Oakland news channel KTVU has fired three producers over the on-air reading of fake, offensive names purported to be those of the pilots in the Asiana Airlines flight 214 crash, Bay Area news sources are reporting.
According to Rich Lieberman's 415 Media blog, and the San Francisco Chronicle column Matier & Ross, the station fired investigative producer Roland DeWolk, special projects producer Cristina Gastelu and producer Brad Belstock following an internal investigation.
A fourth producer, noon news producer Elvin Sledge, has said he is leaving for health reasons, the column reported.
The July 12 broadcast featured anchor Tori Campbell telling viewers the station had "just learned the names of the four pilots who were on board" the flight that crashed at San Francisco Airport July 6.
Campbell then read the names as they were displayed on screen. The four Asian-sounding names - Capt. Sum Ting Wong, Wi Tu Lo, Ho Lee Fuk and Bang Ding Ow - were derided as offensive plays on words that sounded like phrases associated with the plane crash.
The station apologized for airing the names, which it said were confirmed by the National Transportation Safety Board, and the NTSB fired a summer intern over the incident.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: