New York-Based 97 Rock Radio Host Fired, 2 Others Suspended After Racist On-Air Exchange

A radio host for the Buffalo, New York-based radio station 97 Rock has been fired, and two co-hosts have been suspended following an on-air racist exchange.

According to PEOPLE, the station’s parent company says the exchange was in “violation” of its principles. Cumulus Media’s spokesperson confirmed in a statement that “The Morning Bull Show” former host Rob Lederman had indeed been “swiftly terminated” due to his remarks comparing Black women’s skin tones to numbered toaster settings.

“CUMULUS MEDIA operates from a clearly-defined set of programming principles and there is no question that Rob Lederman’s comments made on The Morning Bull Show are in direct violation of those principles,” the statement read. “We swiftly terminated him and suspended the remainder of the show’s on-air talent. We apologize, and deeply regret the incident.”

ESPN reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques shared a 45-second audio clip on Twitter in which Lederman can be heard saying, “I may get into trouble for this,” before going on to mention stars like Serena Williams, Halle Berry, and Gayle King.

Lederman’s co-hosts Rich “Bull” Gaenzler and Chris Klein, were suspended and did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment. However, Lederman said he was “horrified” when he listened to the recording.

“I could easily see how someone could be offended by that. I get that,” Lederman said. “It sounds terrible, and it is terrible…Now, can I take back those words? No. If you listen to them, were they meant to be hurtful? Absolutely not.”

He hopes to “learn from” the situation and offered an apology to “anybody that would be hurt” by what he said.

However, the damage has been done. On Wednesday, the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation said that they canceled their advertising with 97 Rock.

“Immediately upon learning about this exchange…Roswell Park, the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation, and the Ride for Roswell pulled all ads and marketing from this station. The comments this morning conflict with our values and culture,” said the statement, which was posted to Facebook. “We embrace actions that respect the dignity and equity of all people, and forcefully reject any and all forms of racism.”

Gaenzler was fired from Pegula Sports and Entertainment, where he was the arena host for the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bandits.

“All organizations across the Pegula Sports & Entertainment umbrella strongly condemn racism in all forms. We are deeply disturbed by the comments made this morning by a co-host on Rich Gaenzler’s radio show,” the organization said in a statement. “They were unacceptable, inappropriate, and there is no place for them in our community. The Sabres and Bandits, therefore, have made the decision to terminate him from his duties as our in-arena host.”

He also lost his position as the public address announcer at the University at Buffalo.

“The University at Buffalo Division of Athletics is committed to sustaining a culture of diversity and inclusion and strongly denounces racism in all forms,” the school said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. “Rich Gaenzler is not currently under contract with UB Athletics. We will move forward with selection of another public address announcer for UB football games next season.”

Another one bites the dust.