Tavis Smiley returning to public radio

Received by Newsfinder from APMar 10, 2005 20:49 Eastern Time By LYNN ELBERAP Television WriterLOS ANGELES (AP) _ Tavis Smiley has found a new public radio home and will begin hosting a weekend discussion show next month. Smiley, who left National Public Radio in December after a contract dispute, on Thursday announced a deal with Public Radio International to host “The Tavis Smiley Show” and produce other programs. He will continue to serve as host of his late-night PBS talk show “Tavis Smiley” and is creating a series of prime-time specials for PBS. The first, “American Ascension,” is set to air this summer. Smiley said he missed the daily intellectual stimulation of radio. “I received as much as I gave,” he told The Associated Press. “Just moderating these conversations every day, asking questions every day, I learned as much as the audience did.” Smiley “deserves to be heard on public radio,” Eleanor Harris, PRI marketing and distribution chief, said in a statement. Smiley’s show reflects PRI’s effort to broaden “the range and reach of public radio,” she said. The show, debuting April 29 as two hours of programming intended to air in the Friday-to-Sunday window, will feature newsmakers and regular commentators including Princeton professor Cornel West and former congressman J.C. Watts. In 2002, Smiley became the host of NPR’s first black-oriented show. He left when his contract ended, alleging NPR didn’t make his show’s renewal a priority and failed to live up to promises to expand marketing efforts. NPR maintained it was eager to keep Smiley on the air but financially unable to meet his demand for what it characterized as a hefty marketing budget. Ed Gordon, like Smiley an alumnus of Black Entertainment Television, was hired by NPR as host of the daily “News & Notes with Ed Gordon.” Radio stations can be affiliated with both the PRI and NPR networks, and Smiley said he “fully expects to be on the same number of stations, if not more,” than the roughly 90 affiliates he reached with NPR. His schedule, including TV and book obligations and his nonprofit foundation, makes resumption of a daily radio show difficult now, he said. Smiley wants to bring other minorities on board with programming produced by his company and distributed by PRI under the new deal. “I figure I’m not the only person of color who can do this successfully,” he said of creating public radio shows.