Radio show host dons blackface because of Obama win

Thursday, November 6, 2008

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This web cam image shows Mark Larsen, left, wearing blackface as he broadcasts his talk show Wednesday morning.

TAMPA (Bay News 9) -- Barack Obama won the presidential election, and a local radio talk show host lost a bet.

As a result, the talk show host, WWBA's Mark Larsen, wore blackface to work Wednesday morning.

Web cam video of Larsen wearing the blackface was uploaded to YouTube.

Larsen said he and his news director wore blackface because he lost a bet that the country would elect a president named Barack Hussein Obama.

"I just said, 'It ain't gonna happen,'" Larsen said on air. "We're not going to elect a guy named Hussein. If we do, I'll come in the next day in blackface."

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Larsen declined to be interviewed on camera, but told Bay News 9 he didn't believe his actions were racist.

But the first vice-president of the NAACP of St. Petersburg, Martin Rainey, disagreed.

"It is racist," Rainey said. "And not only that, it is his disrespect for our president. We're trying to heal our country and here this gentleman is doing divisive things that would only go further to divide us."

Larsen, who is a member of the Libertarian Party, said the station hadn't received any phone calls about the incident, but said he would welcome a phone call from the NAACP.

Through his secretary, the CEO of WWBA, Bruce Maduri, declined to discuss the incident, saying he was too busy.

WWBA, AM 820, is owned by Genesis Communications.