Urban Thought Collective

The story continues….

In July, NPR canceled its “Bryant Park Project,” an experimental weekday morning program, designed to draw a younger audience to public radio and capture listeners who had moved online. The live two-hour program covered news and cultural topics in an informal, conversational manner and was hosted by Alison Stewart.

Stewart said told the New York Times, “From what I understand, we are obviously in extra-tough economic times, and it is a financial and strategic decision,” she said. “I was told it had absolutely nothing to do with the quality or content of the show.”
According to the New York Times, Stewart said she was surprised that the program had been canceled but said, “I also understand the economic reality.”

She added: “We worked our hearts out, and I think we succeeded in many ways.”

According to the New York Times, “Bryant Park Project” had a rocky start when one of the original co-hosts, Luke Burbank, quit just before the debut. (He ended up staying through mid-December.) Stewart went on maternity leave in April, and the news anchor, Rachel Martin, left for ABC News in May. Mike Pesca had been filling in as host.

Tell Me More vs. News & Notes
When I initially wrote about the cancellation of NPR’s only African-American themed show “News & Notes,” I received a note from friend and former ABC correspondent Michel Martin, reminding me that she was still there. And you know what—she’s absolutely right. But I never really considered Michel’s show “Tell Me More,” which I have been honored to be a guest on multiple times, as a Black themed show. While Michel herself is undeniable Black, her show often times features a plethora of multi-cultural issues. Which is not a bad thing—but makes it distinctly different from “News & Notes.”

Described on NPR’s website as a show that “focuses on the way we live, intersect and collide in a culturally diverse world. Each day’s show features a variety of segments examining U.S. and international news, ideas and people; its range of topics covers politics, faith and spirituality, the family, finance, arts and culture and lifestyle,” it’s clear to me at least that “Tell Me More” focused on people of color in general, whereas “News & Notes” focuses on African-Americans.

The Future of Blacks on Television and Radio Depends on What We Do
There was a lot of talk after President-Elect Barack Obama won the presidency that there’d be a rush among news networks, both radio and television to bring on more African-Americans. It may be just the opposite. It may be that the powers that be fear a Black overload in the news and are doing just the opposite. Just a thought.

What I do know for sure is that all of us don’t need our news fed to us between the latest top 40 song. I also know that had it not been for “News & Notes,” there are a whole lot of issues that would have gone uncovered by NPR—and the mainstream media period.

I am hopeful that this week, we’ll hear from the National Association of Black Journalists on the cancellation of NPR as well the various members of the Congressional Black Caucus, celebrities and their publicists who all benefited from “News & Notes” willingness to cover them and their issues. Now is the time for us to rally together around one of the few, and I mean few, national Black news focused theme shows in this country. While this is not to slight NPR or the other people who work there, it must be said that there are things that “All Things Considered” and “Talk of the Nation” either just don’t get, won’t cover, or are unable to cover from an unapologetically Black point of view.

NPR’s commitment to diversity is constantly being challenged and with their announcement of the cancellation of their only Black themed news show, it’s clear why. NPR needs to be called out on this because in less than a year they’ll be announcing yet another Black themed show that will be gone in 18 months or less given NPR’s track record. NPR had got to better by Blacks and the only way they’re going to get the message at the top is by sending it directly to them. While it’s about “News & Notes” today, it’s really about all of the Black themed shows in the past and the present and their Black staff members, producers and anchors. If they can so quickly cancel “News & Notes” they can do the same to Michel Martin’s “Tell Me More” and national news reporter Karen Grigsby-Bates. No one is safe. Besides if we don’t speak up now, it only goes to validate NPRs assertion about “News & Notes” low listenership.

When you set a mandate that diversity is a fundamental part of everything you do to offer relevant news, culture, and entertainment programming to an increasingly diverse public—then you are obliged to live up to it. And when you do not not, it’s our job as the audience, whether we are subscribers or not, to remind you of it. Consider this NPR’s official notice.

Contacting Executive Team at NPR
Send the executive team a reminder about what diversity truly means and let them know that you want your ‘News & Notes’ show.

Phone: (202) 513-2000

Mailing Address:
635 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
• Ellen Weiss, Vice President for News
• Walt Swanston, Director of Diversity Management
• Margaret Low Smith, Vice President for Programming
• Mitch, Praver, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Office
• Jackie Nixon, Director, Audience Insight and Research
• Dennis L. Haarsager Interim President and Chief Executive Officer
• Bob Holstein, Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
• Alicia C. Shepard, Ombudsman

Sign the Petition
Help spread the word and support for the ‘News & Notes’ team at NPR. Sign the petition and have all of your friends and family do the same!
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/newsandnotes/index.html

Jasmyne Cannick is a critic and commentator based in Los Angeles who writes about pop culture, race, class, sexuality, and politics as it relates to the African-American community. A regular contributor to NPR’s ‘News and Notes,’ she was chosen as one Essence Magazine’s 25 Women Shaping the World. She can be reached at www.jasmynecannick.com or www.myspace.com/jasmynecannick.