Industry Figure Norm Pattiz Regrets Comments About Breasts

Norm Pattiz

Uiversity of California Regent and Chairman of Courtside Entertainment Group Norman Pattiz is known for his outgoing manner and jovial jibes — but, according to the LA Times,  in this time of heightened awareness about inappropriate conduct, he’s learning that some of what’s funny to him is sexually offensive to others.

Pattiz is chairman of the Courtside Entertainment Group, which produces radio shows and podcasts. He recently apologized after a woman said that, when she was taping a bra commercial at his PodcastOne studio, he asked if he could hold her breasts.

Heather McDonald aired an audiotape of his comments on her “Juicy Scoop” podcast last week. She said she was inspired to speak out by other women who came forward to describe their experiences with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and former Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes. The Los Angeles comedian, who left PodcastOne shortly after the incident, said she did not accept Pattiz’s apology or excuse that he was trying to be funny.

“Sexual harassment is not a joke,” she said in an interview.

Several other former employees and independent contractors of PodcastOne also say that Pattiz’s remarks about women’s bodies or looks sometimes made them uncomfortable. One woman, 23-year-old Ji Min Park, said she left the company in August after a year in large part because of too many sexually inappropriate comments.

Pattiz, 73, told The Times he “deeply regrets” the comments to McDonald and vowed not to repeat such behavior.

The prominent broadcast media entrepreneur founded Westwood One Inc., the nation’s largest radio network, four decades ago. In 2013, he started PodcastOne, a Beverly Hills network that hosts more than 200 podcasts.