Veitch Watch® No. 3: Forced to apologise for "ape" comments (Sept. 5, 2005)

Veitch apologises for Williams 'ape' comments 
By COLIN MARSHALL Monday Sep 5, 2005 
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10344087 

Radio Sport breakfast host Tony Veitch has been forced to apologise 
for remarks he made on air about United States tennis star Serena 
Williams. 

Speaking to Fight For Life promoter and former Kiwis league player 
Dean Lonergan on Friday, Veitch said about the African-American 
Williams: "Do you know where the apes come from? She is a reminder." 

That prompted condemnation from race relations conciliator Joris de 
Bres and action from Radio Network general manager talk programming 
Bill Francis who directed Veitch to make the apology, which he did at 
7.10am today. 

"During Friday's show in a banter and exchange with Dean Lonergan, I 
made some comments about Serena Willams," Veitch said. 

"Those comments were unjustified and they were totally inappropriate. 

"I regret making those comments, I am sorry and apologise unreservedly 
for the offence that they may have caused." 

Francis confirmed he had asked Veitch to make the apology. "The 
apology has been made and the matter is now ended." 


He would not say what other action might be taken. "We've made the 
apology. Everything else that happens in relation to this is internal 
so I won't be making comment other than that. Tony gets on with doing 
his job on breakfast." 

Francis said the reason he directed Veitch to apologise had nothing to 
do with any potential impact on Radio Sport. 

"It's got nothing to do with the impact. It was comments that 
shouldn't have been made and so we've rectified that by making an 
apology." 

Francis said Veitch had not been making a racial slur. "They certainly 
weren't intended to be racist." 

Mr de Bres said Veitch's comments did not "bear a lot of analysis in 
terms of his attitudes to what seems to be African women". 

It is not the first time The Radio Network has been caught up in 
controversy over inappropriate racial comments. 

Newstalk ZB host Paul Holmes was forced to make a public apology after 
calling United Nations head Kofi Annan a "cheeky darkie". 

- NZPA 

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10344087 

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