Yes, this is good news. I just received notice that Smiley & West will debut on WCPT and WVON starting in November

Smiley Radio Properties, Inc. (SRP) celebrates the second anniversary of its popular radio program, Smiley & West from Public Radio International (PRI), with the addition of two new affiliates in Chicago, IL.

I appreciate the way Tavis moves with intention to create relevant and informative news programing and Chicago needs the voices of him and Cornel West. Now Chicago can boasts Kanye, Carl and Cornel West!

The one-hour weekly program, hosted by broadcaster Tavis Smiley and Union Theological Seminary professor Cornel West, will be heard Sundays at 3pm on WCPT - Chicago’s Progressive Talk starting November 4, and Saturdays at 11am on WVON 1690AM - The Talk of Chicago starting November 10. WCPT will also carry SRP's other radio program, The Tavis Smiley Show, Sundays at 2pm. The two programs can be heard on more than 94 stations nationwide.

"We are encouraged to see more stations add The Tavis Smiley Show/Smiley & West to their airwaves, making it available to more listeners nationwide. The conversations that Tavis and Dr. West lead are important to understanding our increasingly diverse communities," said Alisa Miller, president and CEO of PRI.

Now, here's a key issue that cannot be understated. Radio programs need underwriters and/or sponsors. We need more Black businesses and Black foundations that can be in positions to do what W.K. Kellogg Foundation has done.

According to the news release I received, Smiley Radio Properties (SRP) is also proud to announce new underwriters for the programs. Support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, among others, will allow Smiley & West and The Tavis Smiley Show to continue an energetic exchange of news, information, insights, and perspectives throughout 2013.

The town hall event is presented in partnership with Haymarket Books and Democracy Now! Goodman, Smiley, and West will offer observations on the election and share insights on the role the media plays in furthering the erosion of our democracy. How can people organize to ensure that public media outlets like WBEZ are responsible, representative, and responsive? How do we ensure that the public media treats our airwaves as the vital resource that they are? Doors open for "Poverty, Power, and the Public Airwaves" at 6pm and advance registration is required at www.smileyandwest.com.

"Now is the time to ask and answer the hard questions on how the public media space can better serve fellow citizens who have traditionally been politically, economically, socially, and culturally disenfranchised," said Smiley. "We must keep alive the prophetic tradition that defends the dignity of poor and working people, regardless of whatever costs or consequences," added West.

For more information, visit www.smileyandwest.com.