L-A Radio: Tavis Smiley Makes Comeback Bid Launching KBLA

Tavis Smiley

Travis Smiley, who continues to deny the claims of unwanted sexual behavior that led PBS to drop his long-running show, is attempting to rebound with the purchase of a Los Angeles radio station that will offer a Black and progressive perspective on the city and nation, reports The Associated Press.

Sidelined during a period of landmark racial upheaval, Smiley decided to make his own opportunity with reformatted station Progressive KBLA 1580 AM Los Angeles. It debuts with a preview on Saturday, the Juneteenth holiday commemorating when the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free.

He did not reevaluate his workplace behavior because there was no cause to, he said, and again rejected any allegations of misconduct.

While acknowledging what he called “consensual” dates with co-workers before he joined PBS, “I have never harassed anyone,” Smiley said. He alleged that the public TV service reached back into his work past to find claims of misbehavior that he called false, and labeled the investigation sloppy and biased.

In its court filings, PBS cited witnesses’ allegations that Smiley subjected subordinates to lewd language and unwanted sexual advances and encounters, with six women describing misconduct claims in court testimony. The women have not been publicly identified.

Asked for comment, PBS referred to its statement last year following the jury’s verdict, which said in part that “PBS expects our producing partners to provide a workplace where people feel safe and are treated with dignity and respect.”

Smiley is the majority owner of KBLA, which he and investment partners bought from New York-based Multicultural Radio Broadcasting in a deal valued at $7.5 million. The station will fill a void that he said shouldn’t exist in one of the most, if not the most, ethnically and culturally diverse city in the country.

KBLA 1580 AM (50 KW)

Among the hosts: DL Hughley, whose nationally syndicated radio show is part of the KBLA afternoon lineup, and Alonzo Bodden, a winner of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” and regular guest on NPR’s “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me.”

The Mississippi-born, Indiana-raised broadcaster said KBLA, with a signal reaching nearly 12 million Southern California listeners, could be the flagship for an eventual nationwide network.