Local AM radio talk show host Zeb Bell, who said Wednesday he would apologize for a guest's incendiary, racial remark on his Tuesday morning show, now says he'll have the guest apologize for himself.

Bell said Frosty Wooldridge, who Idaho Democrats say racially slurred presidential hopeful Barack Obama, agreed to call in to the show on Tuesday and convey his condolences, Bell said.

"It's not my position to apologize for those remarks," Bell said in his Thursday morning show on KBAR AM. "I called the person and he will personally call and apologize forjust those respective remarks that were highlighted this morning in the Times-News."

Wooldridge called Obama's mother "trailer trash" with a fixation on black men, according to listeners. Wooldridge also said Obama was raised a Muslim for 10 years and was indoctrinated in Islam, a statement "which has been proven false" by a CNN investigation, said Bob Powers, an active local Democrat.

No audio recordings of the Monday show exist while the station routes out a technical problem, the station's owner Kim Lee, of Lee Family Broadcasting, said.

Lee said Thursday he understood that Bell planned to apologize in addition to Wooldridge.

But Bell defended himself against at least one caller on Thursday's show who grilled Bell for his use of the term "Negro." He also has defended himself for calling the presidential candidate by his full name, "Barack Hussein Obama" and referring to the candidate repeatedly as black.

Powers accused Bell of going "along with what Frosty was saying" - an allegation Bell denied on Thursday.

"I am not responsible for somebody else on the air," Bell said. "Perhaps in hindsight … It hit me cold turkey, too. I didn't approve that. I said it's time for a commercial break. I thought that might diffuse things."

Powers, who was scheduled to interview with Bell on Tuesday, told Bell he has a time conflict and that he'll sign up another Democrat for the time slot, Bell said. Powers could not be reached Thursday for reactions to that day's show.

Since KBAR AM aired the comments, Lee said he has had one advertiser cancel and several threaten to pull their advertising from his radio network. Bell, who leases air time from KBAR-AM from his Murtaugh home studio and is responsible for all advertising on his morning time slot, said he has not lost any advertisers.

"Almost every one of my advertisers has called me today and said, 'Don't you quit because we're not going to,'" Bell said. "That broke me into tears. We're making amends for something that was said that was derogatory and wrong."

Cassidy Friedman may be reached at 208-735-3241 or cfriedman@magicvalley.com