| Robert
"Rob" Redding Jr. - an artist, author,
radio host and journalist - has been called "one
of the most respected names in the media" (Upscale magazine), "one
of the most intellectual and intriguing radio
talk show hosts since Tavis Smiley" (Radio Facts)
and a "rising star" and
one of
the "100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts
in America" (Talkers magazine).
Redding,
a nonpartisan nonvoting independent known as
"America's Independent Voice," is perhaps so respected because of his more than
a decade of experience in the media. He uses his
expertise as a member of the Washington,
D.C. press corps - including his
time as a former reporter for The
Washington Times - to publish
"Black Web Award"-winning
ReddingNewsReview.com,
an independent online daily newspaper, and The Washington Continent,
a daily publication covering Washington,
D.C. And with more than a decade in music and
talk radio he is the host
Redding
News Review- The Show,
an independent syndicated news program heard in
almost 20 cities and on XM 169.
Redding
also uses his early exposure to the dirty world
of politics, as a president of the Young
Democrats and manager of a political
campaign, to author "Hired
Hatred: Why politicians and the political
prejudices they tout are mutually exclusive from
good government."
In September of 2006, he founded
Independent Thinkers
- a
501(c)(3) tax exempt
think tank, educational and advocacy group
dedicated to conducting research and rewarding
its members with
scholarships,
internships, jobs, publishing, broadcasting and
networking opportunities. The
organization, which has more than 150 members,
basis much of its policy position on Redding's
book "Hired Hatred." (Note: His first foray into being a published author
came in 2001 in
"In
Dawn's Shadow").
Last, unknown to
some, Redding has been an abstract
"Smear" painter
since age 12. This "Smear"
painters work can be found at
the
Warehouse
in Washington, D.C. and at the Classic
Art House
in Brussels Belgium. His works have also been included in
the upcoming independent film "Art
House."
"It is always an event
anytime Rob Redding's smear paintings are
featured," writes John Blee, a respected critic
and artist. (See page 27)
Robert
"Rob" Redding's beginning
Rob, age 32, is the son of Rev. Robert Redding Sr., an
Atlanta pastor and former president of the Fayette
County's Black Voters League, and the late Mary
Ann Redding, who was an Atlanta public school
teacher and a Fayette school board candidate. He
began his media career as a hip-hop radio personality at KZWA-FM,
while on a full debate scholarship at McNeese
State University in Lake Charles
in 1994.
In 1996, he accepted a full time position as a
hip-hop night personality at WIBB-FM in Macon,
GA - where he was named "Tony Smoove"
by his program director. (Ironically, Macon is a
city where the Redding family name is known for
the accomplishments of another family member,
'60s soul singer Otis Redding - known for
Sittin' On the Dock Of The Bay, Try A Little
Tenderness, I've Been Loving You Too Long, These
Arms of Mine, Shake, Tramp and Merry Christmas
Baby/White Christmas).
Robert
"Rob" Redding's
radio career
In Macon, as "Tony Smoove," Redding
became known for his plainspoken top rated talk
show "What's on Yo Mine at 9." In
1998, he departed WIBB for cross-town rival WFXM-FM,
where he continued his talk show, amid a
southern hip-hop format. There Redding
introduced the world to Warren Anderson Mathis
-- known as the multi-platinum selling rapper
Bubba Sparxxx -- on his album "Tony
Smoove's Aircheck Volume 1." (The disc,
released by Crystal Castle Productions, was also
responsible for producing rap artist Sonny
Spoon, CI, and Mr. Holloway).
Fed up with the direction of hip-hop, Redding
eventually left WFXM and landed as a fill in
talk show host at WOL-AM in the District in
1999. While in the District, he grew the now
defunct National Association of Non-Political
Policy Makers, took reporting jobs for a string
of weekly and daily newspapers and created and
hosted his own television talk show,
"Sunday Speech." In October 2000, he
left the District to join the The Macon
Telegraph as a reporter. In December 2001, Redding
left The Telegraph to join WAOK-AM to start a
daily award winning talk radio program, where he
was called "America's Independent
Voice."
After being named to Talkers magazine's
distinguished list of the "100 Most
Important Radio Talk Show Hosts in America"-
which followed being referred to as "one of
Atlanta's leading radio talk host" by BET
and MSNBC
and called an "Industry Leader" in
talk radio by AllAccess.com
- he left the station in May 2003 to start his
nationally syndicated radio show. (He
was
awarded a proclamation from the Atlanta City
Council for his work a
week after his departure).
When Redding returned to Atlanta radio exactly
one year later with his syndicated show Redding
News Review
"Atlanta's media authority"
Kemincations.com
declared: "The King of Urban and
Independent Talk is Back." His
syndicated show has been heard across the nation on XM 169 The Power;
at various times on his 10 affiliate stations
from New York City to Atlanta; and every
Sunday at 4 p.m. EDT in the form of a podcast
posted on ReddingNewsReview.com on the World
Wide Web.
Robert
"Rob" Redding, the independent
journalist and activist
Rob launched his first online journalistic
enterprise The Political Critic, a none partisan
newsletter dissecting politics in government -
originally part of the defunct Web-based
National Association of Non-Political Policy
Makers - before moving to the District
from Macon in June 1999.
The
organization has since evolved into
Independent Thinkers.
"I think it is important for people to
understand what their parties are doing from a
none political perspective," he said of the
monthly sent to more than 100 readers in 23
states via e-mail.
While in the District, he used "Sunday
Speech," his weekly talk television show,
to tout the independent view of thinking,
opposite guest Republicans and Democrats.
"The show was different because it was
among the first to have a complete political
round table of all views," he said.
However, Rob didn't stop there, almost two years
after moving back from the District to Georgia
he started ReddingNewsReview.com on March 25,
2002. He says the site is a hub of information
aimed at providing "The Pressing News You
Need to Know." (Read
more)
Since its start, ReddingNewsReview.com has been
credited for its coverage by The Washington
Times and The National Newspaper Association.
Upscale magazine wrote Rob is "evolving into one of
the most respected names in the media." The
Web site has been called "the nation's top black
news site" by Atlanta media news site Keminications.com.
Robert
"Rob" Redding's the speaker and
tireless worker
Redding has become a
regular guest on
Fox News and a panelist on the Committee for an Independent Party's
Choosing an Independent President's "Is the
Media Biased Against Independents" panel -
which was aired on C-SPAN. He has also
served as a panelist for the National
Association for Black Journalist and the Atlanta
Urban Media Makers. He has addressed the
National Council of Negro Women Metropolitan
Atlanta Section, journalism students at the University of
Maryland, Morris Brown College in Georgia and
Howard Community College in Maryland.

But
Redding has not stopped there, he has worked as
a paid consultant to Fort Valley State (GA)
University's college newspaper "The Peachite."
He has also served as
treasurer of the Atlanta Association of Black
Journalist, after overseeing the development of
its "Media Watch Program."
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