Radio station reinstates host after ethnic slurs

Severin is expected to apologize on the air when he resumes his weekday afternoon time slot on WTKK-FM, station officials said. The host was suspended April 30 after he called Mexican immigrants "criminaliens," "primitives," and "leeches," dubbed Mexico an exporter of "women with mustaches and VD," and said Mexicans were endangering US citizens with swine flu, among other comments.

"Jay regrets the remarks for which he was suspended and understands that his comments were indeed wrong and hurtful to the Mexican and Mexican-American communities," the station's managers wrote yesterday in a note on the WTKK website. "Accordingly, we feel it is time to end Jay's suspension and welcome him back."

Station officials said they hoped Severin - and their other hosts - would encourage vigorous debate while still being "civil and respectful," although they acknowledged that Severin might miss that mark. "While we will not always succeed in walking this line, we will continually strive to do so," they said.

Severin's remarks prompted outcry from the Mexican and Latino community in the region and drew rebukes from those who considered his comments hateful and frightening, generating complaints to the station and calls for an advertising boycott.

But fans of the firebrand host said the comments were typical Severin pot-stirring, and they appealed for his reinstatement.

"Nothing that I heard that day was any more controversial than anything he ever said before," said Matthew Gendreau, an information technology manager from Abington who listens daily at work and during his commute and who e-mailed the station to show his support. "He loves hyperbole. I find him very entertaining."

Eva A. Millona, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, said she was surprised that WTKK would bring Severin back.

"It's their decision to hire or fire, but I don't think it's a smart one," she said. "For hard-working people who come to this country, who work hard and raise families, being targeted and being labeled in the way he did is extremely offensive."

Derrek L. Shulman, New England regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, said WTKK should have a zero-tolerance policy for such comments.

"At a time when the demonization of immigrants permeates and pollutes mainstream discourse, the reinstatement of Mr. Severin sends a powerful message in the wrong direction," Shulman said in an e-mail.

But Marcela García, managing editor of El Planeta, said she was not surprised to learn that Severin would be back, given that his comments were no different from his past commentary.

"The only question was when," said García, whose Spanish-language newspaper is distributed to Latino communities in the Boston area. His comments "were completely unprofessional and very racist, and it was aggravating for all Mexicans. But at the same time, it's his space, and it's unfortunate that there are people who are willing to listen to those kinds of comments."

As have others who have followed the issue from both sides, García speculated that the suspension had as much to do with Severin's reported $1 million annual salary and his recent drop to 14th in the ratings as with his particular remarks. A spokeswoman for Greater Media Inc., has confirmed that WTKK's parent company and Severin are in negotiations.

Severin could not be reached yesterday through the station or his lawyer. But on an unofficial 1,400-member fan club on Facebook, Severin's listeners clamored for his return.

Gendreau, one member who posted, said in an interview that he generally shares the conservative, limited-government perspective of the radio host, if not always his provocative choice of words. But he said he hopes that Severin does not censor himself much when he returns to the air.

"The only reason I think he should be at all careful is because I think we need people like him to stir the debate," Gendreau said. "He's a good guy to have on my team."

Eric Moskowitz can be reached at emoskowitz@globe.com.