JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri State Senator Jamilah Nasheed wants the FCC to pull the broadcasting license for 1190 KQQZ-AM because of a radio host’s racist and homophobic comments on his show.
Radio host Bob Romanik, who hosts Kool Killer Kountry on 1190 AM, has used the n-word on his show. Romanik said it’s his First Amendment right to say what he wants and asserts half his audience is African-American.
“I promise you when the rap artists quit using the n-word and as soon as Chris Rock quits using the n-word, I’ll quit using n-word,” he said.
Senator Nasheed wants Romanik off the air, adding that he’s full of hate.
“To call individuals out of their names and call African-Americans the n-word, it’s unacceptable,” she said. “That’s why I’m calling for the FCC to remove (the station’s) license.”
Romanik said half his audience and callers are black and that he wants people to judge him but what he does, not by what he says.
“I’ve done more for black community with my money. I can call you a killer…that doesn’t mean you are,” he said. “They don’t like what I say, so automatically I’m racist. I paid $25,000 for people below the hill. I’m not a racist, I’m a realist.”
An edited audio clip of Missouri State Representative Bob Burns calling into Romanik’s show recently surfaced over the weekend, stirring this controversy.
Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) and several other politicians asked Burns to resign because he was calling into a show hosted by a man known to make racist comments. Burns has said he won’t resign because he was saluting patriotism and not necessarily agreeing with Romanik’s commentary.
“To go on his show and praise him and talk about how great he is doing, I don’t think people understood that mentality. (Burns) should resign,” Nasheed said.
An FCC spokesperson said the organization would review Sen. Nasheed’s complaint but declined further comment.
