^* &*#@!!@# #@!$#@! It would have been fine. “These things happen” etc
its ok- they are ‘taking action’
What can be fun is the party line intercom by the production staff. Some of that I actually miss.
An audio guy made me a copy of “What The F Is Going On In Tape” years ago. R rated but funny. Some other guy set part of the director’s track with the obscenities to a rap beat.
Maybe he is Gay, and just has a lisp.
He should have explained that what he actually said “Martin Luther Kuhn,” and that he temporarily confused the civil rights advocate with physicist and science philosopher Thomas Kuhn.
I worked in a mix race state mental hospital job back in the 1960s. I was a kid....18(good money for a kid who was in full time college in the daytime) the older guys hung out together and partied, but they said their racist stuff behind the other guys backs....my supervisor who was white and would come out with slurs all the time, had a best friend who was black. funny world.
back to my point. the first time I heard the ‘ML Coon’ thing, from my supervisor, was back before King was assassinated.... it is an old one.
Sure thing, I mix up coon and junior on a daily basis
Sacred cows battling it out in the arena of PC victimhood. Enjoy.
This banning words sure can get tricky sometimes
“He looked like a creepy ass cracker.”
“Martin Luther ‘coon’ Day.”
Back in the early 1960s, there was an editor of a farm magazine in Arkansas who always referred to MLK by that term in his editorials.
I remember that! Richard Pryor was funny! One of the very few times I ever watched SNL.
Craniorectumitis - needs a proctologist for emergency brain surgery.
The truth will out.
Another one them White Hispanics.
Funny, because most people do not understand King and what he stood for. We just have a day off and a road named after him. Next month we celebrate Washington's Birthday, the cool guy on Mt. Rushmore that National Treasure II was based on. Then we celebrate Independence day, the day we defeated the Japanese in WWII.
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