U.S. radio host suspended for racist comments

MSNBC and CBSRadioare suspending U.S. radio host Don Imus's talk showfor two weeks following offensive comments he made about a women's basketball team.

MSNBCsaid Imus's regret at making the inappropriate comment and his stated dedication to changing the show's discourse made it believe this was the appropriate response.

"Our future relationship with Imus is contingent on his ability to live up to his word," the network said.

The announcement of the suspensions comes as the syndicated broadcaster appeared on Rev. Al Sharpton's radio show Monday and issued the most recent of many apologies for calling black members of New Jersey's Rutgers University women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos."

"Our agenda is to be funny and sometimes we go too far. And this time, we went way too far," Imus told the civil rights activist on Monday.

Sharpton responded by calling the comments "abominable" and "racist." He also reiterated his position, and that of many others, that Imus should be fired.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has also called for Imus's termination.

Earlier Monday, on his own show, Imus in the Morning, the California-born, New York-based host had also apologized. On his MSNBC website, the broadcasteralso expressed regret at his comments, which he described as "insensitive and ill-conceived."

"We can understand why people were offended. Our characterization was thoughtless and stupid," he wrote.

In addition to being syndicated to millions of listeners across the U.S., Imus in the Morning is broadcast on television by MSNBC.

At Chicago's NBC tower on Monday, another prominent civil rights activist — Rev. Jesse Jackson — was among the dozens of people who staged a protest against Imus's comments.

The outspoken host made the remarks on his show during an on-air discussion with producer Bernard McGuirk last Wednesday, the day after the NCAA women's championship game.

Both the broadcaster's radio and television bosses — CBS Radio and MSNBC, respectively— have criticized the statements as "completely inappropriate."

Imus has frequently caused controversy with sarcastic and inflammatory comments against people of different ethnicities, sexual orientation and religions.