Rookie TV Reporter Fired For On-Air Profanity
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A weekend news anchorman for a Bismarck television station says he was fired after he opened his first-ever broadcast with obscenities.
A.J. Clemente says on Twitter that KFYR-TV fired him Monday.
Warning: video contains profanity
The NBC affiliate said in an earlier statement that Clemente was suspended following the Sunday evening broadcast. General manager Dick Heidt says he can't discuss the incident because it's a personnel matter.
The station posted an apology online and co-anchorwoman Van Tieu also apologized during the 10 p.m. newscast.
Following his gaffe during the 5 p.m., Tieu introduced a nervous Clemente who said he was a graduate of West Virginia University.
"I'm used to, you know, from being from the East Coast," he said. Clemente then read a news story about a fatal all-terrain vehicle crash.
Video of Clemente's two-word uttering was immediately posted online via social media sites, and the hashtag "Keep AJ" started trending on Twitter supporting him.
Clemente tweeted after the broadcast: "That couldn't have gone any worse!"
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