The uproar over a racial slur by a local radio personality could have been avoided had someone at the station pushed the delay button intended for just such situations.

Instead, KTRS (550 AM) morning radio host Dave Lenihan was fired in his second week on the air, less than 25 minutes after using the word while talking about U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday.

Station chief Tim Dorsey confirmed the station does broadcast on a seven-second delay, but the button used to delete questionable material was never activated. At KTRS, Dorsey said, it is the host’s responsibility to alert a technician when he wants to use the delay device.

“When you want something dumped you would point to the board operator, indicating to hit the button,” Dorsey said. “I would say we use the seven-second delay button often. Everybody does. It’s pretty standard in the business.”

Reached Thursday at home, Lenihan, who had been with the station a week and a half, said he was never told about the delay procedures.

At most stations, censoring the radio personality is left solely to the show’s producer, said Roosevelt “Rick” Wright Jr., a professor at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Wright has 48 years’ experience in radio.
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Lenihan’s remark, which quickly made national news, also landed him in trouble at another job. Lenihan, a certified chiropractor in Missouri, was suspended from the Logan College of Chiropractic in Chesterfield, where he teaches anatomy and neuroanatomy.
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Lenihan, 38, began his radio career at WGNU about three years ago, a gig that began after he wrote the station defending NATO. The name of his afternoon show became “Today’s Solutions.”

Before moving to St. Louis with his wife, Lenihan was in Scotland, where earned a doctorate at the University of Edinburgh, according to the Logan Chiropractic Web site.
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Lenihan was discussing why he thought Rice would fit well as commissioner of the National Football League. He insists he meant to say she would be a coup for the NFL when the word “coon” came out.

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The truth of the matter is that there’s no talk medium that is more racist, offensive, and downright hateful towards a race of people than typical “black” talk stations. Not only is the promotion of the hatred of whites permitted on “black” talk stations–it is the PRIMARY qualification required to be an on-air talent on a ?black? talk station. What’s most hysterical to me is the double standard that the talk radio industry is under when it comes to the handling of perceived racist commentary. “Black” talkers aren’t only excused for racist comments; they’re EXPECTED to make them. That type of commentary is off-limits for whites, and what?s most amazing to me is that no one has the intestinal fortitude to address this issue at all.
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The biggest outrage is that these same stations, like KTRS, who proclaim themselves “Equal Opportunity Employer”, find it very difficult for them to hire even one black talent for their stations.
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There is no other entertainment medium that is more segregated than talk radio. I don’t understand it in EITHER case. People in this industry, who downright REFUSE to address my concerns, usually respond by insulting my intelligence with INACCURATE statements like, “Stations will hire the best talent that can bring in revenue to the station.” This is a crock! True enough, radio stations are a business, and businesses have to make money in order to remain in business. However, these stations aren’t making the BEST hiring decisions, and they are reflected in the current sagging ratings of many talk stations. Furthermore, there might be an even bigger issue that shouldn’t be forgotten, and that is concerning the content that is on “black” talk stations. If it were truly about achieving the highest ratings possible, and revenue for a particular station, then why are “black” talk radio ?personalities? (used loosely) allowed to continue to promote their filth to the listening audience with the blessing of their white owners and operators when they know FULL WELL that this type of talk radio is NOT profitable?
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ATLANTA ? The House passed legislation Thursday aimed at curbing illegal immigration in Georgia but not before tightening some provisions of the bill that cleared the Senate and easing others.
The measure, which passed 123-51, is on the short list of this year?s top priorities for Republicans in control of both legislative chambers. Polls have consistently shown illegal immigration to be a major concern of voters in Georgia and other states.
The bill addresses criticism that illegals are draining state coffers by requiring adults seeking many public services to prove they are U.S. citizens are in the country legally.
It targets complaints that illegal workers are depressing wages and taking jobs away from legal residents by requiring companies seeking government contracts to verify that their employees are not illegal immigrants.
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At the urging of lobbyists for the farm industry, the House committee that approved the bill earlier this week significantly delayed the effective dates for the provision requiring government contractors to verify their workers? legal status.
Meanwhile, companies that are not working for the government would be subject to even less scrutiny. Under the bill, businesses that pay an illegal worker more than $600 per year would not be able to write that amount off on their taxes.
Rep. Brian Thomas, D-Lilburn, who introduced a bill with tougher restrictions on employers, accused lawmakers of caving in to businesses that rely on illegal workers.
?We as a state can hold all employers in Georgia responsible for knowingly and willingly hiring illegal workers,?? he said. ?(But) we don?t really want to stop the flood, do we???
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While the House version of the bill takes a more lenient stand toward employers than the bill passed by the Senate, House members also inserted a tough provision originally passed by the lower chamber as a separate bill.
The provision, sponsored by Rep. Tom Rice, R-Norcross, would require illegal immigrants to pay a 5 percent surcharge on any money they wire out of the country.
Because of the changes the House made, the bill now goes back to the Senate.
If senators don?t agree with the House changes, as is likely, the two chambers would appoint three members each to a conference committee to try to reach a compromise.