Former WNYC/PRI 'The Takeaway' Host John Hockenberry Accused Of Sexual Harassment

Photo: PRI

JOHN HOCKENBERRY, the retired former host of NEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO News-Talk WNYC-A-F/NEW YORK and PUBLIC RADIO INTERNATIONAL's syndicated public radio show "THE TAKEAWAY," is being accused by a guest and former co-workers of sexual harassment.

In an article posted late FRIDAY night (12/1) at NEW YORK MAGAZINE's THE CUT, SUKI KIM, an author who appeared on "THE TAKEAWAY" as a guest in DECEMBER 2014 and met with HOCKENBERRY twice at his request to "brainstorm," wrote that in subsequent emails, HOCKENBERRY suggested being more intimate ("Any interest in a museum and coffee?”; “Next time maybe we could try for something outside in the park maybe the MET or something”; “Let’s do a date”; and “Need more KIM," leading to an email with the subject line “Need another dose of you”).  Curious as to whether others had experienced similar interactions with HOCKENBERRY, KIM wrote that she found out that they had, including one group being "unwelcome sexual overtures, physical and verbal, directed at the younger women who worked on the show as low- to mid-level producers, assistants, and interns," and the other being HOCKENBERRY's co-hosts who "didn’t describe sexual run-ins with him but bullying behavior that undermined their performance."

One former co-worker who went on the record was former "THE TAKEAWAY" culture producer and present PANOPLY MEDIA Dir. of Nonfiction Programming KRISTEN MEINZER, who recounted an incident after she booked Oscar-winner MARION COTILLARD as a guest when HOCKENBERRY "rolled right up to me at my desk, grabbed my face and started kissing me."  The incident was followed by social media comments by HOCKENBERRY joking about sex.  Another former producer who asked to be anonymous alleged that when the staff was once put up at a hotel due to a pending snowstorm, HOCKENBERRY asked her to his hotel room to work but he instead started kissing her; he also allegedly asked another female staffer via Gchat to "get a hotel room," for which he apologized.  "BY THE BOOK" podcast co-host JOLENTA GREENBERG, who worked on the show for three years, said that HOCKENBERRY had "trouble with boundaries... he's touching your waist, hips -- he totally touched my ass."  Interns offered stories of HOCKENBERRY making inappropriate remarks online and in person, with one told by a freelance producer, "yeah, he's creepy, just stay away."

As for the co-hosts, the first, ADAORA UDOJI, left after 8 months and is reportedly under a nondisclosure agreement; FARAI CHIDEYA co-hosted for four months and says that HOCKENBERRY was initially friendly but got "nastier" as it appeared that she might become a regular, telling her, "you shouldn't stay here just as a 'diversity hire.'  And you should go lose weight."  A third co-host, CELESTE HEADLEE, said she had heard about her predecessor UDOJI's conflict with HOCKENBERRY, thought she could handle him better, but felt that he was "sabotaging" her and interfering with her ability to perform, finally filing a formal grievance before the station declined to renew her contract.  "Men like JOHN are protected for decades," HEADLEE concluded.

HOCKENBERRY's response to the article, included therein, was a statement reading, “I’ve always had a reputation for being tough, and certainly I’ve been rude, aggressive and impolite. Looking back, my behavior was not always appropriate and I’m sorry. It horrifies me that I made the talented and driven people I worked with feel uncomfortable, and that the stress around putting together a great show was made worse by my behavior. Having to deal with my own physical limitations has given me an understanding of powerlessness, and I should have been more aware of how the power I wielded over others, coupled with inappropriate comments and communications, could be construed. I have no excuses.”

Most recently, after his retirement, HOCKENBERRY guest-hosted CHARLIE ROSE's PBS talk show before ROSE himself was fired for sexual harassment.

NEW YORK PUBLIC RADIO's response was a statement stressing that HOCKENBERRY is no longer employed by it or PRI and that its silence after complaints regarding HOCKENBERRY should not be construed as meaning no action was taken. "Except for outright termination, which is self-evident, the imposition of any of these sanctions is not something that is disclosed to -- or observable by -- employees or others who raise a complaint, including the complainant. And this is the conundrum employers face — how to reassure people who raise a complaint that complaints are taken seriously while at the same time protecting confidentiality for all parties involved," NYPR contended.  "It’s a paradox we are attempting to address as we work to make it easier — for those who’ve experienced inappropriate behavior as well as those who witness it — to come forward."

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