Smiley still waiting for his time; Stardom eludes BET host who keeps the issues out front

In January, with the Democratic presidential race still up for grabs, contenders Bill Bradley and Al Gore met in Des Moines, Iowa, for a debate on racial issues that was carried nationally by MSNBC. At one point the moderator, Tavis Smiley, started to ask a question about judicial appointments. Just then a protester stood up in the audience. "I'd like to know what your plans are to stop global warming," said the protester. "It's an issue that truly affects us all." Smiley didn't miss a beat. "See, I get my 15 minutes and this is what happens to me," he said. Then, to the unwelcome intruder, he said, "You're on my time." The scene perfectly captured the dilemma faced by Smiley, host of Black Entertainment Television's "BET Tonight" (10 p.m. Monday-Thursday) and commentator on Tom Joyner's syndicated morning radio show (heard locally on KNRX-FM, 107.3). Despite being one of the most recognized African-American personalities on TV, Smiley - who is speaking at 7:30 tonight in Lawrence at the University of Kansas student union - has not enjoyed the kind of wider attention that's come more easily to other cable TV stars (think Jimmy Kimmel). Judging by his irritated "15 minutes" quip, he knows it, too. Part of the problem is that TV is a "cool" medium, in media visionary Marshall McLuhan's classic term. But Smiley is "hot"; he's intense and passionate about the things he believes in. Unlike most media personalities, Smiley has a political agenda and is not shy about promoting it on "BET Tonight." Tavis Smiley's plan includes recognition not only for himself but also for the issues that he says concern most African-Americans. He's outlined many of those in his new book, Doing What's Right: How to Fight for What You Believe - And Make a Difference. One chapter is devoted to a highly publicized protest Smiley led last year against CompUSA after he learned the computer retailer was not advertising on minority media. At Smiley's urging, thousands of black and Hispanic customers mailed in their receipts toCompUSA as a show of the spending power they were prepared to take elsewhere. In the end CompUSA officials met with Smiley and agreed to start advertising with black- and Hispanic-owned media outlets. The irony, Smiley says, is that after CompUSA made that pledge, it was bought out by Grupo Sanborns, a Mexican retail group. "It's just like my grandfather said: The toes you step on today may be connected to the behind you have to kiss tomorrow," Smiley said. His current crusade is to get African-Americans to fill out their census forms. Today he and Joyner wrap up a blistering two-week, 42-city tour to promote Census 2000. (Because of that, Smiley asked KU to move the time of his talk tonight from 5 to 7:30.) Our phone interview took place in February, in the thick of Black History Month. Q: Some of your admirers call you "the anti-Rush Limbaugh." I found that an interesting comparison, because Limbaugh always likes to say he's an entertainer, first and foremost, so you shouldn't take his political message seriously. That doesn't sound like something you would say. Smiley: That's not me. As a matter of fact, I also abhor being called a journalist, because that presupposes that one has proclivity toward fairness and balance, or at least a duty toward that. What you can call me is an advocate. I have ideas and I have strongly held opinions. I'm an advocate who happens to be on radio and television. I've heard Rush say he's an entertainer, too, but that's not what he means. He does take himself seriously. He does want to make a difference. He wants his listeners to vote the way he does and feel the way he does. He doesn't divorce himself emotionally from what he believes. Talk radio is the fastest growing medium in the U.S. and it's because people tune in to hear announcers say what they want to hear. So what Mr. Limbaugh says and what he believes are completely different. This country was built on advocacy. That's why I wrote my new book. This book is about challenging all Americans to recognize that ordinary people can do extraordinary things - particularly when we embrace advocacy. For those who want to make their communities better places to live and work, for people who want to make a difference, this is a handbook for them. Because we get to a place where like Popeye says, "I understands all I could and I can't stands no more." We all get to that point in our lives sometime. Q: Do you think the big issues were addressed by the candidates during the primaries? Smiley: I think the issues that are important to most of America are being addressed by the candidates at some level: education, the economy - how to keep this situation going, although I'm inclined to believe that the good times don't last for long. The bad times don't, either, but we need to be prepared for them. What's not being addressed are issues important to people of color. Immigration. Affirmative action. Public education. Racial profiling. Who are they going to appoint to the Supreme Court. That issue's important to white people as well as people of color, but what we want to know is are they going to appoint more Thurgood Marshalls or more Clarence Thomases? Q: Now that the four networks have signed their diversity pledges to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, what, if anything, was accomplished? Smiley: That remains to be seen. I read somewhere that (NAACP head) Kweise Mfume said, "The network heads are not Lincoln and we are not slaves." The deal we worked out is not about emancipation. There's no cure-all here. The point is getting the networks to be more sensitive to diversity and to portray that reality on screen. For all who say this is a ridiculous issue for the NAACP to be focused on, I think the fact that the NAACP has reached a pretty monumental agreement with the networks shows that it meant something. Image does matter. People of color want to be more accurately depicted. I mean, how could a show like "Seinfeld" have taken place in New York City, and ain't no black people on the show? What people in New York City live like that? To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com @ART:Photo (color, uncaptioned) >>>