Deggans Tells you More on NPR; Matt Lauer Apologizes for Bill O'Reilly on Today

I've been telling National Public Radio for months that there are fun, audio-friendly TV critics of color who can talk about media and television for their multicultural shows, Farai Chideya's News & Notes and Michel Martin's Tell Me More.

On Tuesday, Martin's show took me up on the offer, pulling me and two other black TV experts together  to talk about the fall TV season, the network TV business and race issues. So Tanika Ray, correspondent for the entertainment program Extra and Detroit News media critic Mekeisha Madden Toby joined me and Michel for the discussion.

We wound up talking about how Hispanics in Hollywood are finding success placing shows such as Ugly Betty and Cane on networks schedules, the growing use of the black best friend in series and, of course, Cavemen.

Click here to hear us dish on all this stuff and more.

Matt Lauer Apologizes for Bill O'Reilly on Today

I was really disappointed with this exchange aired this morning on the O'Reilly mess.  Not only did they have a white guy trying to explain why O'Reilly was racist while a black Republican stood there insisting he wasn't, anchor Lauer ot involved to help pooh-poo the notion that the Fox News pundit sad anything offensive.

I just wish they had taken some time to find a black person who didn't have a vested interest in defending O'Reilly. See for yourself....

Comments

It sounds like Lauer - surely no conservative - heard exactly what most rational people heard. But hey, as long as the black community focuses on O'Reilly, there's no need to look in the mirror. Grow up grow up grow up!!!!

[Jonathan Roy]

I enjoyed the show, good job. :) I am interested in Cane but my older TiVo can only tape one thing at a time, and I'm not always up that late to watch a separate channel... and in that time slot, Boston Legal is my priority. I love BL. Maybe I'll go see if Cane is available on the network's web site or something though...

[Senor T]

Why is it that young black males commit so much of the crime? It doesn't matter whether I'm reading the Times or watching the TV news. It's almost always a black male.

[T Dog]

And I certain that as long as O'Reilly keeps running his mouth, he will always provoke emotion. O'Reilly is the one who needs to grow up.

[Eric Deggans]

Senor -- I'll say this for you. At least your racist rants have gotten a bit more sophisticated.

all i can say, is that if you see only black people committing crimes in the news, then you aren't looking very hard.

Who was that St. Pete city council president who killed himself after getting caught molesting his adopted daughters? Or those people who resigned from the pinellas county government after helping a property appraiser sell the county a parcel of land for four times its worth?

Or that son of a famous wrestler who got in an accdient while driving over 100 mpg and left his friend in a coma?

Or that local couple arrested after stealing millions from the finance company where they worked?

Or do you only see criminals when they have a black face?