A&E has pulled its reality series starring Duane "Dog" Chapman two days after a private phone conversation in which he repeatedly used the N-word leaked to the National Enquirer and, eventually, the Internet.      

       "In evaluating the circumstances of the last few days, A&E has decided to take `Dog The Bounty Hunter' off the network's schedule for the foreseeable future," the network said in a statement Friday. "We hope that Mr. Chapman continues the healing process that he has begun."       

       Officials at the network say the show, one of its highest rated programs, has not been cancelled.      

       So far, two advertisers have pulled out of the show, and civil rights groups are calling for its permanent removal from the lineup. A coalition of groups in Los Angeles sent a letter to network executives Friday stating the show's temporary removal from the schedule is not enough.      

       Earl Ofari Hutchinson, president of Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, said the coalition believes Chapman's language was even more damaging to black women than the "nappy-headed hoes" remark made by shock jock Don Imus toward the Rutgers women's basketball team. CBS and MSNBC fired Imus in the wake of his comments. However, Citadel Broadcasting Corp. Thursday announced Imus' return to radio in December.      

       "If they can essentially say, 'We're firing Imus in the front door and bring him in the back door later on,' they can also do the same with this guy and his show," Hutchinson said. "It seems like to me A&E is keeping their options open."

 

       In the leaked phone conversation, Chapman urges his son Tucker to break up with his girlfriend, who is black. He also expresses concern about the girlfriend trying to tape and go public about the TV star's use of the N-word. He used the slur six times in the first 45 seconds of the five-minute clip.      

       In a statement, Chapman has repeatedly apologized and said he was "disappointed in [Tucker's] choice of a friend, not due to her race, but her character. However, I should have never used that term." He also said he was ashamed of himself and reached out to various black activists, including the Rev. Al Sharpton. Last week, Sharpton released a statement saying he would meet with Chapman when he has time in his schedule.      

       Chapman's attorney, Brook Hart, said his client is not a racist and vowed never to use the word again. Hart said Tucker Chapman taped the call and sold it to the Enquirer for "a lot of money." However, the Enquirer's editor in chief, David Perel, would not comment on how the tabloid obtained the tape.

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