During the Oct. 27 broadcast of \The Mark Belling Late Afternoon Show"" on Milwaukee radio station WISN, host Mark Belling was discussing issues of the upcoming election when he let a few poorly chosen words slip.
""You watch the voter turnout on the near south side [of Milwaukee], heavily Hispanic, and compare it to the voter turnout in any other election, and you're going to see every wetback and every other non-citizen out there voting,"" Belling said.
Robert Miranda of the Spanish Journal of Milwaukee said the Hispanic community was insulted by Belling's racial slur, as well as his response to their complaint.
""He gave an apology but it was an apology with sarcasm and he made fun and light of the fact that he said the word. He even polled his listeners as to whether he should have apologized,"" Miranda said.
Belling is the host of the highest rated afternoon talk show in Milwaukee, and is an outlet for Belling's conservative views that generate a strong reaction from his audience.
In a meeting with Hispanic groups Thursday, Clear Channel announced Belling's show, which had not been broadcast, was only temporarily off the air.
The Hispanic community of Milwaukee is not discouraged, and plans to develop what it hopes will be a national campaign. Miranda said the Hispanic community plans to specifically target protest efforts at the Clear Channel headquarters in San Antonio, Tex.
""The community is resolved for his permanent removal. We have the support of national groups like the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce,"" Miranda said.
Following the negative community response, Belling issued a formal apology to the citizens of Milwaukee Nov. 6.
""For the last 10 days, I have failed miserably as a communicator, and I have only myself to blame,"" Belling said.
Yet Miranda fails to accept his apology as sincere. ""It could be heartfelt, it could be bleeding, he could have written it in blood??-it doesn't matter,"" he said.
Many other individuals and organizations are upset Belling is still employed by WISN, including 13 representatives and three senators from the Wisconsin Legislature.
""Today we stand together with all the individuals and organizations that have spoken out against Mr. Belling's comments. We respectfully urge you to reconsider your support for Mr. Belling and remove his bigotry from the airwaves,"" they wrote in a letter to the programming director of WISN.
The Hispanic community is meeting tonight to pursue its national campaign for Belling's resignation or show cancellation from WISN.
