Tavis Smiley Partners with WNET

NEW YORK: Tavis Smiley will continue with his nightly national program through a new co-production partnership with WNET.org.

The show will continue to air nightly on THIRTEEN in New York and on PBS stations across the country. The 30-minute national talk program is a hybrid of news, issues and entertainment, featuring interviews with politicians, entertainers, athletes, authors and other newsmakers. In addition to the nightly broadcast, Smiley will work with MNET to explore new media ventures, including prime-time specials, educational content based on his show, an evolving web presence and collaborations with other WNET programs.

Neal Shapiro, the president and CEO of WNET, commented: "WNET has incubated most of the programs that have made PBS the ‘most trusted’ news and current affairs broadcaster in U.S. Media. We launched the NewsHour in 1975, Charlie Rose in 1991, Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly in 1998, and Need To Know just this year. We’re thrilled to be partnering with Tavis Smiley now, on the eve of his 20th anniversary in broadcasting." Shapiro added, "Like all great interviewers, his intelligence and curiosity sparks conversation and brings out the most interesting aspects of his guests. He’s an important part of the PBS lineup today and into the future—and we’re delighted to have him join us."

"It’s hard to believe that we’re about to commence our eighth season on PBS. When we began our program, the station that I wanted most to be on was WNET in New York," said Smiley. "Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I would have the honor of being partnered with this iconic broadcast outlet. Our team in Los Angeles is euphoric about this new relationship and we look forward to a long and mutually rewarding partnership with the most regarded station in the entire PBS family."