NPR really blew it with Tavis Smiley

newsday ^ | 12/10/04 | LEAH SAMUEL

[Drango]

Tavis Smiley's departure from National Public Radio will be a loss not only to blacks but also to all NPR listeners.

For its part, NPR issued a vague statement that is long on happy talk about Smiley helping to "jump start" its effort at reaching blacks.

Smiley's departing letter to local stations asserts that NPR has "failed to meaningfully reach out to a broad spectrum of Americans who would benefit from public radio."

[Drango]

Smiley blames NPR for no one listening to his show! LOL.

[Drango]

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[Disambiguator]

Tavis who?

[Paul Atreides]

If he doesn't mind getting paid in Post-It Notes and logo t-shirts, he could get a job at Air America.

[Drango]

Breaking: McEnroe blames CNBC for his show sucking.

[Gunrunner2]

Shallow analysis, inane perspectives, stilted commentary, unrelenting ignorance, uninteresting subjects and subject matter, droning interviews, BORING tone and tenor of his voice, never-ending racism-in-America-and-it's-all-Bush's-fault shows. . .nope, not his fault. . .

[Paul Atreides]

Every time I come across McEnroe's show, he is sitting there looking as if he is being told what to do by a guy with cue cards, standing off camera.

[Bahbah]

"And there is a strong possibility that the many ears of color that Smiley brought to NPR will not find enough to keep their attention once he leaves."

"Ears of color". Catchy. Actually, I have listened to this show. If "ears of color" wanted to hear how blacks were victims and whites were racist, this was the program for them. It was truly awful.

[wolficatZ]

I've always called him Tavis Snarley. He snarls when he speaks.

[Paul Atreides]

I remember when he was on BET. He was doing a show about interracial dating and started off by saying "I wouldn't be caught dead with a white woman."

I couldn't help but imagine the reaction had he been a white host talking about a black, hispanic, or Asian woman.

[BigSkyFreeper]

He gave a pretty logical explanation why on C-SPAN this morning. Most stations that carried him, tape delayed his show to two o'clock in the morning, and the NPR flagship station in DC didn't carry his show at all. Now maybe Tavis will wise up and feel what it's like being stepped on the neck by elitist white Liberals in business suits filled with everyone elses money.

[conservlib]

I am an avid NPR listener (I like the delving deep in the subjects of discussion on NPR). NPR like C-Span is certainly among the highest caliber of programming (NPR is tilted to the left for sure). In the past few month, as I tuned in the evening, I could not help but notice that Smiley show that does not resemble the caliber of conversations that you may encounter on NPR. If you are an intellectual, and want to hear a person like Dianne Ream stuttering trying to say a word, but her articulation is a mile ahead of Tavis Smiley, who has no speech impediment, but lack intellect, and his guests tends to be of the same caliber. Even a government funded broadcasting station cannot avoid to chase its audience away just to please the black population. I am sure, a real black intellectual can start a program, even if it was too liberal, but IT MUST HAVE CONTENT.

The Smiley show resembles a bunch of women getting together to bitch about men, like that show by Barbra Walter, and Merideth Defiaro? Except, it is about black people bitching about the white race. Now how is that going to have a market segment on NPR. It can be a success on BET?

[BigSkyFreeper]

The only thing I can stomach on NPR is All Things Considered. Other than that, it's a waste of time, and not worth a plugged nickel.

[BigSkyFreeper]

If "ears of color" wanted to hear how blacks were victims and whites were racist, this was the program for them. It was truly awful.

Was his NPR show anything like the PBS show he has on TV? That is truly awful. As an aside, I could probably watch Charlie Rose, but I can't get past the disheveled hair and the disjointed tie.

[Disambiguator]

I don't listen to NPR. This guy must be a "minor celebrity", since his name doesn't get out much.

[Drango]

I am an avid NPR listener

Me too as well as a lot of FReepers. However, when I listen, I have to stop my self from reaching over and throttling my radio cause it sounds just like the propaganda wing of the DNC.

[wildbill]

Has anyone noticed how the TV talk shows, especially the 'serious' late night shows on PBS like Charlie Rose and Tavis Smiley have finally come out of the closet as Democrats and liberals.

They talk about the Dems and liberals as 'we' now--as in what do 'we' have to do to appeal to the Red States/

[BigSkyFreeper]

They talk about the Dems and liberals as 'we' now--as in what do 'we' have to do to appeal to the Red States/

In related news, Bill Moyers finally hangs it up.

[GOP_Raider]

Breaking: McEnroe blames CNBC for his show sucking.

Funny, thought McEnroe would just blame a chair umpire.

[conservlib]

The hot topics of the nation are discussed at length on the Dianne Ream show at 10 AM. It is almost as good as the book review on C-Span2.