Love him or not, the Rev. Al Sharpton has managed to stay relevant and visible for years. Now he’s planning a new Sunday morning TV show, called Education Superhighway, according to The Hollywood Reporter:
The controversial civil rights advocate will unveil his 30-minute show, “Education Superhighway,” Thursday morning at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 40th Annual Legislative Conference. It’s already cleared in 150 markets, including KCOP in Los Angeles.
Sharpton’s media company, ESH Holdings (named after the series’ initials) will produce the TV show as well as a planned print magazine.
The TV show, which begins airing Sept. 26, consists of news and roundtable discussions primarily about education. Guests already lined up include Bill Gates, Newt Gingrich, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and president of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten.
Sharpton is a frequent commentator on cable news outlets, including The Fox News Channel, where he’s often highlighted as the voice of dissent on shows like “The Sean Hannity Show” and “The O’Reilly Factor.”
The new TV show will not cut into his time as a guest on other shows. “Bill O’Reilly and I can’t even agree that we’re on the same channel, anyways,” Sharpton quipped to THR.
As president of the National Action Network, he gets national press attention regularly. He’s set to hold a press conference on Thursday at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, according to Hip Hop Press.
How long has he been on TV? Check out this clip from 1974, when he was only 19, presenting a “black record” to James Brown on this “special moments” reel from Soul Train…