A former public radio host in New York city who started his career at KLCC has been accused of sexual misconduct by an author and some of his former colleagues.
The Associated Press reports author Suki Kim said she met former WNYC “The Takeaway” host John Hockenberry in 2014 as a guest on the radio program. He later sent her a series of emails that made her uncomfortable, asking for her home address so he could write her letters and entitling a subject line: “Need another dose of you,” she wrote in an article published on New York Magazine’s website.
After the accusations against media mogul Harvey Weinstein broke, Kim decided to ask Hockenberry’s former colleagues about whether they ever felt uncomfortable, she wrote. One former colleague, Kristen Meinzer, told Kim that Hockenberry made unwanted advances and wrote her sexually explicit notes through social media. She eventually left the show.
Hockenberry left "The Takeaway" in August, saying it was time to move on. A spokesperson for New York Public Radio said Hockenberry’s contract expired June 30 and the company cannot comment on why it was not renewed.
A statement from “The Takeaway” posted on twitter said the show was disturbed by the report and takes the allegations very seriously. Hockenberry issued a statement to the website, saying he was horrified people felt uncomfortable.
The 61-year-old Hockenberry hosted “The Takeaway” from 2008 until earlier this year and is a four-time Emmy award winner. Hockenberry got his start in journalism as a news volunteer at KLCC in 1979. He visited Eugene in May and was the featured speaker as part of the station’s 50th anniversary celebration.
