As families and volunteers in Putnam County were sifting through rubble this week, Nashville radio personalities were on air making comments about tornado victims and the rural areas impacted by the devastating storm — comments listeners have since labeled "disgusting."

Some listeners believe hosts were calling the people of Putnam County uneducated during the segment, which was based on a conversation with first responders.

The radio station, 107.5 The River, issued a written apology Thursday, stating hosts "did a poor job of providing proper context for where this messaging came from or why this conversation was happening in the first place."

At least 25 people died during the tornado, including 18 victims from Putnam County.

What was actually said?

The comments were made during the "Woody and Jim" show, which has been on air for 21 years.

During the segment, radio personalities discussed the tornado and how more deaths happened in Putnam County, despite Nashville being more densely populated.

Hosts and co-hosts said the tornado increased its intensity after leaving Nashville, which was partially to blame.

However, comments were later made about the differences between Nashville and its surrounding communities.

Some of those comments led listeners to believe hosts were calling people in Putnam County uneducated.

However, as the apology mentions, "the word 'uneducated' was simply never uttered."

Here's what was said by radio personality Zac Woodward during the show:

"They (first responders) also said that they see more deaths in those areas because people don't have as much education or money or resources to protect themselves. And if you think about the structure of the homes in more of those rural communities, a lot of them are pre-manufactured homes, so they don't really have a safe place. If a tornado comes through, the whole house is going."

The hosts talked to first responders for research, and someone they talked to made a "broad generalization" about rural areas, according to the apology.

"We then relayed that information on the air, and in the moment did not think about how it may have been perceived by others," the apology reads.

'Absolutely disgusting'

A Facebook user with the name Kristin Smith commented on a post from the radio station asking people to help out in Putnam County.

"The comments that were made on your show about Putnam County were absolutely disgusting," she wrote. "The 'uneducated' people you are referring to were engineers, pastors, police officers, nurses, doctors, managers, many other occupations, but more importantly some of them were children."

Smith went on to say that "no apology will ever make up for the hateful words that you have already spewed."

The apology states that the comments made on air were referring to "storm education" rather than general education.

"Please know that this is in no way what we were attempting to say, and if that is how it is perceived (then) we are truly sorry," the apology reads. "This was a mistake, and a failure on our part to serve a community that we love."

Listen for yourself

The station included in the apology an audio clip from the show, which you can listen to below.

Anyone with questions or concerns should contact 615-664-2465 or jonathanshuford@iheartmedia.com.

"We're here for you, and apologize that a segment intended to be informative came across in a way that was anything but," the apology reads. "We love you. We love our city and all of its surrounding communities, and we are here to help."

The full apology

In the wake of the tragic tornado outbreak that claimed 24 lives across the mid-state and left thousands of our neighbors without their homes, we take our platform as a media outlet very seriously. We understand that our responsibility is not only to help our neighbors through volunteer efforts and donations, but to be a place where people who need help can be connected to those that are willing and able to provide it. On top of our efforts to collect supplies, which The Goodness Project will distribute to those in need, we've spent most of this week fielding calls and collecting information to share via our airwaves that can be meaningful to our listeners in this time of crisis.

Unfortunately, a segment on the Woody and Jim show earlier this week failed to accomplish that goal. The segment referred to a conversation that was had with someone in the emergency response field about the death toll in Putnam County, which was disproportionately higher to the rest of the Metro area. This person responded that, in outlying areas and smaller communities, a variety of factors could lead to a more tragic situation, including the strength of the storm and lack of warning. In this response, this person also made a broad generalization that, in some cases, outlying areas may have less access to resources such as storm education and appropriate shelter. We then relayed that information on the air, and in the moment did not think about how it may have been perceived by others. We understand that people in our audience who heard this segment believe that we were implying that those who live in outlying areas are "uneducated." Please know that this is in no way what we were attempting to say, and if that is how it is perceived then we are truly sorry.

While the word "uneducated" was simply never uttered, I do understand that, while the intent was certainly not to offend, the way in which the conversation was framed can be seen as very upsetting. We did a poor job of providing proper context for where this messaging came from or why this conversation was happening in the first place. This was a mistake, and a failure on our part to serve a community that we love.

I have posted the audio from that segment, in its entirety, below. Again, I want to reiterate that while the intent was to inform, our choice of words was counterproductive to that goal and I, as the Program Director of the station, am humbly asking you for forgiveness for that poor choice of words and misguided statement. I think, for those of you who have been a part of the Woody & Jim family for the last 21 years, you know that the last thing that anyone on that show wants to do is say something that would be deemed as hurtful to our friends, family, and neighbors.

Please know that we're doing the best we can to keep everyone informed about where they can find help, or, for those fortunate enough to have not been affected directly, where we CAN help. We love our entire community and would never intentionally say anything derogatory about any part of it. Our hearts are hurting for the people of Cookeville just as they are for our friends in Mount Juliet, Lebanon, North Nashville, East Nashville, and Germantown. Please let us know how we can use our platform and reach to help out the folks in Putnam County. We're here for you, and apologize that a segment intended to be informative came across in a way that was anything but.

If you have any further questions or concerns on this matter, please call me directly at 615-664-2465 or email me at jonathanshuford@iheartmedia.com.

We love you. We love our city and all of its surrounding communities, and we are here to help.