Seemed like a good idea at the time?
A television weatherman was fired after referring to slain civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. as “Martin Luther Coon King” on the air, station officials said.Rob Blair, of KTNV-TV, was delivering the extended forecast Saturday morning when he said: “Martin Luther Coon King Jr. Day, gonna see some temperatures in the mid-60s.”Jim Prather, vice president and general manager of the ABC affiliate, said Blair stumbled when he uttered the remark, but the excuse was not enough to save his job.“This kind of incident is not acceptable under any circumstances, and I’m truly sorry that this event occurred,” Prather said.Blair, who worked at the station for about three months, apologized during the station’s 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts Saturday.“I in no way intended to offend anyone,” he said in the apology. “I’m very sorry.”
I’m thinking that the job forecast for Blair is not fine, and cloudy. If he is on television again, temperatures will surely rise.
Congratulations, Rob Blair. You are idiot of the day.
Update: Apparently, he is an even bigger idiot than first thought, managing to delivery two racial slurs for the price of one (the second one in his “apology”).
“Blair was delivering the extended forecast when he said, ‘For tomorrow, 60 degrees, Martin Luther Coon King Jr. Day, gonna see some temperatures in the mid-60s.'”“About 20 minutes later, Blair told viewers at the ABC affiliate, ‘Apparently I accidentally said Martin Luther Kong Jr., which I apologize about — slip of the tongue.’
I have one of the best jobs in the world. I get to give important information in a weather forecast and hopefully sprinkle a little bit of humor to put a smile on the viewers’ faces as they head out the door. What a blessing and privilege to have this job and to live in the wonderful community that is LAS VEGAS.
