Ronnie Kaye announces removal from radio due to on-air comment
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KFOR) - Longtime Oklahoma radio/TV personality Ronnie Kaye announced in a Facebook post Saturday that he was terminated due to an on-air comment on his October 9th show on 92.5 KOMA.
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"To all the listeners who have supported me on radio through the years I regret to tell you that my career has been terminated over a comment I made on October 9 Columbus Day which is also Indigenous Day. I had no intentions of offending the Native American heritage. Some of my best friends are Native American. I would have preferred to do this on air but I wasn't given the opportunity to do so. Thank you listeners. Mr Rock and Roll."
Ronnie Kaye in an October 14th Facebook post
Kaye was removed from the KOMA website when it was checked on Saturday night.
According to a post on Facebook from Larry Stein the Chief Deputy at the Oklahoma County Assessor's Office Kaye was terminated after saying "It's Columbus Day and Indigeneous People Da. I don't know what Indigenous means and I don't care."
"My friend Ronnie Kaye was fired from KOMA. If you were listening, here’s what he said. “It’s Columbus Day and Indigineous People Day. I don’t know what ‘Indigineous’ means and I don’t care.” In this “politically correct world” sometimes words can offend. That’s too bad. God bless you Ronnie!"
Larry Stein, Chief Deputy at Oklahoma County Assessor's Office
KOMA is owned by the local media company Tyler Media, KFOR reached out to them Sunday for comment. As it is the weekend, they have yet to get back.
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But an employee of Tyler Media said an email, sent out Friday to employees, had announced that Kaye retired after 64 years in broadcasting and had his final show on KOMA that day without doing a farewell show.
Kaye had spent decades being on-air with a 19-year run on WKY/Channel 4 in Oklahoma City. He first started in 1962 and eventually achieved a nationally loved dance show called The Scene which ran across the airwaves nationally.
It would be in the early 1990s, Kaye made his way over to the station KOMA where he was known for being the disc jockey for the "oldies."