ST. LOUIS • A St. Louis newscaster apologized on air Thursday morning, saying that his mispronunciation of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s name that included a racial slur was “not intentional in any way.”

KTVI (Channel 2) newscaster Kevin Steincross was speaking on the station’s morning news show about 5:34 a.m. when he said an upcoming tribute to the civil rights icon at St. Louis University would honor “Martin Luther coon Jr.,” speaking a racial slur that has been used against black people.

“I want to take a moment to apologize,” Steincross said on air a little after 9 a.m. “We have heard from a viewer about a mistake I made in our 5 a.m. newscast. In our story about the tribute to Dr. King, I unfortunately mispronounced his name. Please know I have total respect for Dr. King, what he meant and what he continues to mean to our country. This was not intentional in any way, and I sincerely apologize.”

A representative for Tribune Broadcasting said it was an unfortunate mistake, and the station will not take additional disciplinary measures against Steincross.