Rickey, Reach, Urban One All Smiley

• Comedian, actor, TV, and radio personality Rickey Smiley, has signed a new deal with Reach Media and Urban One that extends his Rickey Smiley Morning Show for another five years and includes the creation of The Rickey Smiley Podcast Network. The extension comes on the heels of Smiley winning his second NAB Marconi Award for Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year in November 2021.

“These past couple of years have served to remind us how important our relationships are in life,” Smiley said. “Our families, our community, the people we work with every day have sustained us all, and I am no exception. I’m so grateful to my family at Urban One and Reach Media for the opportunity to extend my partnership with them for the next five years and beyond.”

David Kantor, CEO of Radio One and Reach Media, remarked, “Rickey has been a terrific talent for Reach for over ten years and we are excited to continue our relationship into the future with him. He is an outstanding talent, a two-time Marconi winner for best Syndicated talent, and he has a loyal and dedicated audience. He is committed to delivering an entertaining show to his listeners and almost 90 affiliates every day. Everyone at Reach is thrilled that we can keep working with Rickey.”

Smiley added, “I’m also super proud to be announcing the Rickey Smiley Podcast Network in partnership with Urban One and Digital One. The new network will give us the opportunity to tell relevant stories and elevate voices in the black community and beyond. I can’t wait to launch our first shows — I think you will love them. Finally, thank you to Ms. Cathy Hughes, Alfred Liggins and David Kantor for their trust and confidence in me — our journey continues together and I could not be happier.” Rickey Smiley is represented by Paul Anderson of Workhouse Media, Inc. [Photo credit: Blake Martin]