KLBJ hosts suspended for racial remarks

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The hosts of the popular KLBJ weekday show "The Todd and Don Show" have been yanked off the air for the next two weeks after a backlash to racial comments made about illegal immigrants during a show earlier this week.

Station managers on Wednesday said Todd Jeffries and Don Pryor are suspended without pay after Pryor, a co-host, used a derogatory term several times during a discussion about what to call immigrants during a Tuesday morning show. Undocumented workers and illegal immigrants were among the terms used as common examples in the media.

Pryor, who said he was making sarcastic comments about racism, used the word "w*****k" dozens of times during the hour-long show as a tongue-in-cheek example of what to call Mexican nationals who enter the country illegally. By KXAN's count, the word was used 34 times.

Producer Jeffries, who co-hosts the show, didn't say the word - and in fact tried to stop Pryor - but was being held responsible for the remarks because, managers said, he should have done more to stop Pryor. Jeffries is also the station's News Director and conducts news cut-ins during the morning drive.

The show will have a guest host for the next two weeks, and neither Pryor nor Jeffries will be available for speaking engagements representing KLBJ.

Managers said they have reached out to Austin's Hispanic community, including Austin City Councilman Mike Martinez, in the aftermath of the controversy - which began Wednesday morning when the U.S. Hispanic Contractors Association - with more than 1,000 members in Central Texas alone - demanded an apology and threatened to boycott the station's advertisers if management didn't respond appropriately.

An apology issued by Jeffries and Pryor on the air on Wednesday did little to placate their concerns. It was unclear on Wednesday afternoon whether the strong reprimand by station managers would be accepted by the association, which planned to meet Friday to discuss a boycott.

On Wednesday, after the association began to threaten a boycott, Pryor said the remarks were made in sarcasm and humor - apparently as a way to highlight how Americans had used the racist term for decades.

"It does not reflect our management," said Pryor. "I often use sarcasm."

They went on to say, "We are sorry. We do want to move on from this." It was unclear from the broadcast whether it was Jeffries or Pryor who made that last comment.

Interview requests for Pryor and Jeffries were referred to Vice-President/Market Manager Scott Gillmore.

The apology clearly was not enough for the association chairman, Frank Fuente, who said it was superficial.

""They took a minute today to explain themselves," he said. "Yesterday they used the whole hour allowing people to use the term and using it themselves."

During the show on Tuesday, Pryor repeatedly used the term during the discussion - which also included terms used by newspapers, broadcast media, Hispanic advocacy groups, and even Wikipedia. After a long list of the more politically correct terms, Pryor said he didn't want to have to think about it so hard every time the subject came up.

"What happened to the good old word "w*****k?" Pryor said during the show. "Seriously, what was wrong with that? It was memorable."

He attempted to clarify his remarks during the show, calling it "humor cloaked in racism."

"I should apologize to people, you think?" said Pryor during the show. "Of course I'm kidding when I say bring the word w****** back into use. I don't really want for us to start describing illegal immigrants as w*******. I'm using humor cloaked in racism. That's all it is. That's all it is. It's very sincere."

The discussion continued using the term. Jeffries repeatedly tried to stop it, and finally suggested they go to a commercial break. After the break, however, callers and Pryor continued in the same vein - a large reason the Hispanic contractors' group was so angry.

Fuentes said Wednesday that Pryor was clearly trying to push use of the word. Worse, he said, the hosts allowed callers to go on air with racial comments and slurs against immigrants, inflaming an already sensitive issue.

"In my opinion, local radio programs have a responsibility to the local communities they serve, and it is unfortunate that The Todd and Don Show , especially Don Pryor, chose to divide this community by playing on peoples' fears and anxieties during these difficult economic times," Fuentes said in a statement.

He added that the hosts have "a blatant disregard for the courageous men and women who risk life and limb in the daily performance of tasks critical to the infrastructure of the very country in which Mr. Pryor obviously prefers they do not inhabit."

Throughout the hour, the hosts continued to discuss the issue and took several phone calls from listeners.

"We should honor these people who come here to work and want to be free like us instead of using terms like "w*****k," said a caller named Renee.

Others applauded the host for bringing