Native American Reps Accept Radio Station's Apology
The state Commission of Indian Affairs Chairman Paul Brooks on Wednesday accepted apologies offered by a Raleigh radio station for derogatory and racially charged remarks made by its morning host.
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Bob Dumas and co-hosts on WDCG-FM's "Bob and the Showgram" morning show kidded an intern about her pending marriage to a Lumbee Indian on the April 1 show. Dumas called Native Americans "lazy" and said "a lot of Indians live on the reservation."
Dumas and station General Manager Dick Harlow issued on-air apologies last week, and the station, known as G105, suspended Dumas for three days.
Brooks said in a statement that a Wednesday meeting with Harlow "reflected the educational outreach and cultural acceptance we sought.”
“He demonstrated a willingness to open the door to a wide-reaching partnership and was sincere in his apology," Brooks said. "He gave us his personal assurance that negative stereotypes of American Indians will not be heard again on G105.”
The Commission of Indian Affairs has agreed to partner with Clear Channel Communications, which owns WDCG and three other local radio stations, on future efforts to promote and support issues of importance to the state's Native American population.
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