St. Louis state senator Jamilah Nasheed (pictured) says KQQZ-AM host Bob Romanik uses racist and homophobic comments on the air and she’s written a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai asking that he pull the station’s license and levy a big fine against the station. According to The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Nasheed says Romanik violated federal law which forbids obscene, indecent, or profane language on the air.
Romanik calls himself the “Grim Reaper of Radio.” The radio station website says the following about him: “The Kraziest Son of a Bitch you’ll ever hear on the radio. Radio like you’ve never heard it before and will probably never want to hear again. If you think the real grim reaper is scary, wait until you see and listen to Bob Romanik ‘The Grim Reaper of Radio!’ The Grim Reaper’s show will be like his face, very scary and very, very ugly. On the Dark Side is the most controversial show on radio today. The Grim Reaper of Radio is not politically correct or politically incorrect, he’s politically insane.”
The paper says Romanik has used the n-word and “various misogynistic and homophobic slurs over the years.” Controversy started swirling this past weekend when there were reports that apparently edited audio calls of state Rep. Bob Burns, making him sound offensive, were aired. Burns says he called the show to support troops and veterans. He told the paper, “This is a case of some things I said on different topics that were taken out of context and mixed together by others to purposefully mislead the public.” There’s been a public outcry for Burns to resign, which he says he will not do.
House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty acknowledged the clips appeared edited but said the fact that he repeatedly calls into Romanik’s show is reprehensible, “given the host’s well-known racist views.”
Assistant Station GM Bill Thomas told the paper, “As soon as they take the n-word off all the black radio stations throughout this country — on all the rap stations, on all the comedic routines that the blacks use the n-word — then we’ll quit using it.”
Free publicity for a fringe radio station few knew about until now. Great work Senator.
You are correct and so is the station assistant GM Bill Thomas.