About This Video
A white radio duo in Rochester NY talk about a white female shop owner getting beaten by black men after she called them Ni#$ers. They ask if the black men were acting “N word ish” as if that would justify the woman calling them Ni#$ers. They were fired by iHeart media after the rant. They worked at 95.1 in Rochester.
Background & Context
In my three decades in radio, I’ve seen it all. But the recent comments made by Kimberly and Beck, a radio duo from Rochester, NY, have crossed a line. They used a racially-charged incident to stoke the flames of intolerance, insinuating that racial slurs could be justified by behavior. Their comments were not only inappropriate, but they were also damaging, feeding into harmful stereotypes. IHeartRadio rightfully took action, firing the pair for their hateful remarks. This incident underscores the responsibility of those in our industry to promote understanding and respect, not bigotry and divisiveness.
Key Takeaways
- Radio personalities have a responsibility to promote understanding and respect
- Hateful comments have severe consequences in the radio industry
- Racist remarks can lead to termination, even for established radio personalities
- iHeartRadio has a zero-tolerance policy for racist comments
- Promoting harmful stereotypes can damage a radio personality’s career
About Kevin Ross
Kevin Ross is a music and broadcast industry veteran with more than
30 years of firsthand experience spanning radio programming, on-air
talent, record promotion, voice work, publishing, and digital media.
He has worked every side of the business — from the air studio to
the boardroom — and built one of the longest-running digital platforms
dedicated to Black radio and music industry coverage.
30 Plus Years In is where that experience lives on video.
