The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
New talk show with all-black cast ‘Sister Circle’ set in Atlanta
Cast includes a reality star, comedian, former radio host and male DJ.
During the end of a test run of the new chat show “Sister Circle” last Wednesday, DJ Q began spontaneously singing “Sugar Free,” an old-school R&B song from the 1980s.
The ladies on the show began to dance and sing along, some with more panache than others. Helen Swenson, the executive producer, came out of the control room with pep in her step. “That was fantastic!” she said. “Love my ladies!”
In a world where ABC has “The View,” Fox has “The Real” and CBS has “The Talk,” black-owned cable network TV One and several local broadcast stations such as WATL-TV are entering this crowded field starting at 9 a.m. Sept. 18. The biggest differences: This one is based in Atlanta, featuring four local black women and a male D J.
Nielsen research shows African-American women watch a lot of daytime TV, drawn to shows such as “The Wendy Williams Show” and Steve Harvey’s talk show. TV One and broadcast company Tegna think there is still room for a show about pop culture, lifestyle and sometimes serious discussions important to black women.
“Sister Circle” is guaranteed 50 weeks of production, five days a week, over the next 12 months, featuring a reality star (Quad
Webb-Lunceford of Bravo’s “Married to Medicine”), a comedienne (Kiana Dancie), a former radio and TV host (Rashan Ali) and an R&B star (Syleena Johnson).
Swenson, a veteran broadcast news manager who was Channel 2 Action News legend Monica Pearson’s producer in the early 1990s, said Tegna asked her last year to come up with a live show that could generate social media buzz. They came up with the idea of an all-black talk show and ultimately brought in TV One to broadcast it nationally.
Tegna, which is shooting the program at 11Alive headquarters off I-85 and Monroe Drive, has given the women five weeks to prep with mock shows so everyone could get comfortable going live, whether it’s a cooking segment, a celebrity interview or a
debate over the news that day.
On this particular morning, they had a producer stand in for nutrition expert Ian Smith to do a segment on banishing sugar from one’s diet. (Smith himself is set to appear on the show during its first week.) Ali told the story about how she and her husband hooked up. Johnson and Webb-Lunceford disagreed over whether the lead in the recent “Wonder Woman” film was too docile.
“All of the ladies have a spiritual center about them,” Swenson said. “I feel like that this was a divine power that brought us all together. This show is not only going to be fun and entertaining, but it will provoke thought. It will be relevant and relatable not just to women of color but all women.” (She interviewed 150 women before picking these four, plus D J Q to provide a male perspective.)
Thanks to her extensive radio background working at V-103, Hot 107.9 and Streetz 94.5, Ali is used to going live and during the test show did most of the introductions. “She has the most experience” with this type of programming, said Dancie, who is an emcee at Norcross’ Atlanta Comedy Theater. “She’s training us, leading the way.”
For Ali, “this opportunity is truly a dream come true. … We’re ready for the big day!”
Webb-Lunceford, who has just finished shooting the fifth season of “Married to Medicine,” said she hopes this program will “show me in a different light outside of being a reality show star.”
Johnson, who has been a singer her entire career and starred in TV One’s “R&B Divas,” sees the talk show route as a new progression for her. She found that being on that particular reality show was anxiety producing and didn’t necessarily boost her music career. This type of show, she said, is more uplifting.
“We are really trying to transcend race,” she said. “It being an all-African American show is the statement. However, the purpose of that statement is to tie us together race wise. We want to let people know we’re not so different just because of our skin color or our beliefs. We’re going to talk about some uncomfortable things so we can be comfortable with being uncomfortable.”