The Word Network to Air Congresswomen Sheila Jackson Lee's Memorial Service Live on Thursday, August 1st

The Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s celebration of life will be carried live on The Word Network on Thursday, August 1st at 12pm ET/11am CT. Jackson, who passed away last week, represented the 18th Congressional District in Texas.

The Word Network continues its tradition of airing memorial services of such prominent people as Aretha Franklin, Rosa Parks, and Whitney Houston. The Word Network is the leading cable channel for religion and gospel music. The Word Network can be seen on all cable systems in the United States, and internationally on all streaming platforms in over 200 countries.

Those wanting to air the service are asked to credit The Word Network. Coordinates are Galaxy 32 at 91.0 W, Transponder 19C, 4066.5 MHz Horizontal.

Tavis Smiley returning with new inspirational series

Less than a month after PBS dropped Tavis Smiley's talk show following reported inappropriate relationships with subordinates, Smiley on Monday announced a deal to go back to work with a new series about inspirational stories.

The program, The Upside With Tavis Smiley, will be streamed online and shown on The Word Network, a religious-oriented cable and satellite channel directed at black viewers.

By fashioning a new program focusing on inspirational stories instead of more general interest news and entertainment, Smiley will sidestep the issue of whether his downfall would make celebrities reluctant to be interviewed by him. By striking a digital distribution deal with the media company AerNow and a little-watched cable network, he also will be much less visible.

But Smiley said he believed that going digital positions him well for the future. He also said he will attract a younger audience than he was getting at PBS, and that he also has struck a deal for international distribution for The Upside and his production company's inventory of interviews that he conducted in the past.

[SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER]