From the current edition of Ken Mills' Spark News.
LEONARD LOPATE RESURFACES
IN NEW YORK AT WBAI
A friend in need is a friend indeed, sums up the radio marriage between Leonard Lapote and WBAI. Lapote has been looking for a way to get back on New York radio since being turfed and escorted to the door at WNYC in December 2017 amid allegations of inappropriate conduct (which he denies). WBAI wants to change the subject from its questionable management and financial irresponsibility.
According to the Facebook page WNYC: Bring Back Leonard Lopate, Lopate will begin a new Monday – Friday talk and interview show on WBAI on Monday, July 16th. Leonard Lopate at Large will be airing daily from 1:00pm – 2:00pm. The show will also be available as a podcast.
Lopate is a bankable host with over 40 years on New York radio, particularly at WNYC AM/FM where he became a city legend. He has won numerous awards for his interviews of philosophers, scientists, artists, journalists, economists, farmers, musicians, historians, authors and politicians.
The new gig brings Lopate back to WBAI, the station where he began his radio career in 1977. Lapote says his first guest on the July 16th will be New York Times veteran journalist Clyde Haberman.
KEN SAYS: Both Lapote and WBAI should benefit from this arrangement. However, it is important to keep Lapote’s move in context.
WBAI is hoping that WNYC listeners will hold their noses about Lapote’s alleged misbehavior and flock to 99.5 FM. Of course there will be curiosity when Leonard Lopate at Large debuts. But WBAI is no WNYC.
According to Nielsen Audio, WNYC-FM had 942,500 estimated weekly listeners in May 2018, the largest noncommercial radio audience in America. WBAI hasn’t subscribed to the Nielsen ratings for years but is thought to have fewer than 20,000 weekly listeners.
At WNYC, Lopate had the benefit of being part of schedule of very popular programs. A lot of people heard him simply because he was on WNYC.
At WBAI Lapote’s lead-in will be The Gary Null Show, a conspiracy-theory daily rant by a pill and potion pusher. In addition to his questionable ethics, Null’s show sounds awful. So Lapote will need to build an actual audience on his own.
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NOTE the description of Gary Null —Chris
Wonder what he'll do during fund drives, which is about 1/3 of the year.
ReplyDeleteKim
If he really is the big star they say he is, he will be on air. Don't expect him to raise much. That's someone else's problem. Stop disrespecting the pill and potion pusher. He is the one paying the bills.
DeleteThe fact that Gary Null may be bringing in more money than the rest of them does not automatically say that we should approve of his fraudulent sleek, mercenary ways. He is part of the reason why WBAI has seen a huge drain in listenership—his greed and complicity has become as transparent as the station’s failure to live up to Lew Hill’s noble mission.
DeleteI'm going to be totally cold blooded objective here. Will Lopate bring in listeners? Probably. Will he bring in money, which is why he's being brought back? No idea, possibly.
ReplyDeleteThe accusations against him aren't relevant to a station like WBAI, nor it's current listeners. And, as we know, all fallen people will still have their hardcore fans (remember Jim Bakker?).
So, for Reimers, this is a no loss and possible win situation. No one is going to tune away because of the accusations against Lopate, and he can only bring in some new listeners and money, potentially.
I really see Lopate having more trouble with the loons who are currently there, who will resent him for being NPR offspring, especially if he does bring in money.
SDL
Don't forget that Lopate has researchers, phone creepers and working equipment at WNYC. There were also more than one phone lines and while the rest of the station's programs included some rather dull stuff, the schedule had many hours of professional radio. Also, I heard little or nothing that would indicate commercial corporate censorship as far as content is concerned. The brief commercial messages that appear on WNYC are far more palatable than the endless, repetitive promos WBAI runs back to back.
DeleteThe BAI zombies like to point to NPR as representing everything they strive to avoid, but that is a shallow, deceptive argument that does not come close to excusing the hours and hours of genuine crap that emanates from WBAI's self-serving amateurs.
Then, too, Lopate descends from a station whose weekly listenership is said to be close to one million into a pit of pathetic scrap that at best can boast no more than 20,000. Making matters worse, the inept PNB and station management is not doing anything to stop the plunge. One show alone is not going to give WBAI a u-turn option.
Mission impossible.
WBAItes are jealous of NPR/WNYC, because it shows them what they could have been. Ever see a WBAIte refuse a gig at NPR/WNYC? Yeah, right. It's what they all want, but despise not having. The hatred by WBAItes of NPR/WNYC is totally irrational.
DeleteYou'd think WBAItes would criticize AM talk radio, but they prefer to dump on NPR/WNYC.
What may be funny is his following Null. I bet Null will love that. I almost hope that Lopate brings in more money than Null, just to see Null throw another temper tantrum. They are always good for laughs. Null really needs to create organic chill pills.
Ultimately, let's see if Lopate can get back to his roots at a nothing station like WBAI. it could be interesting...
SDL
I think a desired result is unobtainable by neither party through this forced remarriage.
DeleteAgree with these commentators.
ReplyDeleteBut wonder where The regular Righteousness that pacifica people claim, is now considering misbehaviors or worse, sexism or other isms, while being aghast at any others who act similarly ? Especially in media Oh NO !!!
And is NULL allowed Pacifica time because of $$$ mainly ?
How does that fit in with any Mission, ethics, good management ?
Or why is management allowed to do what they decry elsewhere, by their own overseers, LSB ? PNB ? IED ?
I think hypocrisy helps when buying access to WBAI's air.
DeleteI sense doubt about our friendly health guru especially since he is the one paying ALL the bills. You didn't really think Brady or Mimi were kicking in anything did you? Gary only has your best interests in part plus some marketing tips but that is not relevant to this discussion. Perhaps you should try some red stuff. An excellent source of nutrition derived from fruits and berries. He also offers green stuff. A superfood powder that offers you a powerful dose of all natural green nutrition.
DeleteIt's worth noting that this hiring (paid? unpaid? payment in kind, perhaps Null premiums?) hit the homepage of pacifica.org yesterday, Monday 9 July, emblazoned with innovative colour. Surprising, as the Foundation is not known for its online communicative efforts, witness the 'News' section: just two pieces, the latest info being from February 2015.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the homepage on 21 June was used to start carrying an info box re the publication of the FY2016 auditor's report, albeit a long seven days after its approval by the PNB (it's still there), but now the homepage is headed by one concerning Mr Lopate (BA? BS?). It seems to be a WBAI press release, undated & confusingly perhaps page 30 of a document, & goes under the name of He-of-the-Augsburger (of course the webmaster gives the statement no status).
It isn't just WBAI who are proud of their re-connection with Mr Lopate.
Maybe this is WBAI's future?
ReplyDeleteA new morning show-- WBAI Buddies - OJ and the Cos
followed by Smiley and Bates
Alt-Vita Men with Gary Null
Leonard Lopate
No-one seems to have commented on yesterday's Lopate WBAI broadcast. I listened from almost an hour before it started, & I was shocked, no doubt in my naivety, by the rock-bottom production. The continuity announcer, female, was talking about the station's financial problems, & becoming a BAI Buddy was the way to go. Then at c. 1208 ET she said they couldn't broadcast Gary Null as this time the WBAI problem was a broadcasting one, so some jazz came on. That continued for 10 mins or so, before we were graced, without warning, by a tape of Null in mid-sentence. Unbelievable (for a naive person like me!).
ReplyDeleteSome conspiracy conversation went on until almost the appointed hour – meanwhile I had better things to do so missed the first three mins or so of Lopate's re-debut. It was so boring. Seriously. He was chatting with some ostensible liberal journo who's had a long-term establishment career with NYT, etc. He spoke about his son & daughter also being journos, Lopate did the radio equivalent of nodding, & so it went on for the hour. No penetrating questions; no critical angles; not a note of dissension contaminating the hour. An hour worse than boring: anodyne, sterile, incapacitating. Zombie radio.
If this merits being on Pacifica's homepage we know where this ends.
Your descrption is accurate beyond belief—a thoroughly unprofessional interlude that managed to distill much of what is so repelling to an audience that seeks intellectal stimulation.
DeleteIt was embarrassing, awkward and insulting. It also underscored the extent to which Berthold Remers was unsuited for his position when other rank amateurs selected him several years ago. He has not learned anything.
Now he has turned programmng over to Linda Perry! Have we heard a peep from the PNB Rip van Winkles?
Don’t hold your breath.