Bev Smith began her television and radio career in 1971 when she was named Pittsburgh’s first African-American Consumer Affairs Investigative Reporter for WPXI Television. In 1975, she was named News and Public Affairs Director for Sheridan Broadcasting and hosted a lively talk show on Sheridan's flagship station, WAMO. Since then, Bev Smith has taken her “fire brand” style of talk shows to KDKA and WTAE Radio in Pittsburgh, WNWS in Miami, WKIS in Orlando and WRC in Washington DC. Bev also worked at Black Entertainment Television for over thirteen years, as the host of the popular national television talk show "Our Voices."
Bev is currently the host of "The Bev Smith Show" heard on the American Urban Radio Networks, where she is fondly known as "The Queen of Late Night Talk." She has hosted the show since 1998, and is the only African American woman radio talk show host who has a nationally syndicated show in the country. Bev captures her audience with the latest news makers. Never afraid to tackle issues, she has lived with the homeless, walked the streets investigating prostitutes, raised money for babies with AIDS and talked with inmates on death row. She has interviewed personalities such as Bill Cosby, Vice President Al Gore, Jesse Jackson, Maxine Waters, Al Sharpton and a host of guests, many of whom she now refers to as her “special 20 friends. ”The Bev Smith Show" offers a "Unique Community Connection," African-Americans know and trust her to deliver critical information and entertainment news.
Smith is especially passionate and devoted to educating the public about literacy, she has worked with a number of organizations focused on improving literacy in the nation, including "Reading is Fundamental" and "Head Start." Frequently on "The Bev Smith Show" Bev chats with a number of experts, educators and guests to find solutions to help improve literacy in America. Additionally, Bev has been honored for her work fighting AIDS, The Black Aids Institute has awarded her on numerous occasions for her contributions to educate the public about this disease.
Over the years, Bev has received nearly 300 awards, citations and trophies for her contributions in radio and television. Among them the 1990 Radio Air Crystal Award for her live radio town meeting, “Children Killing Children Over Drugs.” Mayors from Pittsburgh, PA; Jacksonville, NC; Cincinnati and Columbus, OH have declared special Bev Smith Days. For the past four years, Bev Smith has been selected by Talkers Magazine as one of the “Talkers 250, Featuring the Heavy Hundred” – and is recognized nationally as one of the most important radio talk show hosts in America.
Bev Smith appears in the following:
Let's Talk (Radio) About the State of the Union
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
While political pundits are assessing what they think President Obama needs to do in his first State of the Union Address, we're taking a more grass-roots approach. Three talk show hosts share what their listeners want from the President's speech tonight, and true to form for talk radio, they're not afraid to speak their minds.
