With the recent televising of the now annual State of the Black Union address. I thought this would be an opportune time to acknowledge the work that Tavis Smiley has put out over the last few years.
I personally have been a fan of Mr. Smiley for several years. I was introduced to him, like most people, when he was the late night talk show host on BET. The show covered a wide range of topics within the black community. His strong fan base was very apparent with the outrage that came with the announcement that he was being relieved of his duties at the station. This announcement came shortly after the announcement that BET was being bought by the corporation Viacom. At the time BET founder, Robert Johnson was forced to do some damage control stating that Smiley would have been released whether the deal with Viacom had gone thru or not.
Since then Tavis has had a run as a radio show host on NPR. The show ended due to differences with the station. If you are interested in hearing Smiley's version of the story you can click here.
I personally have been a fan of Mr. Smiley for several years. I was introduced to him, like most people, when he was the late night talk show host on BET. The show covered a wide range of topics within the black community. His strong fan base was very apparent with the outrage that came with the announcement that he was being relieved of his duties at the station. This announcement came shortly after the announcement that BET was being bought by the corporation Viacom. At the time BET founder, Robert Johnson was forced to do some damage control stating that Smiley would have been released whether the deal with Viacom had gone thru or not.
Since then Tavis has had a run as a radio show host on NPR. The show ended due to differences with the station. If you are interested in hearing Smiley's version of the story you can click here.
He has since had his television show picked up by PBS.
I have to admit I am not as much of a fan of this new show. In my humble opinion, this new show really lacks the personality, energy, and hard hitting questions that his previous television show had. Working for the likes of NPR and PBS can sap the flavor out of any man. I actually find the show hard to watch. Even with one of the most well rounded guest list of any show on television, every interview just puts me to sleep. There are no hard hitting questions, nothing that would catch anyone off guard. If a guest avoids answering a question, Tavis doesn't push the issue. It is just a very "safe" show. I recently tuned in to catch an interview with Bill Maher, the political comedian. It was the most lackluster interview I have ever seen of Bill Maher.
That being said, I can't reasonably expect every show on television to cater to me. I am sure there are plenty of people out there who are fans of the toned down Tavis.
Luckily for those out there like me, Tavis has not rested on just the success of his television show. With the State of Black Union address he brings together politicians, academics, and social leaders together in one setting to discuss social issues facing the African American community. He has also been able to get panel discussions of this event aired on C-SPAN, so people from all over the world can be inspired by these great thinkers. In 2006, Smiley took the steps to go from talk to action by creating the "Covenant with Black America." The covenant address specific issues within the community from healthcare to technology.
Tavis Smiley should definitely be applauded for his work in uplifting his community. There will be more posting in the future giving further detail on his continued contributions. If you would like to read more about the Covenant with Black America you can click here.
No comments:
Post a Comment