Posted by Eric on April 14, 2008 at 15:27:29:
Two of the most influential black men in media have parted ways.
Earlier today, radio veteran Tom Joyner announced that longtime contributor Tavis Smiley is no longer associated with the daily syndicated morning show, 'Tom Joyner Morning Show.'
"I got a call from Tavis on yesterday," Joyner said. "And he told me he was quitting the show. He told me the reason was that he was tired and has a lot of things going on, and he feels that now is a good time to leave the show."
"We all know that isn't the real reason he's leaving the show," Joyner continued. "The real reason is that he can't take the hate he's been getting regarding the Barack issue - hate from the black people that he loves so much. He needed to feel the love. We all do, whether it's from our radio audience or from people we know personally. He wasn't feeling any love, so he quit."
Smiley, a best-selling author and motivational speaker, is the host of his own eponymous, daily PBS talk show. He has minced no words about his opinions about Obama; even prompting 'Chicago Sun Times' columnist Laura Washington to deem him " vociferous and cagey Obama critic."
In her April 7 column, she referred to Smiley as "out of touch" and even went as far to say that "his attacks on Obama are alienating his base. PBS and his multitude of corporate benefactors didn't hire him to weave conspiracy theories and pick fights with natural allies."
That's food for thought indeed.
A spokesperson for Smiley could not be reached by deadline.