A top Virginia radio presenter has been fired after he branded a female sports reporter ‘Barbie girl’ live on air.
Don Geronimo, a WBIG ‘BIG 100’ radio presenter, was fired after mistaking Emmy-award winning reporter Sharla McBride for a ‘cheerleader’ and calling her ‘chick.’
The station’s parent company iHeart Radio led an investigation into the on-air comments on Thursday, and announced that Geronimo had been fired.
McBride, who works for WUSA9, was at the Commanders training camp for her work when the ‘sexist’ comments were made about her.
The Washington DC-based journalist said she is taking a few days off work to process what happened after swathes of support came rushing in for her.
Emmy-award winning reporter Sharla McBride was called a ‘cheerleader’ and ‘chick’
Don Geronimo, a WBIG ‘BIG 100’ radio presenter, was fired. The station’s parent company iHeart Radio led an investigation into the on-air comments on Thursday, and announced that Geronimo had been fired
Geronimo shouted out to Sharla McBride while live on air: ‘Hey look, Barbie’s here. Hi, Barbie girl.
Geronimo added: ‘I’m guessing she’s a cheerleader.’
McBride had been walking in to cover the team’s training camp activities.
Later in the broadcast, Geronimo again spotted McBride as she was conducting interviews.
Geronimo said: ‘Oh hey. There’s that chick that you thought…
‘I think. I think she’s a sportscaster at Channel 9. Or Channel 7.
‘Yeah, She’s familiar,’ replied Crash Young, his producer.
‘I thought she was a cheerleader,’ said Geronimo.
The presenter was fired from his roll following the on-air comments
The reporter wrote on social media: ‘I’m humbled and overwhelmed by the amazing support I’ve received from my fellow journalists in the past 24 hours’
McBride posing with a Barbie doll in 2020
McBride said she was taking a few days off work to process what had happened
After the broadcast, Geronimo and his producer Crash Young were barred from broadcasting at Washington Commanders training camp in Ashburn, Virginia, on Friday.
The Commanders also stopped iHeartMedia from broadcasting on the premises altogether following their ‘sexually disparaging’ remarks.
President of the Washington DC Region for iHeartMedia, Aaron Hyland, said: ‘After an internal review, Don Geronimo is no longer an employee of WBIG.
‘We take matters of this nature very seriously and this behavior does not align with our core values.’
McBride thanked people for their ongoing support during the ordeal.
The reporter wrote on social media: ‘I’m humbled and overwhelmed by the amazing support I’ve received from my fellow journalists in the past 24 hours.
‘I appreciate the Commanders for taking swift action and acknowledging that this behavior is not ok.’
The sports reporter thanked people for their ongoing support during the ordeal
Her comments come despite a 2020 tweet where she had a picture of herself holding a doll and wrote: ‘Barbie and Ken at your service! Be sure to tune in at 11pm as @schafferwnep puts our plastic selves to work, in this week’s edition of Talkback feedback.’
A Commanders spokesperson said in a statement: ‘We have worked hard to ensure that everyone feels safe and respected in our workplace, and we took swift action when we learned that an employee of our partner iHeart made sexually disparaging remarks to and about a member of the media while she was broadcasting live from training camp yesterday.
‘iHeart and the individual were not permitted to broadcast from Training Camp today, and we will continue to work collaboratively with iHeart to address the issue and trust that iHeart will take appropriate action as it works through an internal investigation.’
WUSA9 General Manager Richard Dyer said: ‘ Objectifying women is harmful and disrespectful.
‘We’ve heard from the Washington Commanders that they are addressing this situation directly with iHeartRadio. Promoting respect, empathy and equal treatment for all individuals, regardless of gender, is crucial for building respect in any workplace.’