Two living legends have been suspended indefinitely from the airwaves at New York public radio station WNYC.
On Wednesday, the radio station announced that Leonard Lopate, 77, and Jonathan Schwartz, 79, are being taken off the air while they investigate allegations of ‘inappropriate conduct’.
Lopate is the host of the Leonard Lopate Show, which covers a broad range of topics. Schwartz curates his own 24/7 music station, The Jonathan Channel.
New York Public Radio’s Chief Executive Laura Walker said in a statement that the station ‘takes kinds of allegations very seriously and is reviewing these matters promptly.’
Leonard Lopate, 77 (left), and Jonathan Schwartz, 79 (right), were suspended from WNYC on Wednesday
In an interview with the New York Times, Lopate – a radio personality of more than 30 years – said he was informed about the suspension just before he was about to go on air Wednesday morning.
In a meeting with the stations chief content officer, an HR rep and a union rep, Lopate was told that ‘there were many’ complaints from guests – but they refused to go into detail about the allegations.
Lopate said he was baffled.
‘I have never done anything inappropriate on any level — that’s not the way I conduct my job,’ he said. ‘This may just be the current environment, but this is kind of overkill.’
He said he was asked if he remembered any situations that might have made anyone uncomfortable and he recalled saying the word ‘testicle’ in front of a colleague once while explaining the etymology of the word which comes from an Aztec word for the body part.
‘It makes no sense to me,’ he said. ‘I am sure any honest investigation will completely clear me. That’s the only thing I’m concerned about — the damage to my reputation.’
Schwartz has not issued a statement since his suspension.
Fellow WNYC host Mary Harris filled in for Lopate on Wednesday. She took to Twitter after and said it was ‘the hardest hosting I’ve ever done’.
Lopate and Schwartz aren’t the first radio personalities to fall in the sexual harassment scandals.
Last Friday, The Cut published an expose on fellow WNYC host John Hockenberry’s alleged history of sexual harassment, unwanted touching and bullying.
Also last week, A Prairie Home Companion’s Garrison Keillor had similar accusations made about him.
Other allegations have been made about Michael Oreskes, who led NPR’s news division, and David Sweeney, NPR’s chief news editor.