Leonard Lopate, Jonathan Schwartz Suspended By WNYC

NEW YORK, NY — Public radio station WNYC on Wednesday pulled two of its most prominent hosts, Leonard Lopate and Jonathan Schwartz, from their shows while it investigates allegations of "inappropriate conduct" against them.

Lopate and Schwartz are on leave as the investigation continues, according to tweets from WNYC reporters.

"New York Public Radio takes these kinds of allegations very seriously and is reviewing these matters promptly," Laura Walker, NYPR's CEO, said in a statement that WNYC reporter Ilya Marritz read on the air Wednesday.

The announcement came just before the start of Lopate's two-hour show, which airs every day from noon to 2 p.m. Mary Harris, host of WNYC's "Only Human" podcast, is filling in for him.

The investigations of Lopate and Schwartz follow allegations of sexual harassment by John Hockenberry, the longtime host of WNYC's national show "The Takeaway."

Lopate has hosted "The Leonard Lopate Show" for more than 30 years, interviewing politicians, artists and other prominent figures. The show is one of WNYC's best-known programs. It won a Peabody award in 2012.

Schwartz has worked in New York City radio for 50 years and at WNYC since 1999. He hosts "The Jonathan Channel" and "The Jonathan Schwartz Show," which account for hours of WNYC programming each week.

Lopate told CNN he was escorted from WNYC's Tribeca office on Wednesday but was not told what specifically the allegations included.

"I'm baffled by this. It makes absolutely no sense to me," Lopate told CNN. "I'm sure that any honest investigation will completely clear me."

(Lead image: Leonard Lopate speaks at an event in 2015. Photo by Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images)