Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith

"Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith" was a nightly one-hour television show on ESPN2 hosted by "Philadelphia Inquirer" columnist and ESPN reporter, Stephen A. Smith. The show premiered on August 1, 2005 and was cancelled on January 11 2007 because of low ratings. Smith called the cancellation a "failure" on his part. "Remember, it was 'Quite Frankly With Stephen A. Smith.' The buck stopped with me," Smith states. "This was not ESPN's fault - it was mine." The final episode aired on January 12, 2007.

how format

"Quite Frankly"'s format was a departure from typical ESPN fare, touching on controversial topics from across the worlds of sports, politics and current events. The episode that aired on July 31 made waves, using a five-man panel to discuss William C. Rhoden's book, "$40 Million Slaves", which contended that highly paid athletes such as Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan have a "plantation mentality," perpetuating the "black slave, white owner" trends that have existed in American society since before the United States Civil War.

Regular features on "Quite Frankly" included Wednesday's "Front Page Panel"; a forum for figures from outside the sports world to discuss athletes' impact on popular culture. Friday's "Back Page Panel" was a roundtable discussion among Stephen A's preferred sportswriters and columnists from across the United States. The "A-List" was Stephen A's Top 5 countdown of the hottest topics in any given sport. And on Tuesdays, Stephen A. hosted the "Football Panel"; a freeform discussion of current developments in the NFL.

Guests

"Quite Frankly" hosted a number of high profile guests in its first year, including Senator John McCain, President Jimmy Carter, Tim Wise, Allen Iverson (the show's first guest, appearing for an hour-long interview), Shaquille O'Neal & Deion Sanders (who are the only two guests to have appeared three times), Kobe Bryant, Pete Rose, Wayne Gretzky, Donald Trump, Lawrence Taylor, Michael Strahan, John Thorn, and Jerry Bruckheimer.

tudio location

The studio was located at the Hotel Pennsylvania, across the street from the world famous Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The audience was frequently recruited from Manhattan's 6th Avenue, 7th Avenue and West 33rd Street, where passersby would often run into people handing out free tickets to a taping (free tickets were also advertised during the show).

Production staff

"Quite Frankly"'s production staff included two-time Emmy Award Winning Associate Producer Spandan Daftary. Spandan was responsible for most of the show's high-profile segments, guests and music-driven montages.

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