Stephen A. Smith Returning to ESPN Radio

One of my favorite television personalities is the great Stephen A. Smith. I met Stephen a few years ago when I appeared on his ESPN show, "Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith." Smith's show was my favorite in all of television, primarily because it was a place where black men could be men on the national stage and discuss the issues that mattered most (to us). I told Stephen A. that his show was effectively "The Black Man's Oprah," and we needed more like it.

It was Stephen's deep commitment to the black athlete in America that led me to realize that his television days were numbered. There is no way on God's green earth that a show so seriously committed to the black male would last on any of the major networks. Stephen's show should never have been canceled, but his show should probably have been on BET or TV One.

Well, Smith is being given another chance at media with ESPN. It has been announced that Smith is going to return to ESPN as a local radio show host and columnist for ESPN.com. He is going to host a two-hour local radio show on 1050 ESPN (WEPN-AM) in New York City from 7 - 9 pm. EST. He is also going to host another show in Los Angeles on 710 ESPN (KSPN-AM) from 6 - 8 pm EST. He will also cover the NBA finals and All-Star games for ESPN, in addition to writing columns for their website.

"Stephen A. consistently offers strong opinions on a wide variety of topics," said Norby Williamson, executive vice president, production. "He has a proven track record as an authoritative voice, which will lead to insightful conversation leading into Knicks and Lakers game coverage."

"Words cannot express how excited I am to return to ESPN," said Smith. "The five-plus years I spent here in my previous stint were unquestionably the best years of my professional career. To have the opportunity to return to a place where I have an abundance of friends – with individuals whose contributions to my life, both professionally and personally, deserves far more credit than I can describe – simply makes my return that much more special. I'm sincerely grateful. And very, very ready. As in right now. Let's go!"

I have a great deal of respect for Smith and the way he drops it on sports. I've seen him step out of his lane a few times, doing black social commentary on major networks, and I was less than impressed. Another well-known sports writer, Jason Whitlock, also attempted to do a bit of black social commentary and neither of these men were very good at it.

But when it comes to sports and telling it like it is, there is no black media figure more capable than Stephen A. Smith. ESPN's investment in Smith is a good one, but I'm sure they know that already. Good luck Steve, keep hope alive!