NEW YORK — A director of CBS Corp. said yesterday he hopes that radio host Don Imus is fired for his demeaning remarks about black women, just a day after key companies announced they had pulled their advertising from the show.Bruce Gordon, who is also a former president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he had spoken with CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves and hoped the company would "make the smart decision" by firing Imus rather than letting him return to the air at the end of a two-week suspension announced Tuesday.

"He's crossed the line, he's violated our community," Bruce Gordon said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "He needs to face the consequence of that violation."

CBS declined to comment.

Imus triggered the uproar on his April 4 show, when he referred to the Rutgers University women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos." His comments have been widely denounced by civil rights and women's groups, and two sponsors, Staples Inc. and Procter & Gamble Co., have pulled their advertising.

The term "nappy-headed" is a derogatory way of referring to the hair of some black people, while "ho" is slang for "whore."

Gordon stepped down in March after 19 months as head of the NAACP, one of the foremost US civil rights organisations.

"We should have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to what I see as irresponsible, racist behaviour," Gordon said. "The Imus comments go beyond humour. Maybe he thought it was funny, but that's not what occurred. There has to be a consequence for that behaviour."

Gordon said that as a matter of principle, firing Imus should be an easy decision to make, though he respects the right of CBS leadership to consider all factors.

"When I look at it from my position as a director, where my responsibility is to represent the best interest of the shareholders, it's more complex," Gordon said. "But at the end of the day, the image of CBS is at risk. ... the ad revenue of CBS could be at risk."

"What I expect is for management to take the next two weeks to do their homework," he said. "I hope that the result of their due diligence is to terminate Don Imus."