Quick Takes
PBS countersuit against Smiley describes ‘over a dozen’ complaints of harassment
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PBS said that Smiley violated the morals clause of his production contract.
PBS
Smiley demands damages from PBS in lawsuit over harassment charges
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In a statement, PBS called the lawsuit “meritless.”
Programs/Content
PBS president says network has tightened harassment policies, is eyeing new late-night fare
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No deadline has been set for replacing Charlie Rose and Tavis Smiley, but options include retaining Christiane Amanpour’s show.
Programs/Content
PRI terminates relationship with Tavis Smiley
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An investigation of alleged misconduct also prompted PBS to suspend distribution of his weeknightly talk show.
People
Walker leaves AIR for ITVS, Lapin departs Current, and other comings and goings in public media
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The Independent Television Service has hired Noland Walker, former executive editor of the Association of Independents in Radio’s Localore project, as senior content director.
Quick Takes
PBS renews Tavis Smiley through 2015
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PBS has renewed its commitment to Tavis Smiley for another two years, keeping the talk show on public TV through 2015. “The highlight for me is surviving” as a late-night talk show, Smiley told the Associated Press. The program, which tapes in Los Angeles, will face less competition in booking guests once NBC’s The Tonight Show moves to New York in February, he noted.
Quick Takes
Tavis Smiley joins BlogTalkRadio
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In fall 2012, Tavis Smiley saw a decline in station carriage for his public radio program Smiley & West, including a high-profile drop from Chicago’s WBEZ. Now Smiley has found a new platform: online radio.
Programs/Content
Smiley plans “Latino Nation” symposium, to “re-examine assumptions”
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Public broadcaster Tavis Smiley is co-sponsoring a daylong symposium for discussion of issues of importance to the Latino community, modeled on his State of the Black Union gatherings. The April 6 event at Chicago State University, “Latino Nation: Beyond the Numbers,” is the first time that “such a diverse and representative group of Latinos discusses its broad agenda on a national stage,” said Antonio Gonzalez, president of the co-sponsoring William C. Velásquez Institute, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Smiley said that the “exponential growth” of the Latino community “demands that we re-examine the assumptions we hold to create new ideas and possibilities for a better, more united tomorrow.”
Agenda topics include health care, climate change, education, jobs and immigration. The participants, still being finalized, feature Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; Margaret Moran, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, and actress Eva Longoria. Smiley had sponsored State of the Black Union gatherings nationwide for 10 years, calling them “a pulse check on how African Americans were fairing economically, politically and socially.” He ended the events in 2010, saying that communication and activism on the Internet reduced the need for an annual in-person meeting.
Programs/Content
Tavis Smiley: It’s time to start walking the walk of service to minority communities
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Torey Malatia’s argument against “advocacy journalism” — leveled at Smiley & West after Chicago’s WBEZ carried the program for two years — is merely a weapon of mass distraction from the real issue.