Tavis Smiley

What's the deal with Tavis Smiley? He walked away from an NPR show last year. He picked up a PBS show. He also has a two hour once-a-week radio show from PRI (although not a lot of stations seem to have picked it up).

Now, the Philadelphia commercial station which dropped the two programs it was taking from Air America Radio to return to an all Urban talk format during the day announces it is picking up Tavis Smiley on Friday afternoons. Is this the same PRI show (not cleared on any of Philly's three public radio stations)? Is PRI now distributing to commercial stations, as well, or does Tavis do a second radio program for commercial syndication?

Both NPR and PRI will deliver their programs to commercial stations, under some pretty strict restrictions on the commercial station, and for some additional fees, in addition to the program fees. Tavis in Philadelphia, unless some deal was cut, will cost a lot for the station, and they can usually not run commercials in or around the program, at least that is NPR's policy.


> What's the deal with Tavis Smiley? He walked away from an
> NPR show last year. He picked up a PBS show. He also has a
> two hour once-a-week radio show from PRI (although not a lot
> of stations seem to have picked it up).
>
> Now, the Philadelphia commercial station which dropped the
> two programs it was taking from Air America Radio to return
> to an all Urban talk format during the day announces it is
> picking up Tavis Smiley on Friday afternoons. Is this the
> same PRI show (not cleared on any of Philly's three public
> radio stations)? Is PRI now distributing to commercial
> stations, as well, or does Tavis do a second radio program
> for commercial syndication?
>

> Both NPR and PRI will deliver their programs to commercial
> stations, under some pretty strict restrictions on the
> commercial station, and for some additional fees, in
> addition to the program fees. Tavis in Philadelphia, unless
> some deal was cut, will cost a lot for the station, and they
> can usually not run commercials in or around the program, at
> least that is NPR's policy.

There are other precedents.

Commercial classical music stations do pick up public radio classical music programs (right off the bat, WFMT in Chicago airs "Performance Today" and "Schickele Mix"). When WCPT in Chicago was still brokered (they're now progressive talk), they were airing "World Cafe" in morning drive (because owner Fred Eyechaner loves the show). Yes, they pretty much can only insert ads in the station breaks.

I am not sure of PRI's policies, but NPR had strict language in their contracts regarding "commercials" in the show. I would be curious if WFMT puts "commercials" into PT. Underwriting language is permissable. PRI may not be as restrictive.

NPR and PRI both can offer certain shows in a market where the public station does not want to carry them to other non-commercial stations first, and then they can go commercial. Another program is E-Town, that is independently produced, and aired by commercial and non-commercial stations. I think it was that way from the start, and let's not forget The MET.

I think PRI is more open than NPR to having a program carried on a commercial station.
XM Public Radio carries quite a bit of PRI content, and does run the occasional commercial.