Good News...This was in the Washington Post today
Tavis Smiley Finds Work with ABC, CNN NPR
NPR announced that it and a consortium of member stations have signed an agreement with Smiley to develop a newsmagazine targeted to African American listeners.
Smiley would host the one-hour morning show, which NPR said would be a mix of news, interviews and features. Its launch is planned for the end of this year.
An executive at ABC News said Smiley will be an "occasional contributor" to the division's "Good Morning America" as well as prime-time newsmagazines.
A CNN executive said Smiley will contribute to shows across the network, including "Inside Politics." Both executives asked not to be identified.
Smiley's staff said he would not be available for comment until today. A news release from his agent said Smiley would be a "regular" or "frequent" contributor to the two television networks.
The release also said he has a "commitment to ABC Radio" that includes "The Smiley Report," "a syndicated daily commentary on urban contemporary stations," and commentary on "The Tom Joyner Show."
ABC Radio had not been reached late yesterday, but a report in trade paper Variety said Smiley was "close to signing a deal with ABC Radio that would include continued appearances on Joyner's program."
Smiley's news release also stated that he is developing a talk show with Buena Vista Television, the syndication division of ABC parent Disney, and that he has signed a two-book deal with Random House.
Smiley hosted the talk show "BET Tonight With Tavis Smiley" for five years until he was fired last March by network Chairman Robert Johnson. Though Smiley's contract with BET allowed him to produce programming independently of the network, Johnson said Smiley was fired because he had sold an exclusive interview with accused '70s terrorist Sara Jane Olson to ABC News's "PrimeTime Live" without first offering it to BET.
Smiley had offered it to BET sister network CBS -- both networks are owned by Viacom -- before taking it to ABC. CBS News passed on the interview.
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