Condemnations came quickly after 97 Rock Morning Host Rob Lederman compared the settings on a toaster to the skin shades of Black women during an on-air exchange Wednesday.
Parent company Cumulus Media fired Lederman and suspended the rest of the morning show staff. Co-host Rich Gaenzler was also fired by Pegula Sports and Entertainment as the in-arena announcer for Buffalo Sabres and Bandits games.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown were among others who denounced the comments as racist. Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center pulled its advertising from the station.
Lederman was talking on-air about how he likes his toast, comparing toaster settings to the skin tones of Black women such as Serena Williams and Halle Berry. The station pulled the comments from on-air, but ESPN"s Marcel Louis-Jacques recorded the exchange and shared it on Twitter.
