Rockford WIFR-TV morning anchor Andy Gannon returns after on-air gaffe

ROCKFORD — WIFR-TV morning anchor Andy Gannon returned to the This Morning newscast on Monday for the first time since using a racial slur in what he said was an on-air gaffe.

Gannon apologized for what he said was a slip of the tongue Dec. 6 as he attempted to say "Negro League" during a story about White Sox great Minnie Minoso's induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

NAACP Rockford Branch President Rhonda Greer said that she accepted what she considered a sincere apology from Gannon. But she called for Gannon to be suspended in recognition of the seriousness of the matter.

Andy Gannon: Rockford NAACP demands action over WIFR news anchor Andy Gannon's use of racial slur

Although Gannon until Monday had not appeared on-air since the incident, Greer was disappointed that station executives have not contacted her to open a dialogue.

"They didn't think it was important to contact the NAACP to clarify what happened or to discuss the betterment of the station or how we could work through this as a community to link together so that these types of mishaps don't occur again," Greer said. "Just come to the table as a connected community and have a discussion about how the community felt about what was said and elaborate on solutions."

Greer said she would have liked to talk about the potential of implicit bias classes or other options to "better the station."

A statement from WIFR executives after the incident said that appropriate action was being taken in response to what they said was an inadvertent utterance. They said that they could not provide further comment on what was considered a personnel matter.

Last week, the NAACP Freeport Branch issued a letter signed by branch president Patricia L. Norman supporting the position of the Rockford Branch of the NAACP. The Freeport Branch voted to issue the letter during it's annual meeting held Dec. 13.

The letter recommended Gannon participate in diversity training, saying that a mishap like this "often happens because that word is a part of one's vernacular and values."

"Since Mr. Gannon's apology, he has been noticeably absent and we are pleased that management took immediate steps to address the situation," Norman wrote. "However, when a public figure, a news anchor, uses the "N" word on air, there must be consequences that have teeth, consequences that ensure this does not happen in the future."

Jeff Kolkey: jkolkey@rrstar.com; @jeffkolkey

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford TV news anchor Andy Gannon returns after using racial slur