TAVIS SMILEY Goes Primetime Before State of the Union Address

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- A candid and revealing profile of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is the focus of the first TAVIS SMILEY REPORTS, a series of four hour-long primetime specials premiering January 27 on PBS. For this special program, Smiley leaves his studio chair in Los Angeles and goes on the road with Secretary Clinton. During the report – debuting one hour before the State of the Union in most markets -- Smiley and Clinton examine some of the country's defining moments, analyze the major events in President Obama's first year in office, and talk frankly about what's next for her career.

Smiley was granted exceptional access to Secretary Clinton and accompanied her on diplomatic missions abroad, to meetings on Capitol Hill, and within the State Department itself to give the American public an up close and comprehensive view of the inner workings of U.S. diplomacy and international relations. During the episode, Clinton discusses her relationship with the press, her thoughts on the surge in Afghanistan, and her views on how women are essential to improving developing economies.

In particular, Clinton notes a shift in attitude towards the United States since President Obama's election. She says: "Now, there's a lot of work to be done; we still face many threats and other issues that we have to deal with, but I think we've changed the tone, we've changed the attitude, and there's a great deal more openness to the United States."

Additionally, Clinton points out how reading the press' criticisms during her presidential campaign shed light on the larger issue of gender equity which needs to be improved across the U.S. She notes: "What I was not prepared for was a lot of the criticism that I thought had less to do with me and more to do with attitudes about women, that was surprising to me.  I mean, it was 2007 and 2008, but you know, that's something we still have to work on in this country."

TAVIS SMILEY REPORTS is produced for PBS by The Smiley Group, Inc. /TS Media, Inc. and KCET Los Angeles. Executive producer is Jacoba Atlas. Funding provided by Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS and Public Television Viewers.

Smiley continues the seventh season of his late-night PBS talk show, TAVIS SMILEY, featuring insightful conversations with politicians, actors, artists, athletes and newsmakers.

About Tavis Smiley

Tavis Smiley is host of TAVIS SMILEY on PBS and "The Tavis Smiley Show" from PRI. Smiley launched America I AM: The African American Imprint, a world-class exhibition celebrating the extraordinary impact of African American contributions to our nation and the world, on January 15, 2009. The exhibit is on a four-year, 10-city tour and is currently on display in Los Angeles. Smiley is also the author/editor of 14 books, including The New York Times best-sellers Covenant with Black America and What I Know for Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America, and his most recent, Accountable: Making America As Good As Its Promise. For more information, visit www.tavistalks.com.

About PBS

PBS, with its 356 member stations, offers all Americans — from every walk of life — the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches more than 124 million people on-air and online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; hear diverse viewpoints; and take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS' broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS' premier children's TV programming and Web site, pbskids.org, are parents' and teachers' most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org Web sites on the Internet.

About KCET

KCET, public television for Southern and Central California, is watched by four million viewers a month in 11 counties, the largest broadcast reach of any public television station in the United States.  National PBS series produced from the station's Hollywood studios include four-time NAACP Award winner Tavis Smiley, the educational animated series Sid The Science Kid, co-produced for PBS by KCET and The Jim Henson Company, and the Peabody Award-winning series A Place Of Our Own and Los Ninos En Su Casa.  KCET also produces the Emmy® Award-winning SoCal Connected, a hard-hitting prime-time weekly television news program that examines the issues and people of Southern California.

Throughout its more than 40-year history, KCET has won hundreds of major awards for its local and regional news and public affairs programming, its national drama and documentary productions, its quality educational family and children's programs, its outreach and community services, and its Web site, kcet.org. KCET is nonprofit donor-supported community television.  Nearly 60 percent of the funds raised to support KCET's operating budget come from individual support.  For additional information about KCET productions, Web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit www.kcet.org.

SOURCE KCET

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