WEDU / PBS is doing a lot with the donation money, despite very much needing taxpayer funding. So don't think they disappeared or took a bunch of money and sat on it. They're not a Kickatarter.
In Florida, they are working with a Filipina-American muralist! She's based in Tampa. If you know anything about Tampa, it's not nearly as pro-art like St. Pete across the bridge. They're also generally against stuff like raising money for public transportation, which is desperately needed. Picking a Tampa artist is a Big Deal.
The Thrill of Serving as Guest Host on WEDU's Florida This Week
When I was a kid, as an only child, I had to amuse myself quite often. So it might not sound so strange to admit now that much of that time was spent pretending to be a news anchor, especially after my mom got me one of the most newfangled of gifts -- a cassette tape player with a microphone which could actually record.
I note all of this to explain why it was so much fun over these past few weeks to fill in as guest host for my longtime friend Rob Lorei on his signature politics and news analysis show for Tampa PBS station WEDU, called Florida This Week.
Rob is a Tampa Bay area institution, at the helm of Florida This Week for more than 20 years. WEDU began airing a news/analysis/interview show many years earlier, when Syl Farrell began hosting a show in 1990 called From a Black Perspective, changing the name to Tampa Bay Week a few years later.
The program has always been a haven for substantive talk on political issues, featuring journalists, political leaders, activists, area business people and others who might have insight into important news affecting the region and the state.
I've had a loose connection to the show for quite a while. I profiled Farrell for the then-St. Petersburg Times (now Tampa Bay Times) newspaper back in 1998. I've also been a guest on the show countless times -- including a special instance when I debated the ludicrous hysteria over Critical Race theory in schools with Christian Ziegler, now the embattled chair of the Florida GOP who has seen his powers and salary stripped down after he was accused of sexual assault by a woman who previously had a sexual encounter with Christian and his wife, Bridget.
So it was a treat when the opportunity arose to try and fill the host chair temporarily for Rob. I mostly just mimicked his affable and knowledgeable style, while trying to say everyone's name right and ask halfway intelligent questions.
Did I get it right? Watch the video below of my last stint as guest host in 2023, which aired Friday, and tell me what you think!
Personally, I'm convinced that time in front of the cassette player eventually paid off!
Sarasota school board scandal | Worrell removal | Rays name change | FSU Football snubbed
