St. Louis broadcaster will temporarily leave anchor desk

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis newscaster who uttered what he called an unintentional racial slur while discussing Martin Luther King Jr. says he will step away from the anchor desk while he works to regain viewers’ trust.

KTVI-TV’s Kevin Steincross said on Jan. 17 that an upcoming tribute would honour “Martin Luther Coon Jr.” He apologized and station management initially said he would not be disciplined.

But the St. Louis County NAACP demanded the station fire Steincross .

On Friday, Steincross apologized again. He and station management issued statements saying they agreed Steincross should take a break from the anchor desk and address the “pain (Steincross) caused.”

Station management says they met with several black and civic organizations and employees to hear their views.

The statements didn’t indicate how long Steincross would be away from the anchor desk.

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Information from: KTVI-TV, http://www.fox2now.com/