Friday, March 23, 2001 12:00 AM CST
Man with A message
By KARRIS GOLDEN
Courier Staff Writer
and Knight-Ridder Newspapers
WATERLOO
Tavis Smiley has a message for men that women should hear too.
On April 6, the host of "BET Tonight with Tavis Smiley" will give a presentation as part of the "Men, Family and Community" conference at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center.
On the heels of his Cedar Valley visit comes the announcement that Smiley's BET contract is up after September. Smiley held the late-night slot for five years.
While the public affairs program is popular in the Cedar Valley, BET says the ratings are too low. The show, which is telecast Monday through Friday at 10:30 p.m., pulls ratings that "have been flat to down," said Nina Henderson-Moore, BET senior vice president of news, public affairs and programming acquisitions.
The show averages 215,000 viewers, according to Nielsen figures. "BET News With Ed Gordon," which precedes Smiley's show, averages 251,000 viewers. By comparison, "BET Live," the network's 9 p.m. talk show featuring the black entertainers, averages 409,000 viewers. BET is available in more than 60 million of the 75 million homes that have cable television.
Still, conference organizers believe Smiley will strike a chord with area families. "This is a first for Waterloo," says Essie Buls of the YWCA of Black Hawk County. "Tavis will be the highlight of the evening."
"We wanted a speaker that would pull people in and have an appeal to a broader audience," explains Allen Hays, director of UNI's graduate program in public policy.
The three-part conference is sponsored by the University of Northern Iowa's graduate program in public policy and Center for Multicultural Education, the YWCA, the city of Waterloo, KBBG Radio, Hawkeye Community College and Wartburg College in Waverly.
Changes in men's roles over the past few decades leave many men without direction, Hays says. Conferences like this will help men fulfill obligations to family and community.
"There's been a shift in men's roles, and sometimes men find themselves in crisis. ... Many times, they make it up as they go along because they aren't sure what the rules are," Hays said in a statement issued by UNI.
The conference grew out of the work Buls does with families coping with an absentee or emotionally distant father.
"Women ask, 'Can I come?' Yes. This is a women's issue, though it's a conference for fathers," says Pam Hays, YWCA executive director.
Although it's a so-called "men's" conference, Hays believes many will benefit from the information. He hopes social workers and other professionals, as well as families, will attend all or part of the conference.
Conference events include presentations, workshops and a community-wide family fair.
Several area agencies and businesses will have booths at the fair. Nearly a dozen local groups will provide continuous entertainment. Smiley's presentation will close the conference.
Two years ago, Smiley received the NAACP Image Award for best news series. At that time, Newsweek called him one of "20 people changing how Americans get their news." Time Magazine named him "one of the 50 most promising young leaders."
He is the author of "On AIR," "Just a Thought," and "Hard Left."
Despite his popularity, BET stands by its decision. On Wednesday, news of Smiley's dismissal was announced on "The Tom Joyner Morning Show."
Joyner told listeners the entertainment conglomerate Viacom decided it didn't want Smiley on BET and had decided to cancel the show. Viacom recently bought the D.C.-based BET Holdings II in a $3 billion deal.
"Viacom doesn't want his voice on their network anymore," Joyner told Knight Ridder's TV Column late Wednesday. "That's pretty obvious, that's not speculation."
But Henderson-Moore said "there was not any involvement by Viacom in this decision. ... We are looking to revamp our entire news (lineup) across the board so we can bring the ratings up, as any broadcast network would do," Henderson-Moore said. "We are going after a fresher look."
She said more announcements about changes in news programming would be made when BET presents its new schedule to advertisers in May.
Joyner, who says he got his information from Smiley, says Smiley was told over the weekend his contract wouldn't be renewed "as he was getting ready to go to his grandmama's funeral."
Smiley was unavailable for comment Wednesday. He did make a statement Thursday morning on Joyner's radio show, on which Smiley is a regular.
"I think Tavis is watching what he says very carefully because he's still under contract," Joyner said.
The network statement also said "We thank Tavis for his service to BET, and look forward to working with him through the end of his current contract in September 2001."
Apparently, BET isn't canceling "BET Tonight" –- just Smiley. "The 'BET Tonight' show will live on, but in a new direction, complemented by public affairs programming which we are confident our audience will embrace," the BET statement said.
Joyner isn't so sure. "Now that Viacom has taken over, I would hope that they would do better with the quality of programming and have more shows of substance than they do now, instead of taking off the one show they have that deals with substance," he said. "They should not only put Tavis on but put on more shows like that. Black America has quietly accepted what BET has done and now that Viacom has taken over I hope black America will let Viacom know that we want better – we expect better."
Fathers, Families and Community Fair
"Fathers, Families and Community Fair" will take place from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on April 6 at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center. The fair is free and open to the community.
Afterwards, Tavis Smiley, host of "BET Tonight," will present "Challenges for Men and Fathers in a new Century." Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids 12 to 18 and free for children 11 and younger. Tickets are available at the YWCA of Black Hawk County, 234-7589. Scholarships are also available.
Both events are part of the "Men, Family and Community" conference, which takes place April 6. The event includes presentations by Aaron Podolefsky, vice president and provost of the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, and Harry Brod, professor of philosophy and religion at UNI. There will also be workshops throughout the day. For more information, contact the UNI Public Policy Office at 273-2910 or the YWCA.