A prominent London radio-show host apologized on air Thursday after female politicians and advocacy groups accused him, in an open letter, of verbal abuse and harassment of women.

Broadcaster Andy Oudman of CJBK was slammed in the letter signed by nine women, who said his behaviour perpetuates a culture of sexism and misogyny. They vowed to boycott his afternoon talk show until parent company Bell Media “takes appropriate action to ensure women are treated with respect.”

AnnaLise Trudell of Anova, formerly Women’s Community House and the Sexual Assault Centre of London, said the letter is a way for women to speak out against sexism and abuse.

“City councillors right now are trying to carve that path for other survivors,” she said.

Oudman apologized for offending female guests and listeners minutes after the letter was made public.

“I speak my mind. I’m passionate about what I do . . . but there is a line, and it was crossed. After reflecting on my behaviour, I realized I needed to reach out directly to the women I’ve offended, and I have,” he said.

Oudman said “fairness and sensitivity” will inform his show in the future.

But Coun. Tanya Park, one of the women who signed the letter, said the apology isn’t enough.

“We are asking for a drastic and sustained shift in behaviour,” she said.

Two other women on city council — Anna Hopkins and Virginia Ridley — signed the letter. So did London-Fanshawe MP Irene Mathyssen and representatives of Anova, the London Abused Women’s Centre and Women and Politics.

“There are numerous examples of Mr. Oudman’s public vitriol toward us. They include chastising a member of city council for bringing her child to work and then stating she should be reported for child abuse,” the letter said.

Ridley took her son to a long city council weekend budget meeting in 2016.

Mathyssen said she’s refused to speak on Oudman’s show since 2015.

“I always dreaded any conversations with him, because you just never knew if he was going to be Jekyll or Hyde,” she said.

But the boycott is about a pattern of bad behaviour, not a single instance, some said.

CJBK news director Steve Young, in a written statement, said the station has spoken to Oudman.

“Newstalk 1290 CJBK takes the inappropriate comments made on-air by host Andy Oudman very seriously and has addressed them directly with Mr. Oudman. His comments have been discussed with him at length by management, including a review of our comprehensive on-air code of conduct.”

The letter says Oudman’s behaviour hasn’t changed for years.

“His style is to promote verbal abuse against women. He does an interview without negative comment against the woman or women he’s interviewing. As soon as he hangs up the phone, as soon as the interview is over, he unleashes verbal assaults against women which promote his listeners to do the same,” said Megan Walker, executive director of the London Abused Women’s Centre. Walker said she was on the receiving end as a young member of council.

mstacey@postmedia.com