Tavis Smiley to Leave NPR After 3 Years

[Khephra]

WASHINGTON -- Talk-show host Tavis Smiley said Monday he will be leaving National Public Radio, which he said has tried hard but fallen short of reaching "a broad spectrum of Americans who would benefit from public radio."

Smiley, 40, said Monday that Dec. 16 will be his last day as host of "The Tavis Smiley Show."

Launched in January 2002, the show is a daily, one-hour program, a collaboration between NPR and public radio stations with predominantly black audiences.

Smiley said he decided against renewing his contract, which is up at the end of the year.

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/news/wire/sns-ap-people-tavis-smiley,0,2912886.story?coll=sns-ap-entertainment-headlines

[meganmonkey]

1. That sucks!

I had just gotten into his show when they took it off of WDET (Detroit) a few months ago... :(

[democraticinsurgent]

2. wonder what that means exactly?

was he pushed or did he jump? if he fell short of his goal, but decided not to renew his contract, it's hard to tell.

i thought his show was pretty good but I didn't like Smiley himself very much. His ego tended to get in the way too often, and his style was just kind of off-putting.

the reporters he used were excellent and I especially enjoyed Tony Snow, his frequent stand-in.

I hope someone else picks up the ball. NPR is way too whitebread and this doesn't help.

[dogman]

3. Seems a shame.

As NPR slowly drifts toward Faux.

[Dinger]

9. Yup, To The "Right" They Go

Definitely sucks

[420inTN]

4. Does he still have his TV show? n/t

[Sporadicus]

5. Further Proof

That NPR / PBS is going to hell in a handbasket - a steady shift to the right. Forcing out Bob Edwards, allowing _ucker Carlson aboard, losing Bill Moyers - and now Tavis Smiley! They've gotten their last dime from me until they come to their senses. Let the RW take up the slack when the next fund drive comes around!

[Toucano]

10. I think it's too late.

And I've defended them here a lot.

The rightward slant is undeniable now. PBS is even showing FULL FUCKING LENGTH car ads now.

I'm really going to miss Tavis. I enjoy him enormously. He's insightful, entertaining, smart. What a shame for me.

[peekaloo]

11. Yeah, commercials on PBS? I see the Tampa PBS affiliate

pimping Ticketmaster concerts? And it now seems like they hold fundraisers every other month. :wtf:

[Politicub]

6. That's too bad

I enjoy his show. It's usually on as I'm going to bed.

[MattPSU]

7. This may seem flippant...

but I really enjoy his show's theme music and will miss humming along to it. He is a fine broadcaster, as well.

[politicasista]

8. Tavis commentary has been negative of late...

He believes everything the neocon media says, and he always constantly bashed Kerry and his campaign. Yes, he made some mistakes, but it was a slap in the face of African-Americans who supported Kerry/Edwards. But we were spoiled by Clinton, so go-figure.

[ally_sc]

12. maybe he will audition for CBS

and take rather's place. whenever i watched his show he never had any political guests. it was hard to get a bead on his political views.

[VivaKerry]

20. As it should be. It used to be scandalous for a journalist

of any variety to EVER let on their own personal opinion.
Now it's just rah rah rah for the right wing thugs. Sickening.

[imenja]

13. My guess he was offered more money elsewhere

NPR doesn't pay well. Is he keeping his PBS show?

[Gloria]

14. He wasn't even on our local NPRs...and I would have loved

to be able to hear him and judged him for myself.

[Ernesto]

15. I'll miss the guy

and his regular commentaters except, of course, (uncle tom) jc watts.

[classics]

16. The guy is completely and utterly boring.

NPR can do much better.

[Lithos]

17. Damn

Another show gone...

[sonicx]

18. i like the TV show better

[VivaKerry]

19. NPR is underwritten by walmart. What else do we need to know? n/t

[bin.dare]

21. Tavis is one of our good progressives ...

he always, in every circumstance i caught him, he always represented the progressive view of things. On his tv show he always mixed it up with various opinions but constantly projecting progressive views. he'll be missed.

who is left?

my feeling is that he sees no future for PBS and NPR since they are in the tenticles of the RW-backward-idiots. Tavis is religious, and my sense is that it pains him to see the hypocrisy of the religious right and their so-called "values"; he is probably refusing to interview them and this is the bone of contention.