Leonard Lopate and Jonathan Schwartz, two longtime hosts at WNYC, have been put on leave effectively immediately pending investigations into allegations of inappropriate conduct.
Lopate is the go-to guy for arts PRs.
More here.
UPDATE: They are fired
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Lopate has been on the air for decades, highly regarded by many, many New Yorkers. Unbelievable to read this. Schwartz is the son of the great songwriter, Arthur Schwartz. He was on a commercial station for many years before switching to ‘NYC.
In the current climate, no one will get a fair hearing, on either side. Sadly, much of it is simply in the court of public opinion. I have no sympathy for the guilty and I stand with rightful accusers. However–and I have no knowledge of the WNYC accusations–but I feel for the wrongfully accused, and there must be many. There are both predators and vengeful people out there. We are living in a sick little world at present.
Could it be that “sick little world” feels sicker only because, at last, the cat is out of the bag, with no place to hide? To be sure, as in anything, there will always be opportunists seeking advantage out of a particular cultural moment. But I think in these cases of sexual predation going public there is scant chance of that. The potential ruinous legal fees for accusers/victims for having to defend their cases in a court of law are a big deterrent. Not to mention the potential suffering of collateral damage such as reputation, job loss, humiliation, ostracism, etc. Major deterrents. So no one coming forward with sexual impropriety allegations against powerful, public figures should be taken lightly or dismissed. See?
There is a major difference between “taken lightly or dismissed” and considered according to the fairness and determination of the law. The U.S. is a land of laws. As you say, “See”?
“…I feel for the wrongfully accused, and there must be many.”
Must there?
Spot on.Hysteria on McCarthy level.
Isn’t that Harvey Weinstein on the photo?
No. It’s Leonard Lopate. Harvey is significantly larger and sadder looking. They do look the same.
Can we just stipulate to the fact that everybody is an actual or a wannabe perv and get it over with ?
From which little hole does this come? A classical music one, again?
To stipulate to?
Maybe this, I guess? http://www.dictionary.com/browse/stipulate?s=t
5. Law. to accept (a proposition) without requiring that it be established by proof:
to stipulate the existence of certain facts or that an expert witness is qualified.
Bear in mind, folks, that “inappropriate behavior” does not necessarily mean sexual behavior.
For what it’s worth, I’ve seen one comment purporting to be from a former WNYC employee saying that, contrary to his on-air persona, Lopate was frequently abusive with his staff (I take that to mean screaming and/or insults) and that Schwartz would frequently get himself in hot water for things he said on and off the air.
Also worth noting is that, like John Hockenberry, Lopate (who is 77) seems to have suffered a drop-off in skill over the past year or so. I haven’t seen any word to that effect from sources inside the station, but to my ears it has been quite audible in the broadcasts.