Like It Is (TV series)
| Like It Is | |
|---|---|
| Presented by | Gil Noble |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30–60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | WABC-TV, New York City |
| Release | |
| Original network | WABC-TV |
| Original release | June 2, 1968 – October 23, 2011 |
Like It Is was 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. It was 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 Movement and Black Power movement, 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. 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. The program won seven New York-area Emmy Awards.
Along with discussions on current events, Like It Is 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:
Other episodes have featured Noble presenting archival material on figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr., W.E.B. Du Bois, Malcolm X, Paul Robeson, Fannie Lou Hamer, Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, and many others. Special episodes were also devoted to single topics, such as the Civil Rights Movement, the Harlem Renaissance, and the effects of drug use, particularly that of heroin, in the Black community.
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