- Feb 7, 2004
- 5,631
- 3,350
Like It Is is a public affairs television program focusing on issues relevant to the African-American community, produced and aired on WABC-TV in New York City between 1968 and 2011.[2] It is one of the longest-running, locally-produced programs of its kind in television history. In spite of being aired only in the New York area, Like It Is achieved wide acclaim nationally based on the renown of its topics and interview subjects.
Like It Is was originally co-hosted by actor Robert Hooks and WABC-TV news reporter Gil Noble. Noble eventually became sole host, and produced the series after 1975.
Within the backdrop of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements, the program was created by WABC-TV to fill a void in black-oriented programming. In its earlier days Like It Is focused primarily on black celebrities; later it would focus entirely on politically-related matters after Noble became sole host and producer.[3] As host and interviewer Noble exercised a low-key style, often subtly playing devil's advocate in an effort to get the most out of his guests. For a time Like It Is was also co-hosted by Melba Tolliver.[4] The program has won seven New York-area Emmy Awards.[5]
Along with discussions on current events, Like It Is has featured full-length interviews with many prominent African, African-American and Afro-Caribbean political and cultural figures of the 20th Century during the course of its run. This list includes, but is not limited to:
Like It Is with Gil Noble (Dr. Ivan Van Sertima, Dr. Ben & Dr. John Henrik Clarke) Part 1
Like It Is was originally co-hosted by actor Robert Hooks and WABC-TV news reporter Gil Noble. Noble eventually became sole host, and produced the series after 1975.
Within the backdrop of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements, the program was created by WABC-TV to fill a void in black-oriented programming. In its earlier days Like It Is focused primarily on black celebrities; later it would focus entirely on politically-related matters after Noble became sole host and producer.[3] As host and interviewer Noble exercised a low-key style, often subtly playing devil's advocate in an effort to get the most out of his guests. For a time Like It Is was also co-hosted by Melba Tolliver.[4] The program has won seven New York-area Emmy Awards.[5]
Along with discussions on current events, Like It Is has featured full-length interviews with many prominent African, African-American and Afro-Caribbean political and cultural figures of the 20th Century during the course of its run. This list includes, but is not limited to:
- Ralph Abernathy
- Muhammad Ali
- Arthur Ashe
- Amiri Baraka
- Yosef Ben-Jochannan
- Maurice Bishop
- H. Rap Brown
- Jim Brown
- Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture)
- John Henrik Clarke
- Bill Cosby
- Sammy Davis, Jr.
- Louis Farrakhan
- Aretha Franklin
- Billy Eckstine
- Lena Horne
- Jesse Jackson
- Leonard Jeffries
- Michael Manley
- Robert Mugabe
- Sidney Poitier
- Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.
- Max Roach
- David Ruffin
- Al Sharpton
- Fred Shuttlesworth
- Chuck Stone
- Billy Taylor
- Sarah Vaughan
- Andrew Young
Like It Is with Gil Noble (Dr. Ivan Van Sertima, Dr. Ben & Dr. John Henrik Clarke) Part 1