TV network officials have issued a formal apology for its tongue-in-cheek suggested mispronunciation of the name of the Massachusetts town of Athol in a recent ad.
"Comcast SportsNet said Thursday it would pull a newspaper ad that leaders of the small central Massachusetts town called insulting and offensive."
"The ad featured two side-by-side signs that together read: 'We can pronounce Worcester ... without sounding like an Athol.'"
"A network spokesman said it apologized Thursday to the town and Selectman Wayne Miller, who raised the issue this week after residents complained that the ad ridiculed Athol by linking its name to a similarly sounding vulgarity."
"It was even more offensive, they said, because the advertisement required mispronouncing Athol to make its point. The correct pronunciation is 'ATH'-awl.'"
"'There's always been this, shall we say, 'humorous' pronunciation,' Miller said Thursday. 'If one person is doing it, that's nothing to worry about. But you have to draw the line when a major company uses it to make money.'"
Read the full story: Network Apologizes for Mocking Town Name
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