50 protesters call for Letterman firing

NEW YORK, June 17 (UPI) -- About 50 protesters chanting "Fire Dave!" gathered Tuesday night outside of the New York studio where "Late Show with David Letterman" is taped.

The demonstrators called for Letterman's ouster in the wake of a crude joke he made about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's teen-age daughter last week.

Palin voiced her outrage over the joke, prompting Letterman to say he was sorry for the widely panned quip.

Although Palin has said she accepts Letterman's apology, dozens of protesters went through with their previously announced plan to call for his firing outside Manhattan's Ed Sullivan Theater, the New York Daily News said Wednesday.

The protest was organized through a Web site called FireDavidLetterman.com, which was established by Los Angeles radio talk show host John Ziegler and co-sponsored by New York State Assemblyman Brian Kolb.