New York Post

RADIO FREE ORGY

WFAN suit shocker

- By KEVIN DUGAN

WFAN was run like a frat house, with drinking by employees starting as early as 10 a.m. and execs condoning buying prostitute­s for ad clients, according to a shocking lawsuit filed Wednesday by a former CBS Radio ad exec.

Lauren Lockwood, who worked at WFAN from 2006 until last summer, claims the station’s execs tolerated a hostile work environmen­t that subjected her to sexual harassment.

On various occasions, WFAN host Joe Benigno (pictured) pressured her into having a threesome, the suit, filed in Brooklyn state court, claims.

Benigno “whispered in [her] ear about having ‘threesomes’ with him and his wife and prostitute­s,” the suit claims.

“Benigno showed [Lockwood] a nude photo of his wife with a prostitute and propositio­ned [Lockwood] to join him, his wife and a prostitute in sexual intercours­e,” the suit alleges.

Benigno was also accused in the 39-page lawsuit of ranking the office women on the basis of their looks — and carrying on an affair with a female subordinat­e for almost two years.

Lockwood claims that her career was cut short after she rebuffed Benigno’s advances.

Lockwood, 40, who sold ads for WFAN and the Yankees Radio Network, endured a “Mad Men”-like environmen­t where male executives’ affairs with subordinat­es were tolerated, the suit claims.

The former ad executive’s career came to a crashing end soon after a July 13, 2017 promotiona­l event before the Conor McGregor-Floyd Mayweather boxing match in Las Vegas, it is alleged.

In a luxury suite at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, a brawl broke out between a former male ad exec Lockwood brought as a guest and two current CBS Radio employees over the relative talents of the boxers, the suit claims.

As Lockwood moved to break up the fight, she was punched in the face, according to the suit.

The next day, Lockwood was the only employee to be suspended, it is alleged. Her boss, ad sales exec Sean Argaman, would later fire her, court papers claims.

The suit, which seeks $5 million in damages, names as defendants CBS Radio, Benigno, Argaman, Mark Zukerman, a second ad sales executive, and other unidentifi­ed employees.

Lockwood was an award-winning saleswoman and sold nearly $1 million in ads in 2016, according to the suit.

The complaint paints a picture of a work culture at CBS Radio that was heavy on drinking, especially “pickleback” shots — that is, a shot of whiskey followed by a shot of pickle juice.

At events where CBS Radio execs hosted clients, the liquor bill would run as high as $4,000, according to the complaint — double what was allowed under company policy.

In addition, CBS Radio executives also “knew and permitted the practice of taking prospectiv­e clients to strip clubs, especially during Yankee spring training trips,” according to the complaint.

CBS Radio, including WFAN, was bought by Entercom on Nov. 17, 2017.

An Entercom spokespers­on said the company does not comment on pending litigation.

But “we do intend to defend the company vigorously,” the spokespers­on said.

Benigno’s agent didn’t return a call seeking comment. Messages left for Argaman and Zukerman went unreturned.

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