Protesters keep heat on radio show

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CORRECTION

A story in Tuesday's City & State section about a protest of G-105's "Bob and the Showgram" program incorrectly quoted a state official as saying that a partnership between the N.C. Commission of Indian Affairs and Clear Channel Communications would be announced this week. The spokesman for the N.C. Department of Administration said the parties would discuss a new partnership at a Thursday teleconference.

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RALEIGH -- About 30 people showed up at the State Capitol on Monday to say they're not letting up the pressure on G-105 and "Bob and The Showgram" for offensive comments about American Indians.

Speakers called for the firing of the popular morning-radio- show crew and a boycott of the show's advertisers. Attendees held signs saying "Stop Hate Media" and "I am not a stereotype."

The protest drew mostly younger Indians, who disagree with the leadership of the N.C. Commission of Indian Affairs and the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. Those organizations publicly accepted apologies from Showgram host Bob Dumas and WDCG's general manager, Dick Harlow, last week, and backed off calls to fire the on-air crew.

"Our leaders were working behind the scenes to come to some type of resolution, and the people didn't really have any type of say-so into that," said Beth Jacobs, the organizer of Monday's protest. "People were really outraged."

Jacobs, a 2007 graduate of the UNC School of Law, is founder of Brown Babies, an advocacy group for children in poor communities.

Harlow declined to comment about Monday's protest.

Widespread anger erupted earlier this month when Dumas and his co-hosts, Mike Morse and "Kentucky Kristin," joked on the air with an intern about her coming wedding to a Lumbee. In a 15-minute segment, Dumas said that Indians were statistically "lazy." The morning crew also made jokes that played on Indian stereotypes.

The NAACP also has expressed support for protesters. And toward the end of the Monday, members of the Hispanic advocacy group El Pueblo Inc. showed up to offer their support to protesters.

On April 2, the day after the offending remarks about Indians, The Showgram sent a producer to the Mexican Consulate on Six Forks Road in Raleigh to ask people in line if they had proof of U.S. citizenship, while Dumas made comments about "illegals" on the air from the studio.

At the gathering Monday, Irene Godinez, advocacy director of El Pueblo, told those gathered, "We're here to say that, we're going to stick this out with you, and we want to be of support to you."

Afterward, Godinez said she would add herself to a Facebook page that protests "The Showgram." The morning show also was blasted on www.citizensagainsthate.com, which monitors and reports racism and hate groups.

Jill Warren Lucas, director of public affairs at the N.C. Department of Administration, said a new partnership between the Commission of Indian Affairs and Clear Channel Communications will be discussed at a 10 a.m. teleconference Thursday. Clear Channel owns G-105.