This station was much better when we used to go to the 'radio room' on Tuesdays to hear 'uncle' Oscar Brand do his folk music show back in 1951. Oh, and schools were safe then, too.
2
From the day Leonard Lopate was frog walked out of WNYC's studios I have had nothing to do with that station. I've made no donations and I deleted all of their apps and podcasts.
All WNYC has said is that he once uttered the word "testicle" and he said he had no idea a woman was "so bosomy."
It sounded to me like John Hockenberry was a monster and Walker failed to do anything about him and then Lopate got swept up in the #metoo furor.
[[The board also called Ms. Walker “a committed and talented leader, and she has our full support.”]]
Well, good for her, because the station will never again get any support from me.
12
I am sure Laura Walker is worth every penny of her reported $888,110 salary.
8
I do contribute to the station but now I wonder---- about the million dollar compensation for Ms Walker. Next time the very annoying fund drive comes around I'll wonder again--about my contribution to this gaudy salary.
11
Proskauer is a well known management side firm that defends companies in discrimination, harassment and retaliation suits. The idea that any report by them would be anything other than a whitewash is wishful thinking.
14
Should the Times have disclosed its real estate relationship with Proskauer? Proskauer is a significant tenant of the Times building. While I don't know who owns the building, there seems to be a relationship that the Times should have disclosed.
Certainly the reporting should have been less biased.
See Special Hagen's comments for the full picture about how this all works with Proskauer.
7
So an investigation by a firm hand picked by WNYC management finds that harassment was not systemic? And does anyone believe that bunk? Even the employees of WNYC are not buying this one sided and biased investigation. At WNYC it is the same old liberal mantra" Do as I say, and not as I do" And to that you can add "You can fool some of the people all of the time",especially if your claim to be a Democrat, liberal or progressive.
7
I've been a regular listener for 35 years. I have no opinion regarding the harassment allegations or the work environment or this article. But I feel compelled to say that I never liked listening to Leonard Lopate or Jonathan Schwartz, and never understood why they had the status and following they did. I like the music show that has replaced Jonathan Schwartz's on Sunday much better! I know, who cares.
4
Laura Walker, this will not go away.
Until the alleged misdeeds of Leonard Lopate and Jonathan Schwartz are reported in specific detail for all to judge whether or not your actions were warranted and, if not their names, at least the positions their accusers held at WNYC are revealed, this will hound you.
Truth -- exact time, place, form, and event -- will resolve this. Absence of truth will cause it to persist.
13
Let her go.
11
Bottom line here.
This type of ugliness was declared illegal circa 1980.
Since then, countless people, mainly women have complained, sued, etc. and have won. I know I saw many in the large corporation I worked for.
In certain corporations like probably here, Weinstein group, Fox News etc. co dependents and enablers of predators and yes that includes many women help to bring back the ugly old days.
The only thing as bad as a predator is a co dependent or enabler.
Predators live for them.
4
She's gotta go. And apparently since only money talks, NYC members should cancel their donations.
19
They should put secret recordings to hear workplace bullying and everything esle.
1
This report is the final straw. Time to cancel my WNYC membership. I will find another way support NPR.
9
I had been an active listener and supporter of WNYC for the past 5 years but cancelled my membership following the victimization and demonization of Lopate and Schwartz. I know I will probably get some hate-filled responses for that but I remain angry at the way they were treated, 2 older white males, an easy target for a station which is easily the far left’s answer to Fox News, an echo chamber for wannabe hipsters.
Of course no one in WNYC were in any way responsible. Their well paid investigators assured their exoneration. WNYC borrowed a page from Chris Christie. His investigators exonerated him from any responsibility for Bridgegate. Shocking!
7
[[an easy target for a station which is easily the far left’s answer to Fox News, an echo chamber for wannabe hipsters.]]
Wrong.
Lopate has (I almost wrote "had" as if he were deceased) a vast range of interests including jazz and gospel music and put together annual celebrations for Christmas and MLK day.
If you listened to Lopate for a year and filled your phone (I was going to say CD player and then I was going to say MP3 player) with the music he played and your shelves with the books by the authors he interviewed, you'd be doing quite well for yourself.
5
White wash. With the ususal PR statement and a report filled with non-specifics, despite the interviews and stats. The system of white privilege continues unbloodied and unbowed, intact, the master of fates, the captains of power!
7
And it took five months to come up with this gobbledygook. What was the final bill from the law firm?
4
What a misleading headline! And based on the other handful of media stories about this report, with more or less identical headlines, I'm guessing it's been lifted from the press release. I'm a long-time WNYC listener, fan, and supporter, but this is public radio, and it calls for a public report, not something commissioned by the station itself and carried out by some law firm that knows better than to bit the hand that feeds. There's a great deal that this report doesn't explain to the station's listeners. No more donations in the meantime.
7
When an organization commissions an investigation of itself, how do you expect it to turn out? Who pays the piper ...
8
If Mr. Lopate and Mr. Schwartz had wished to, they could have made their own public statements, from denying the charges to explaining their perspective and/or saying their own farewell. As a longtime listener to both, I can say that I have the ability to separate out what I valued in their shows from behaviors I never was comfortable with and now recognize more clearly as demeaning attitudes toward women. I notice that most of the very forgiving, 'enough already' comments are coming from men, not women. The abruptness of their termination could certainly have been handled differently, with an on-air program dedicated to presenting their accomplishments as well as the types of complaints -- and provided a chance for them to send a farewell statement that could be read to listeners. But frankly, all the years their bad behavior went unpublicized and unpunished should mitigate the upset some listeners feel at losing them in this way.
3
Has it occurred to you they were just being reticent and reluctant to bring more conflict to an institution they continued to love and support? Not everyone is Donald Trump, with a pathological compulsion to always hit back. They were tried and found guilty in the court of public opinion, without a shred of evidence against them ever being presented.
4
Like others, I am listening to the Brian Lehrer Show right now on WNYC, and the WNYC reporters/employees interviewed on the air confirmed that a sizeable number of WNYC employees who asked to be interviewed by Proskauer about their experiences of bullying and harassment were never contacted! That means that this report is not, cannot be, the whole truth! Very disappointed in my favorite radio station, more specifically it's irresponsible leadership. Laura Walker says she takes responsibility, but, so what? What steps will she take to show that she means it, what steps will the board take to show that they "got" it? As WNYC's CEO, Laura Walker is ultimately responsible for an organizational culture permissive of bullying and harassment by supervisors yet dismissive and suppressive of employees' justified complaints. She (and the board) should go beyond words and show they mean it - real consequences, not words. Time for a change in leadership at WNYC!
14
I dumped Brian Lehrer ages ago. I'm no Trump fan, but Lehrer abandoned his journalistic impartiality and became an activist.
And then, not a peep from him that I've heard about the person he handed the microphone to for, what?, 20 years.
5
I'm listening to The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC and reporters are being interviewed regarding this report. WNYC management was asked to provide a spokesperson but did not. There are too many unknowns in the report, which was confirmed by the reporters. Although Ms. Walker many have "taken responsibility for the situation" she is still earning her high salary and beloved station personnel are not.
10
This is deeply disheartening. I love WNYC, and think it's an enormous beacon in the cultural firmament. That said, the people who make it so are people like Brian Lehrer, and people like him who drive programs that are inquisitive, informative, passionate and provocative. Overpaid stuffed shirts up top are doing what, exactly? Fact is, there are plenty of small-market radio stations with passionate, fascinating content as well, without enormously salaried brass. For the first time in the forty years I've been listening almost exclusively to WNYC, I think I'm going to tour the dial (especially on the internet), and find some alternatives. WHYY? WKCR? WBUR? Here I come. (Oh, and that monthly contribution—time to rethink it, Ms Walker...)
17
$968,000 annual income? Sorry, that rubs me the wrong way. It doesn't matter how much Ms. Walker has increased listenership; that is not what national public radio is or should be about. It is not in competition with commercial radio, and any pretense that it is only miscataegorizes the nature and purpose of public radio.
In addition, let me also add that it has become irritating the way mini-pledge drives sprout up continuously throughout the year now on public radio.
22
Members, here are your dollars at work. You should ask what the price tag was for this, I'm sure it is jaw dropping.
As a former employee who worked at the station for over a decade, I experienced bullying at the hands of my VP, manager and another co-worker. When a direct report left as a result, we reported it to HR and was told "this is not the first report for this person." Nothing was done.
And this report is exactly why so many people did not step forward. We know that management would do something like this: pay for an "investigation" that holds not a single member of Senior Management accountable. HR reports directly to Laura. How is it possible that she could not have known?
29
It's not just not possible, it's simply impossible! According to multiple former employees of WNYC, Ms. Walker was made aware of several instances of bullying and harassment at WNYC and did - nothing. On top of that, on today's Brian Lehrer Show, WNYC reporters stated on the air that a number of WNYC employees who wanted to speak to Proskauer were never given the opportunity. That invalidates the report in so many ways, and the stain remains. Time for a Spring cleaning at the station!
14
I used to listen to Lynn Samuels on WBAI. When she did fundraising, she would allude to that other public radio station and imply that contributing to that station was a waste of money and would pay for things like fresh flowers every day. I always wondered if she was exaggerating. Apparently she was understating the case. I now live in the Adirondacks and happily contribute to North Country Public Radio where I feel I'm getting way more than my money's worth.
21
Lynn was one of the most honest people in both her personal and broadcasting life. She was spot on in her assessment of the hypocrisy of these stations.
I'm not saying that Ms. Walker shouldn't be compensated with a good salary, but a million dollars including board member perks is ridicules.
4
Lynn was one of the true public broadcasters. Even when she went on commercial talk, she was still real and responsive to the public. The problem of becoming more important than your ideals is the path to corruption and exploitation of others.
4
I was very upset about how Lopate was let go. For what sounded pretty iffy, i think he deserved the benefit of the doubt considering all the years of public service he had given. I still think he was owed at least a week of tribute shows and a gracious goodbye. They did not have to humiliate him like that. I have stopped contributing as well. It is also to be noted that until last year, interns were not paid. I wonder how many of the reporters are salaried with benefits or do they use a lot of freelancers? Laura Walker's salary is unfair and for the station to yammer on about wealth distribution, healthcare, racism, sexism and so forth is very hypocritical. The headcount on white male glamour jobs, just like in every other sector is pretty noticeable at WNYC-though I love these men, it still hurts to constantly see white men getting all the best jobs everywhere I look. However, the way Schwartz and Lopate were humiliated was infuriatingly unfair, and I am still very sad about it. I think Walker should reduce her salary and make sure every person on that staff is properly salaried and has healthcare. Harumph!
31
I agree! I have stopped contributing as well.
4
Lopate and Schwartz were fired , in part, because they refused to change their pattern of behavior with women once it was pointed out that times have changed and female colleagues and guests will no longer tolerate comments and body contact that was considered acceptable by these men.
3
[[NYCSandi NYC
Lopate and Schwartz were fired , in part, because they refused to change their pattern of behavior with women once it was pointed out that times have changed and female colleagues and guests will no longer tolerate comments and body contact that was considered acceptable by these men.]]
Lopate got caught up in the whirlwind surrounding Hockenberry, who sounded like he had actual race and gender issues. Please give a link to an article or statement that Leonard Lopate inappropriately touched a woman or several women.
Additionally, the manner in which Lopate was suspended and then fired shows there was no "pattern" of behavior by him, as does the continued silence by WNYC and the continued bewilderment of his former listeners.
4
I was interviewed by Lopate. I liked him immensely. I was shocked when he was fired. But then the stories came out about the way he treated his staff on that show, and I lost all respect for him. One quote (on a story on wnyc.org) from someone who’d worked for that show really bothered me: “He made everyone cry at some point.”
I’ve worked in workplaces like that. Working for a bully is a horrible and utterly demoralizing experience. I’ve seen both men and women pretty much fall apart under that kind of stress. Yes, it’s really tragic that your two favorite hosts aren’t on air anymore, and probably it’s the end of public radio if not all of western civilization, etc., but spare a thought for the staff who don’t have to work with them anymore.
33
I stopped donating to WNYC last year because every show they had on no matter what subject always had a social justice warrior cause tossed in there and it just became overkill.I now just donate to wbgo the jazz channel in Newark nj
19
Sorry, but the station firing longtime hosts Leonard Lopate and Jonathan Schwartz after “an investigation” smacked a bit too much of #MeToo and an overpaid female boss. I will not renew my membership.
14
What makes Ms. Walker worth that much? I'd like to know. When they're saying on the pledge drive that we need the money for the transmitter, for NPR, etc. - they never say we need one dollar of every 50 to pay Laura Walker. I'd like to hear a show about the correlation between CEO compensation and some measures of company performance.
49
Is anyone really surprised by an expensive law firm whitewash? I stopped contributing awhile back when I learned that Walker’s salary had crossed 500k. I still listen to the national NPR programming in the morning and afternoon, but otherwise it’s not worth much. Plus, increasingly I access direct NPR programming online and listen to podcasts directly. Frankly, if WNYC disappeared from the airwaves, it would take me weeks to notice.
14
Looks like a white shoe law firm's whitewashing of a toxic environment to me. But hey, Ms. Walker raised tons of money so that's all that matters. No need to take responsibility for the bad stuff under her watch. Money, money, money, that's all that counts!
29
Indeed!!! Soft serve, self-serve is what should be on my mug the next time I donate money. Upper management got the pass they paid for.
9
Soft-serve - sounds like that Friday hour where Bill de Blasio panders to the masses on his state media outlet WNYC.
3
Recently, Mark Zuckerberg accepted full responsibility for the Cambridge Analytica debacle. Likewise, Laura Walker will accept the blame for work conditions at WNYC. In reality, these mea culpas translate into absolutely nothing meaningful. Someone who feels themselves to be unassailable is free to take the world on their shoulders before an audience and then shrug it off when nobody's looking.
13
What does it mean -- or rather what is the result -- of someone taking full responsibility. Zuckerberg appears to be changing the way FB interacts with 3rd parties. What has Walker done?
4
When I worked there, ongoing harrrassment was reported to senior management who explained it away or did nothing. The station that claims to be "in the pocket of big truth" just bought their own version of it. https://media.wnyc.org/media/resources/2018/Apr/24/Proskauer_Report_to_t...
22
Outrageous - An investigation that failed to find the politically correct result !
Obviously a white wash - anytime any group is found not to have systematically harassed America’s “victims” - it has to be a white wash - doesn’t it ?
Thankfully the leader is not a white male - so she may survive having been exonerated.
7
Those who enjoy the benefits of white privilege also deeply enjoy sarcasm; it's an identifying tell. Mockery is paired with privilege!
1
Especially if the law firm specializes in white washing management -- the Station hired it to investigate itself.
1
Jonathan Schwartz was the only reason for listening to this station. This MeToo movement has gone up far. Enough already!
11
The fix is in.
7
Walker should go. Absurd salary for the position. Ridiculous outcome. We miss Leonard Lopate.
22
It's a disgrace that they're constantly asking for donations while paying Laura Walker $768,000. Shame on them. I won't ever donate to public radio again.
45
Nothing like getting rich running a not-for-profit! How is Laura Walker any different than the Joel Osteens of the world?
22
Oh, just GREAT: the $ one million a year CEO didn't know what was gong on in her company.
She gets praised for her ignorance. She pleads poverty. Asking listeners to fork over their money for what or how much was raised is not revealed.
And for this she is given a pass? And continues in her job?
A disgusted former contributor.
41
This sounds like puffery. Would not be at all surprised to find out that Proskauer Rose and Ms. Walker are in cahoots somehow. Frankly, she looks like the cat that swallowed the canary.
The truth of the matter is, until a full vetting of the Leonard Lopate situation takes place, nothing will be settled. Whatever happened to him? Where is Leonard?!
19
I don't even know where to begin:
There have been no details of the report released. Why must it be secret if the "victims" have wilingly revealed themselves? I am someone who withdrew my funding and will not renew it because of this report. It's so obviously supporting the management who paid for it. No details. Why not? Nowhere is it explained why Mrl Cappello stepped down or was fired. According to what I heard on the WYNY air tonight, many of the major "victims" were not interviewed? Why not? Or if I'm mistaken, where can I read about what they said?
17
The firing of Jonathan Schwartz, New York legend and one of the most famous radio personalities in the world of American popular music, cabaret & jazz has been a devastating blow to music aficionados.
To have abruptly ended his career, the son of songwriter Arthur Schwartz, friend & supporter of hundreds of musicians around the world, is an everlasting stain on WNYC.
Bill Maher spoke Friday night, April 20, about a generation that has grown up believing that they are entitled to never be offended by anything said to them. That, no doubt, is what happened to both Jonathan and Leonard. If they were a bit haughty or not as kind as others would have preferred, that is no reason to have dismissed them summarily.
I have been a member of WNYC for most of my adult life, and it pains me to say my appreciation of the station has diminished greatly.
No one can replace Jonathan's knowledge and selection of music. No one. I know I am not alone in saying that, being a born and raised New Yorker, I have listened to Jonathan for over 47 years. His absence on WNYC's live broadcasts and streams has literally changed my life.
As for the noon to 2:00 p.m. slot, the only replacement for Lopate worth listening to is Jonathan Capehart, who does not host enough.
There isn't sufficient space here to talk about the awful injustice WNYC has brought upon these men, who did not deserve to have their careers end because they were not brought up at a time where hugging everyone you meet is mandatory.
26
I, too, wondered where the Music show would go without Jonathan Schwartz....but I don’t miss his wandering recollections, nor his devotion to artists he himself knew ( I miss Nancy Lamott too but there are other singers that were not represented EVERY show)and I don’t care who his father was. I am surprised to say John Cavalconte is doing a fine job and I am listening to music I have not heard before. I don’t like it all but at least I can make a judgment.
As for Leonard Lopate his last year on air was very self-serving even before accusations were made public. He needed to go.
8
So because Jonathan was talented and interesting he should be allowed to do anything he wants and make the lives of less famous employees a living hell? And not be accountable? And be given a free pass? That's basically what you are saying--he's talented, I liked his show, so he should be above the law and exempt from human decency. Ironically, this sort of attitude is exactly why he got away with it for as long as he did and why many employee were evidently justifiably afraid of reprisals if they complained. Disgraceful.
1
I listened to Jonathan Schwartz for fifty years. In that time his program on three different stations, most recently WNYC, introduced me to Janis Joplin, the writing of Moss Hart, a brilliant big band piece called "Mr. Smoke," and gave me a priceless education in the American songbook. Yes Mr. Schwartz was often enough arrogant, pompous, periodically insufferable, and as mentioned in the newly acclaimed novel "Asymmetry," "corny." He was also literate, thoughtful, articulate, and gave me and many in this city immense pleasure for a very long time.
He was dismissed at WNYC along with another host there who was accused of sexual harassment. The grounds for Mr. Schwartz's termination seem vague, and I can't help but wonder if his real fault was that his off mic style was really just an unedited version of his on air personality. Perhaps WNYC management really had no idea. A distinguished career ended very abruptly. This Proskauer report doesn't make me feel one bit better.
25
This is appalling. I heard John Hockenberry’s disrespect to his co-hosts on the air. I heard the women’s brilliance when he wasn’t there or allowed then a word. And then one after the other they disappeared and John remained. I’ve been mad about this for years. It doesn’t take a high priced report to figure this out. Didn’t Laura Walker ever listen to the radio? I’ve stopped contributing to WNYC. I had hoped they’d come clean. But it seems that they won’t.
20
I am a great fan of NPR. Its reporting is sterling. Discussion leaders like Brian Lehrer and Larry Mantle force us to learn more through their staff’s preparation, their deep understanding of the issues, their presentation skills and a fabulous platform on which they live.
So where’s the glitch? These great attributes come with the burden of a corporate environment, where upper level executives often get “incentivized”, or in real words, they make money when costs are cut, causing Human Resources to be understaffed. If that is the case, something is wrong with a system in which those who take care of us intellectually are not supported i. A real, meaningful way.
8
I don't know if Lopate and Schwartz were given due process. Were they warned after their offenses, or just dumped without warning? But there's another reason, that predated this, that I've cut my WNYC listening hours way down. Every time I hear the grating voice of Jamie Floyd come on, I jump up to turn the radio off. I can only assume she must be close to someone in WNYC's senior management. Why else would someone with such an irritating voice be on the air? If they continue to put Ms. Floyd on the air for several hours a day, I will have to find a different public radio station to listen to, which would mean missing out on local news.
16
I enjoy WNYC and its podcasts enormously and I have always felt a little guilty about not contributing, but I work in public interest and i am not rich. I don't feel guilty anymore. Ms. Walker's salary is outrageous, as is the lack of accountability.
16
listening to Leonard Lopate was one of the joys of ny radio.his show did not
involve shouting or interrupting other
guests.it was serious discussion in a
time where that has become extinct.
I have never heard Jonathan Schwartz,
but I am told that he did a fine show,
if one likes the American songbook.
Ms.Walker dismissed both of them
after what appears to be the flimiest
of investigations. me too is a movement
whose time has come,but not at the
expense of innocent men.
as for Jamie Floyd,one word:please!
16
I'm embarrassed to say that I kind of always imagined Lara Walker as a shlub with good taste, living paycheck to paycheck in a rent-controlled apartment on the Upper West Side, fighting the good fight for public radio. But $768,000 in 2016? Plus $200K for sitting on the board at Tribune Media? Not right.
19
The only reason that I ever listened to the station was to hear Jonathan Schwartz on weekends.
To take him off and not inform his listeners of the details that led to his ouster is problematic, to say the least.
I mean, after Trump, Weinstein, and Charlie Rose, it's not like we're squeamish.
17
Walker's salary guarantees that I will never contribute to public radio.
50
I'm beginning to feel the same way. I'm wondering too if they've fired some of the experienced behind the scenes people or driven them out. I've been noticing some interesting "mistakes" in the voice overs and between story talking.
If she's making that much money I'm not sure what I'm contributing to: her salary or the things I want to hear.
22
Although he was never accused of wrongdoing, WNYC's protractedly shabby treatment of the late-great Steve Post, that began under Ms. Walker's tenure, was a harbinger of what was to come. The recent dismissals were more housecleaning under the guise of retribution. Is there anyone on air at WNYC who was born before 1970? Where they claim sexism, I see ageism.
36
I agree. I think that WNYC used alleged sexual harassment as an excuse to get rid of older radio hosts, who have now been scapegoated for what appears to be a systemic problem. We never learned what Leonard Lopate and Steve Post allegedly did, most likely because whatever settlements they reached chad gag clauses. Lopate is 79 years old. His replacement hosts sound to be in their mid-30s.
I heard this evening on WNYC that many employees who alleged that the management was aware of, but not responsive to, complaints of abusive treatment were not interviewed by Proskauer. If true, that would be a typical ploy used by management investigators or outside law firms hired by the company to investigate – i.e., don’t interview the most credible victims. Proskauer was hired by the WNYC trustees for a reason – and that reason was not to taint financially successful management. Proskauer represents management – it is not the employees’ friend.
Remember when Paul Weiss moved on Bill O’Reilly? It was said then that the younger Murdochs wanted to overhaul Fox, and that it was they who had hired the Paul Weiss firm. Suddenly, all the women who had been complaining for years were given the opportunity to speak on the record. How convenient for the young Murdochs - and don’t think for a minute that their lawyers were not aware of company politics and younger Murdochs’ ambitions.
These investigations are often rigged games. Better to let the NYT and Washington Post do the investing.
7
'the late-great Steve Post' -- those are the right roses for that man. he made radio like no one else.
7
Steve Post, may he rest in peace.. if he could stand it.
His memorial service was a gathering of the famous and infamous.. and a show of love and respect.
He got bumped off the morning show post 9/11..and then after his health struggle, returned with the brilliant No Show..
It is truly a shame how he was treated.
9
Have to admit, I miss Leonard Lopate.
37
Me, too! The best!
8
It was a shock to hear about old man Lopate's behavior. You always have to watch out for those holier than thous. Laura will have to start to earn that big salary now. The station's dreary programming needs a lot of work.
3
Hockenberry, the national star, harasses women, particularly women of color, right out the door for years and no "systemic discrimination" is "known to, and tolerated by," senior management. This is baloney. Laura Walker makes too much money at an exempt organization not to be held accountable. I guess money talks. They'll never get any of mine.
40
I still miss Leonard Lopate and Jonathan Schwartz... are there no reparations, apologies or programs that would allow them to return to WNYC?
40
None that I would accept. I'm tired of entitled old men who think they're Goddess's gift to women.
5
Proskauer is well known for delivering the results its paying clients ask for. What is called for is an independent investigation into the workplace culture at WNYC and the abrupt (and, in the view of many, improper and cruel) dismissals of Leonard Lopate and Jonathan Schwartz -- two pillars of the WNYC public radio tradition that is rapidly fading into corporate ignominy. Where does the buck stop? Apparently at the carcasses of two septuagenarian radio legends deemed expendable after management's egregious failure to properly discipline John Hockenberry. Shame on the WNYC management team, Laura Walker in particular, and the feckless board of directors and community advisory board.
55
Yes, amazing that nobody except the people whom they already wanted to dispose of were guilty. What are the chances? Right out of Stalin's playbook.
7
When I complained to my employer about gender and age discrimination, Proskauer was hired to investigate. I was not told about the investigation until it was over, I was not told until I threatened to sue my employer the name of the firm that had “investigated,” and I- the complainant - was not interviewed during the so-called investigation.
Apparently, what Proskauer did was interview those people whom I had accused of discrimination, all of whom told Proskauer that they hadn’t discriminated - they were “shocked, shocked” that anyone believed otherwise. (Apologies to Rick and Louie.)
Bogus investigation, baloney finding, and thank goodness I had hired an excellent employee lawyer.
Proskauer is a management tool; and “tool” is the nice word I use because this is a comment in the New York Times.
17
I'm afraid this perception is widely held, word-for-word..
2
All very unclear. Without Leonard Lopate and Jonathan Schwartz I just don't care to listen to the station.
I don't quite trust a non-profit outfit that pays nearly $1 million plus benefits to anyone there.
43
Leonard Lopate is gone and listeners (no-longer-listeners, in my case) have instead a parade of amateurish, politically-correct hosts, none of whom are particularly interesting to a broader audience -- and all that for nothing particularly egregious or systematic?
Did I get that right?
63
A broader audience ? There is no broad audience at WNYC! It is assumed all listeners hate Trump, adore DiBlasio, read books by liberal authors, abhor racism but sit on our butts and do nothing about it except vote.
2
For me, this article said essentially nothing other than whitewashing a few senior people. I withdrew my very long-term sponsorship after the station canned Leonard Lopate and Jonathan Schwartz and I learned about Laura Walker's $768k salary. Good for her and for the top executives there. I do not miss the station at all.
41
If WNYC, Laura Walker, its Board of Directors and Proskauer Rose think any of this will be sufficient to win back the trust and money of the many contributors who've abandoned the station the last few months they are sadly mistaken.
Trust us, we got this covered. Really?
The headline "...no systematic harassment " can't have been worth the Proskauer fee because the only reason it could find no systematic harassment was that Walker et al. were too incompetent and too uninterested in their day jobs to ensure a work environment where anyone would want to tell them what was going on all around them.
And, as with City Ballet and the Metropolitan Museum, the Board was asleep at the wheel or willing to pretend to be asleep as long as the money kept flowing in.
I'm not giving another penny to the joint as long as Laura Walker gets to stay on, Proskauer whitewash or no. And
42
I worked for WNYC for almost 6 years in the Underwriting department from 2002-2007. I was systemically bullied by the HEAD OF HR and it was the reason I left. My Executive Director knew about the situation and Laura Walker called me after my resignation to talk to me about it. I told her that it was disgusting that it was a known fact that the head of HR was bullying me, had made me cry in the office in front of colleagues on numerous occasions and had tried to block me from being successful at my job as a salesperson and that nothing was done. I can't believe it has taken this long to do anything- and of course management is protected still.
72
Dana, your comment is very important! I am sorry you had to endure this. The current official line (also reflected in this article) is that Laura Walker was unaware of any bullying and harassment before John Hockenberry' s exit. Since you talked to her long before this and as you told her about how you were bullied by your superiors at the station, Ms. Walker's claimed ignorance of such goings-on warrants additional scrutiny.
17
This is an organization whose motto is "The New York Conversation."
Over the past months, they have been consistently unable to tell listeners exactly what the problems were with two fired hosts, Leonard Lopate and Jonathan Schwartz.
They have not been able to tell its listeners what criteria or process will be used to evaluate new hosts or how they intend to rebuild trust from listeners, employees, hosts, or management. They have not led any open forums in which listeners could hear from Board members or from Public Radio staff about anyone's concerns. They have not let listeners hear anything about any strategy going forward.
Meanwhile, management continues to relentlessly run the non-commercials (this is non-commercial radio, after all) asking us to leave money to WNYC in our wills and to become sustaining members, to pay for a vision we are not privy to.
In short, they call themselves "public radio" without being able to explain precisely what the word "public" means in the two word phrase "public radio."
For a "New York Conversation," it's awfully one-sided.
78
WNYC has repeatedly said that Leonard Lopate committed "improper actions," but there has never been a clue about WHAT the guy ACTUALLY DID. This is completely different from the way the cases of John Hockenberry, Garrison Keillor, and others, where eventually the stations that fired them gave (or at least leaked) details about their bad behavior.
This makes me suspect that there wasn't any bad behavior that would stand up to the light of day and that real reason for firing Lopate is that having a 70-something as one of your major media personalities isn't as attractive to Millennials, as someone younger and hipper.
(I also couldn't help noticing that my annual contribution would pay Laura Walker's salary for about 9 minutes....)
32
Proskauer is an aggressive, management-side labor and employment firm. The firm helps employers fire people. I would be very skeptical of any report by Proskauer that exonerated management.
In the case of WNYC, several high-profile employees, including Leonard Lopate, have been fired. It appears that the report shifts blame to the employees that have already departed, while absolving management. (WNYC management has been very successful in growing the station. The trustees paid for the report.)
Next time, an employer accused of systemic sexual harassment might try hiring an employee-friendly law firm; I'd be surprised if the "investigation" exonerates management.
33
All contributors are owed at the very least a summary of the report. We are more than listeners to the network of stations. It is our dollars that go to the sustainability of public radio. As such we deserve a full explantion why certain radio hosts left and what the network is doing to establish a safe environment for all employees. In fact, releasing the report would be a major step toward transparency.
53
It would have been good if the article had provided at least some information on what changes, if any, Ms.Walker and her colleagues in senior positions at WNYC have made or are making to address the fear of reprisals that kept staff from reporting harassment. In a case like this, the absence of planned changes is newsworthy all in itself. Apologies are nice, reforms and improvements show you mean it!
15
I woud have distrusted any slapped together plan for "changes" announced before there is time for senior management (not HR by itself nor the outside counsel) to have a careful planning process after some soul searching about why they were ignorant of the problems. The report was released today.
5
I agree on the need to digest the report before taking concrete actions, but expected at least some kind of statement from Ms. Walker and the WNYC board that the recommendations laid out on page 6 and following of the report will be implemented, or at least considered. It's way past a "nothing to see here, move along" situation. The only explanation for the radiosilence (pun intended ) from Ms. Walker that makes sense to me is that the WNYC board is evaluating her future role at WNYC.
3
Proskauer tends to represent management in employment discrimination cases. They are one of the most aggressive agents for employers in such cases.
If only we could see the notes and report from the investigation.
29
If anything the stars need to be held to account for their actions. They set the tone. So, incidentally does the head of corporation. My question is how could they miss the harassment and bullying. And I know part of the answer: senior staff almost never knows how the underlings are treated because senior staff is not approachable. No matter how flat the hierarchy is staff who are not stars do not feel free to complain about being mistreated by the stars of the company.
Nearly every person who works can tell a story of being harassed or witnessing harassment. And all of us know that going to HR is a waste of time and can cost us our jobs. Perhaps companies need to have their executive staff spend more time among the regular workers rather than isolating themselves in corner offices. And perhaps they might start to consider who the real stars are.
25
So Leonard Lopate is blown out, career obliterated, and Laura Walker earns nearly $1 Million a year in salary and benefits for running a local not for profit (not even a national organization).
Something doesn't seem right about that.
96
Do you even care about whether the investigation was biased? Do you care about the victims?
6
The article cites a six-fold increase in listenership and a 12-fold increase in budget. That makes Ms Walker's compensation sound like bargain. Hosts of shows, like Lopate & Lehrer, who I think made/make about a quarter-mill a year, probably thank Ms W for their amped-up level of compensation.
The article contains a link to the actual 10-page Proskauer report. It does not mention Lopate or Schwartz, who reputations are still left to twist slowly in their respective winds. It is quite critical of the station --mainly, top management. It makes many concrete proposals. The many negative comments about the firm do not strike me as relevant to this particular report.
I have listened to and spoken with Leonard Lopate for 40 years; I have to remind myself that he is not actually my friend. I don't really know what he did, or how bad it was. Maybe he was brought down by just a couple women, to the dismay of 100 other women. (Probably the proportions are not so stark.) Maybe he was mostly guilty of acting like a man of his generation. Many men are paying a price for that, perhaps somewhat deservedly. It strikes me that the Lopates and Frankens are paying too close to the price of pan-generational monsters like the Cosbys and O'Reillys.
4