What did Kimberly and Beck say? 95.1 fires radio duo for racist comments

Two popular Rochester radio show hosts have been fired after making racist comments during a live broadcast on Tuesday.

“We made the decision to terminate Kimberly and Beck yesterday as soon as we learned of their comments and informed them early this morning," said Robert J. Morgan, president of the upstate New York market for iHeartMedia. "We will not tolerate this kind of behavior, which is antithetical to our core values and beliefs and to our commitment to our community and everyone in it.”

During a discussion focused on the attack of a local couple following the recent Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Rochester, Kimberly Ray, of the local radio duo Kimberly and Beck, referred to the n-word three times during the segment, asking if the attackers were acting “n-word-ish” and “n-word-ly." Ray did not actually use the n-word.

"Okay, let me ask you a question. Were they acting n-word-ish?" she said during the broadcast, which airs from 2 to 7 p.m. weekdays on Radio 95.1, an FM station owned by iHeartMedia.

Kimberly and (Barry) Beck went on to discuss and question why they can't use the term “n-word,” concluding that, “No one’s offended by that."

► What was said? Listen to the segment creating all the controversy now

The comments made during the show set off an almost immediate social-media firestorm.

Another iHeartRadio host Deanna King, who is on The Brother Wease Show, also on Radio 95.1, on Wednesday said she was appalled at what was said on the air Tuesday afternoon.

"I have never and would never spew such racist hate," she said. "I’ve told management I won’t work at a company that employs people like this. I’m raising my children to love everyone and stand up for what is right. I will, too."

In responding to people who commented on her social media pages, many of whom confused her with Ray, King confirmed that she would not return until she is allowed to address the situation.

King was not on air Wednesday morning.

The comments made during Ray and Beck's show came just a few days after hundreds of demonstrators marched through the streets of Rochester to denounce the police brutality and the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd.

Following the demonstration on Saturday, some people set cars on fire, confronted police and eventually, damaged and looted dozens of city and suburban businesses.

One of the incidents that followed the demonstration was the attack on the Rochester couple discussed on the show.

This is not the first time the controversial radio team has gotten into hot water.

In 2014, the duo was fired by a different Rochester station after making fun of transgender people and taken to court for badmouthing a veterinarian.

A year later, they were sued for slander by a philanthropist and former businessman, who said they accused him of being a drug dealer on air.

They also aren't the first local radio show hosts to lose their jobs after making racist on-air comments.

In September 2003, WHAM-AM (1180) first suspended and then fired Bob Lonsberry after he alluded to Rochester’s black mayor at that time, Bill Johnson, as a “monkey” and an “orangutan.”

Lonsberry later apologized and agreed to undergo diversity training, the Democrat and Chronicle reported on Sept. 30, 2003. He also smoothed things over with Johnson, the newspaper said. Less than a year later, the radio station, now also an iHeartMedia property, rehired Lonsberry, where he remains today.

In January 2019, WHEC-TV (Channel 10) fired chief meteorologist Jeremy Kappell after he uttered a racial slur during a broadcast, referring to a city park as "Martin Luther coon King Jr. park.”

Kappell said he verbally slipped between “Luther” and “King” and twisted the words into “coon.” He went on to sue the NBC affiliate, alleging breach of contract, emotional distress and defamation. He also sued the City of Rochester and Mayor Lovely Warren, whom Kappell alleged helped push WHEC to fire him. Ultimately, the lawsuits were dismissed by state Supreme Court Justice William Taylor.

Messages left for Ray were not immediately returned. On June 1, the company tweeted:

On Twitter, the radio station has pinned a tweet dated May 31:

Check back for more on this developing story.

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