Eric Deggans

Last Saturday, George Zimmerman was found not guilty in the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Since then, everyone from protesters to politicians to pundits have weighed in. Brooke talks to Tampa Bay Times media critic Eric Deggans about the reaction and how the verdict has reignited discussions of race in the U.S.

When the shooting of Trayvon Martin became national news in 2012, it opened up a discussion about race and the criminal justice system in the United States. But since the trial of George Zimmerman began three weeks ago, coverage has taken a turn toward the sensational. Brooke talks to Tampa Bay Times media critic Eric Deggans about the evolving quality of coverage of the Trayvon Martin story.

Yo La Tengo - Cornelia and Jane

On Sunday nights this summer, Lifetime is hoping to draw audiences with a campy, soapy drama from Marc Cherry, the creative mind behind Desperate Housewives. It's called Devious Maids, and it looks nothing like anything else on television because it has five Latina stars. It's an unprecedented lineup for a ...

On cable TV, there's a whole truckload of reality shows that make fun of working-class, white Southern culture. They are some of the most popular and talked about new shows, too, such as Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and Duck Dynasty.

MTV tried cashing in on the redneck TV trend ...

"You guys doing anything today?"

That might sound like an ordinary, even dull question. But in my old neighborhood — mostly poor, entirely black '70s-era Gary, Ind. — that kind of question was grounds for serious ridicule. Or worse.

The problem: I had dared use a word none of my ...

In the era of Glee and Smash, musical TV shows are seemingly all over the airwaves. But when shows that are usually dialogue-filled -- like Psych or Grey's Anatomy -- break format and go "musical" for just one episode, the results can be mixed. Soundcheck bullpen contributor, Faith Salie, and Eric Deggans, media critic for the Tampa Bay Times, join us to talk about when shows turn in their scripts for sheet music.

What are your favorite shows that have done a "musical" episode? Which shows could use one to shake things up? Tell us in the comments section.

There were a lot of good stories from the 2008 presidential election, including Hillary Clinton's serious run for the Democratic nomination, not to mention the election of the first African-American president. The whole story was covered in the bestselling — and controversial — book by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, ...

Last night's Super Bowl halftime show included cartwheels, bedazzled muumuus, raised middle fingers - and Queen Madge herself. We take your reactions to Madonna's performance - and ask TV and media critic Eric Deggans for his take.

In the wake of founder Don Cornelius’ death last week, we look back at the importance of “Soul Train” in television history and American race relations. Joining us is Eric Deggans, TV and media critic for the Tampa Bay Times.

Commentator Eric Deggans says the TV networks are spinning old genres in new ways, but they're mostly making themselves dizzy.

Steely Dan’s 1977 album “Aja” rebelled against the disco and rock hits of the day and achieved a new level of smooth. As of this year, the Library of Congress has also deemed it so culturally and aesthetically significant that it's now going to be preserved in the National Recording Registry. In this Soundcheck Smackdown, we debated Steely Dan's "Aja" with St. Petersburg Times media critic Eric Deggans and freelance music critic Alex V. Cook.

Steely Dan’s 1977 album “Aja” rebelled against the disco and rock hits of the day and achieved a new level of smooth. As of this year, the Library of Congress has also deemed it so culturally and aesthetically significant that it's now going to be preserved in the National Recording Registry. Following up on our review of the 25 sound recordings that were most recently given this honor, we Smackdown Steely Dan's "Aja" with St. Petersburg Times media critic Eric Deggans and freelance music critic Alex V. Cook.

Last month, Kevin Eubanks left The Tonight Show after 15 years as Jay Leno's bandleader and music director. Now, the stage is set for a new challenger to assert dominance as the hotte...

So maybe the 1970s Heinz commercial that featured Carly Simon's "Anticipation" left us forever thinking the song was about ketchup. Musicians have always been admonished for licensing their songs in commercials - but when no one buys albums anymore, how else can an artist get paid? With us to debate ...

This Sunday, AMC kicks off the third season of its runaway hit, Mad Men. Set in 1960’s New York City, the show celebrates the world-weary cool of the Madison Avenue advertising world....

Born in underground music clubs and raised on dancefloors, disco hit the mainstream in 1977 with the film Saturday Night Fever. Soon, it seemed that anything could be "disco": clothes, furniture, or even a Rolling Stones hit. But two years later, a cultural backlash booted disco from the pop ...

Television advertisers are expected to shine on Super Bowl Sunday. But dark clouds are looming over the consumer economy. Joining us to talk about this year's Super Bowl ads -- and the role music will play in them -- are Josh Rabinowitz, senior vice president and director of music at ...

Most people can sing at least a few lines from the songs that opened television shows like "Gilligan's Island," "The Brady Bunch," or "The Jeffersons." Yet few programs today kick off with a musical explanation of the series' premise. We ask Eric Deggans, media critic at the St. Petersburg Times, ...