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Leonard Lopate, Longtime New York Radio Host, Dies at 84

Theater of My Mind said:
Leonard Lopate spent 32 years at WNYC until he was fired in 2017, early in the MeToo movement. Following that, he finished his career at WBAI.

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I didn't realize he was that old. Perhaps if Lopate had been a younger man, and WNYC saw more of a future with him, they might have fought harder to refute the charges. TPTB might have seen this as a convenient way to push him out the door, eliminate a high salary and repurpose his daily two hours to either a younger host or a program (or two) off the NPR satellite.
 
The strange thing is that he was interviewed for his own obituary. I know they're often prepared years in advance, but is it normal for journalists to call up old celebrities, and say "hey, just in case you die, can I ask you a few questions?"

And I've heard guys make cruder comments than that during a corporate HR training seminar on sexual harassment.
 
kevtronics said:
The strange thing is that he was interviewed for his own obituary. I know they're often prepared years in advance, but is it normal for journalists to call up old celebrities, and say "hey, just in case you die, can I ask you a few questions?"
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They wouldn't phrase it the way you did, but if a newspaper has the resources to interview notable people for a future obit, yes, this is normal.

I would think it could be flattering to be considered for such an interview, and it gives the person a chance to shape how people will remember them. If handled with tact, the interviewee may well want to talk.

There are some days in which the obituaries are the best part of a newspaper. More people than you would think have fascinating life stories.

There have been situations in the New York Times where the person who wrote most of the obituary for someone who died turns out to have died earlier. They still get the byline credit, which is as it should be.
 


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