Tavis Smiley has announced his daily African American liberal talk program will be launched into national syndication.
Smiley, whose program originates from the station he owns, KBLA-AM, has already inked an affiliate in 1230 WBOK in New Orleans.
“We’re excited to bring our radio program to listeners across America,” said Smiley. “Our innovative programming with groundbreaking, exclusive interviews has filled a void for African American and progressive listeners in Southern California and soon in markets throughout the United States.”
More stations will be added as affiliates in the coming weeks, with several expected to be announced after Labor Day according to a press release.
The announcement that Smiley’s show would be taken to syndication comes after his acquisition of KBLA 1580 was contested by a Ukrainian group. The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America filed a petition with the FCC looking to block Smiley’s purchase of the station, alleging that he is unfit to be granted a license.
In April, the former BET, PBS, and NPR host filed to acquire the remainder of the station for an adjusted sales price of $6.896 million after originally agreeing to buy the station in November 2020 for $7.15 million.
