NY radio hosts fired over remarks about black men

New York radio hosts Kimberly Ray and Barry Beck have been fired after Ray asked if black men allegedly involved in the beating of a woman on Saturday night were acting “N-wordly” on their Tuesday show. 

Ray and Beck worked for Radio 95.1, an iHeartRadio station in Rochester, N.Y. 

“We made the decision to terminate Kimberly and Beck yesterday as soon as we learned of their comments and informed them early this morning,” said Robert J. Morgan, president of the upstate New York market for iHeartMedia, in a Wednesday statement.

“We will not tolerate this kind of behavior, which is antithetical to our core values and beliefs and to our commitment to our community and everyone in it,” Morgan said.  

The firing comes one day after iHeartRadio tweeted about “finding a way to bring everyone together” and listening “to all voices and foster understanding” following the police killing of African American George Floyd, which has spurred mass protests, and i some areas looting and violence, across the country. 

Official message from iHeartRadio. #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/ZoUVQCwIqS

— iHeartRadio (@iHeartRadio) June 1, 2020

Several New York politicians called for the pair’s firing or a boycott by advertisers, including New York State Assembly candidate and Rochester chief of staff Alex Yudelson, Monroe County Legislator Rachel Barnhart and Rochester Deputy Mayor James Smith. 

Ray and Beck have made controversial comments before, including in March, when Beck referred to the novel coronavirus as “the KKK of diseases.” 

The pair was also fired from another station back in 2014 for “hateful remarks against the transgender community.”