NATPE 2012

To Steve Harvey, Syndication's No Joke

The serious multi-tasker expects to work in tapings of his new NBCUniversal syndicated talk show around his other gigs as syndicated morning-drive radio personality and host of Debmar-Mercury's Family Feud. Something has to give, however, and it will be his standup comedy. But he says he’s not giving up humor: “I want to do a daytime show that is inspirational, uplifting and insightful. Then, the twist I’m going to put on it is that, in the middle of the day, it’s going to be funny.”
TVNewsCheck,

Steve Harvey may not be the first name that pops into your head when you think “talk show host.” But his upcoming syndicated daytime show was met with enthusiastic responses from TV station groups. Steve Harvey, which is produced by Endemol USA and distributed by NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution, cleared four-fifths of the nation's TV homes in short order with the NBC O&Os taking the lead. It's set to debut this fall.

As Harvey tells it in this interview with TVNewsCheck Contributing Editor Kevin Downey, the new show will be one part Oprah, one part Carol Burnett, one part Conan and maybe even one part American Idol. "It will involve singers and ... it will be entertaining and inspirational. People love to see someone given a shot to see what they do with it."

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What it won't be is celebrity-driven, he says. "My show will focus on everyday people."

Harvey expects to work in tapings around his other gigs as syndicated morning-drive radio personality and host of Debmar-Mercury's Family Feud, which has seen its ratings rise 33% so far this year. But something has to give and it will be his standup. "Sometimes, to go to the next level, you have to shed something that you really care about."

Harvey also pledges to do whatever he can to promote the show. "I’m ready to give the local markets as much support as they need. That’s the game. I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. I’m not going to go at it halfway. That’s not how you win."

An edited transcript:

You have been a guest on many daytime talk shows. Did you ever think you would be hosting a show of your own?

Having a talk show has been on my bucket list for years. It just never came to fruition. Finally, this year it is coming true. So, unknowingly, all my appearances on shows like Oprah and Good Morning America were laying the groundwork for me to go to daytime TV. I feel that now I am seasoned, so I’m ready to go.

How is the show shaping up?

It’s going to be a combination of things. I want to do a daytime show that is inspirational, uplifting and insightful. Then, the twist I’m going to put on it is that, in the middle of the day, it’s going to be funny. I think I can deliver that.

You have become something of a relationship expert with your books like Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man. How will that factor into the show?

When I talk about relationships, I’m talking about all of them, not just the relationships between men and women. I’m talking about relationships with siblings, children, relatives. We’ll also talk about things that will motivate people in business and educate people on a variety of topics, from health to wealth.

I have a very unique opportunity in daytime TV. As great as a lot of the hosts have been, the ultimate goal for anybody is to just hope for the success that Oprah had. Half the success she had would be great. A third of that would be great.

If I can deliver the topics that Oprah did, rather than reinvent the wheel, I just want to add one twist. I’m a standup. I can be clever. And I’ve learned how to make my comedy work on all levels. I know how to work clean. I know how to work with a huge general-market appeal.

You said you’ll focus on all types of relationships, but your books are about relationships between men and women.

I’m going to be a guy on daytime television who is like a teammate for women. I’m championing their cause. I’m not telling secrets on guys. I’m giving the male perspective. That’s where the success of my books comes from. It’s a very honest perspective on the mindset of men.

That right there is something that most guys aren’t willing to give because, when they’re talking to women, they have an ulterior motive. I don’t have that right now because I’m really into one woman. I couldn’t have said that 10 years ago. Now that I am, I can unveil a man’s perspective to women. I think that gives me an edge in daytime television.

So, you see Steve Harvey as having mass appeal?

I think the success I’ve had on Family Feud has proven something I have been saying for a long time. If you don’t pigeon-hole me and you let me fly, I have a much wider and broader appeal than people imagine. Yeah, I’m a black guy in daytime TV. So what?

I can still be very insightful. My 55 years has included a couple of marriages and a blended family. I’m a father, a husband and a philanthropist. And I’ve made my share of mistakes. My willingness to share those mistakes and discuss my flaws can be inspiring to a lot of people. It can be insightful. You take all that and put a comedic element to it and I just have a good feeling about it.

Continued on page 2…
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