LAS VEGAS -- A television weatherman was fired after referring to slain civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. as "Martin Luther Coon King" on the air, station officials said.

Rob Blair, of KTNV-TV, was delivering the extended forecast Saturday morning when he said: "Martin Luther Coon King Jr. Day, gonna see some temperatures in the mid-60s."

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. Celebrate His Life In Our Special Section

---

View Blair's Bio
Blair's Resume

---

Jim Prather, vice president and general manager of the ABC affiliate, said Blair stumbled when he uttered the remark, but the excuse was not enough to save his job.

"This kind of incident is not acceptable under any circumstances, and I'm truly sorry that this event occurred," Prather said.

Blair, who worked at the station for about three months, apologized during the station's 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts Saturday.

According to a San Francisco newspaper, Blair said, "On a weather report earlier this morning, I made an accidental slip of the tongue when talking about the Martin Luther King holiday, and what I said was interpreted by many viewers as highly offensive. For that I offer my deepest apology. I in no way intended to offend anyone. I'm very sorry."

According to Blair's biography on KTNV's Web site, he started a radio career at the age of 14 in Indianapolis before moving moving to Orange County, Calif., to attend Chapman University. Blair has reportedly worked as a weather broadcaster in Palm Springs, Calif., Monterey and Chico, Calif.