NY radio show off air after sick tsunami song

A New York radio station has suspended the entire staff of its breakfast show after it broadcast a sick song ridiculing victims of the Asian tsunami disaster.

Hot 97's Miss Jones in the Morning show, hosted by DJ Tarsha Nicole Jones, aired the segment multiple times last week. The song, sampling the melody of the 1985 famine relief single 'We Are The World', featured lyrics such as: "Go find your mommy / I just saw her float by / a tree went through her head / and now the children will be sold to child slavery."

Another line declared: "You can hear God laughing, 'Swim you bitches swim'."

Before station bosses axed Miss Jones, the DJ decided to apologise on air. "I apologise to all who have been offended by my poor decision to go along with playing that insulting (to say the least) Tsunami song," she said.

"I should have known better and I didn't. So I'm sorry and hopefully we can move forward from this, or I can move forward from this being a better hostess, because I am better than that, and I know better than that - and you deserve better radio than that."

The station's management were unimpressed with her apology, however, deciding that "stronger action was necessary to demonstrate the severity of the situation."

Rick Cummings, Emmis Radio President, explained: "What happened is morally and socially indefensible. All involved, myself included, are ashamed and deeply sorry. I know the members of the morning show are truly contrite. They know their actions here are inexcusable."