Rob Redding

Robert "Rob" Redding Jr. is an American podcaster, journalist, author and artist.[1] From 2012 to 2013, he hosted the weekday syndicated Redding News Review on Sirius XM.[2][3]

For other people named Robert Redding, see Robert Redding (disambiguation).

Rob Redding
Born
Robert Redding Jr.

Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Alma materPratt Institute, Marshall University and University of Louisiana
Known forProducing Redding News Review
Writing The Professor: Witnessing White Power
Websiterobredding.com

Personal life and education

Redding's father was a preacher.[4] His mother was a teacher in the Atlanta Public Schools.[5] He was raised in the Atlanta area and attended the University of Louisiana where majored in speech communication.[6] He graduated with a master's degree in communication from Marshall University in Huntington.[7] He graduated with Master's in Fine Art in painting and drawing in 2022 from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.[1][5]

He is based in New York and is said to be "the first out bisexual black radio talk show host".[8][1]

Journalism and teaching

Redding has taught communications at Pace University and New York City College of Technology.[9] Prior to teaching, he was a talk radio broadcaster working afternoons at WAOK in Atlanta.[10] He was named one of the "100 most important radio talk hosts in America."[11] He was a journalist at several newspapers including The Washington Times.[12] He started his syndicated news and commentary show while at KMLB where he was also program director.[13] He returned in radio syndication to WAOK and other cities a few years after leaving.[14][15]

After about five years doing weekends, his show was also added to weekdays during that same time.[16][17] The show was taken off the air at Sirius XM and continues as paid podcast Redding News Review Unrestricted hosted on Redding News Review website since 2014.[18]

Reporting and punditry

In 2004, Redding reported on NBC anchor and managing editor Brian Williams saying that there were bigger issues than newsroom diversity. The comments resulted in a meeting between the National Association of Black Journalists and the NBC.[19] In 2007, Redding broke news of racist threats made against black columnist Leonard Pitts.[20][21] In May 2011, Redding got into a verbal altercation with Rush Limbaugh when he asked Michael Steele, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, about a skit in which a Limbaugh staffer "reinterpreted" his criticism of Barack Obama's immigration speech in ebonics.[22]

In 2012, Redding was a syndicated talk radio host on Sirius XM where he hosted "Where's the Change? Why Neither Obama nor the GOP Can Solve America's Problems," at Temple University and Connecticut College where he discussed the impact of talk radio on the 2012 presidential election.[23][24] In 2013, Redding interviewed recording artist Stromae about racism in Europe. Stromae spoke frankly about being called a "monkey", which inspired the singers hit Formidable.[25] In 2017, Redding's reported CoverGirl's James Charles comments about "chubby Black women", Indians and Mexicans in 2017[26] prompting Charles to apologize for his comments.[27]

Redding's interview of Texas A&M University professor Tommy Curry resulted in over 80 death threats directed to Curry after his comments were misunderstood.[28]

Redding occasionally features in the National Public Radio Roundtable feature.[29][30]

Writing

Redding has written 15 bestselling books on Amazon's list, including Smeared, Target, Dark Soul and The Professor: Witnessing White Power (2019) ISBN 978-1692336233 [5][31][5][32][1][33] His 15th and most recent book Unquotable was said to be "filled with powerful illustrations created by Redding, while his witty writings unravel issues of race, class, politics and sexuality", according to New York's Black Star News.[34]Redding has two academic articles. He wrote "Black voices, White power: Members of the Black press make meaning of media hegemony" in the Journal of Black Studies[35] He wrote the "Resolution of Risk" in “The Journal of the International Public Debate Association.” [36]

Art
Rob Redding in front of Black Power: Unapologetically Militant (70X93) 2021

In June 2023, Redding, who holds an MFA and MA in communication, was called "The Master of Commentary and Canvas" as Consciousness Magazine placed him on the cover of its publication. The magazine said Redding makes "monochrome look magnificent on every canvas he touches" and called his work "racy.".[37] A few months later, Redding was featured in The New Criterion for his work “Kenosha 7: Pow, Pow, Pow, Pow, Pow, Pow, Pow and Jacob Blake’s Life is Changed Forever” in a show entitled “There is a Certain Slant of Light” at Pratt Manhattan Gallery.[38]

In May 2023, New York's Black star News called him a "mixture of bright, bold, and brash" for his "salacious" art piece "Bad Words" which contains gay slurs on mirrors to confront and provoke conversation on presidential candidate Ron DeSantis over his "don't say gay" bill.[31]

In 2017, art reviewer Per Larson called his work "iconic" and compared him to "James Baldwin" because he once lived in Europe.[39]

In 2018 he exhibited his first Manhattan solo show BIG BLACK ̶C̶O̶C̶K̶ CANVAS: SIZE matters - in ART! at the NoHoM55 Gallery in Chelsea in 2018.[1] Redding's artwork Black Power: Unapologetically Militant was exhibited in the Fridman Gallery and later sold for $10,000.[1] His work appeared in the May 2021 edition of Art in America.[1][40]

His "Constructive Expressionism" style was described as "highly original" by Black Star News, which covered his new book about his art called Smeared (2023).[5]

References
  1. "Talk Show Host Rob Redding's "Black Power" Artwork Sells for $10,000". Black Star News. July 16, 2021.
  2. "XM's 'The Power,' the Only National African-American Talk Radio Channel, Expands Lineup with New Shows Image". XM. May 16, 2023.
  3. "Rob Redding "Conscious of the Political World" Image". Consciousness Magazine. May 2, 2013.
  4. "What is a black professor in America allowed to say?". the Guardian. August 3, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  5. "Books: Rob Redding's "Smeared" No. 1 best seller on Amazon.com Kindle". www.blackstarnews.com. January 19, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  6. "ULM students selected to 2009 edition of Who's Who". University of Louisiana News.
  7. Redding, Robert (January 2015). "Black Voices, White Power Image". Theses, Dissertations and Capstones. Marshall University Scholar.
  8. "Rob Redding's New Book The Professor Hits Number One". www.news.radio-online.com. May 9, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  9. "Rob Redding's Book "The Professor" Hits Number 1 Image". Radio Facts Ed. May 26, 2020.
  10. "Rob Redding exits WAOK-AM Image". Urban Insite. Archived from the original on February 17, 2004.
  11. "Heavy Hundred". Talkers Magazine. Archived from the original on August 1, 2003.
  12. "Washington Times Up Image". DCist. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  13. "10 Questions with ... Robert 'Rob' Redding Jr Image". All Access.
  14. "Redding Now Heard Weekdays on WAOK". CBS. November 8, 2010.
  15. "'Redding News Review' Offers Straight Political Talk on Atlanta's WAOK-AM". Rolling Out.
  16. "Rob Redding moves to weekdays on SiriusXM 128 Image". Urban Radio Nation.
  17. "'Redding News Review' Added To Weekday Lineup At Sirius XM's The Power Image". All Access SXM.
  18. "Redding News Review Unrestricted' Reaches 1000th Episode Image". Radio Online.
  19. "NABJ accepts network's focus on diversity". Baltimore Sun. May 18, 2023.
  20. "Local Columnist Threatened By White Supremacist Websites". Adweek. June 21, 2007.
  21. "Neo-Nazi Guilty, but Not in Threat to Leonard Pitts". Richard Prince.
  22. "WAOK's Rob Redding gets Rush Limbaugh's attention". AJC. Archived from the original on January 27, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
  23. Rowland, Fred (May 17, 2012). "Talk Radio Host Rob Redding".
  24. "February events at Connecticut College". The Day. 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  25. "Radio Vet Talk Show Host Rob Redding Writes Another Best-Selling Amazon E-Book "Why Black Lives in Matter…"". Radio Facts. July 7, 2015.
  26. "CoverGirl's response to their first male model's racist tweet is incredibly cringe Image". METRO. February 21, 2017.
  27. "A Complete Timeline of the James Charles Allegations and Controversies - February 2017 Image". Vulture. May 12, 2021.
  28. Weber, Eric Thomas (2020). "The Pragmatist's Call to Democratic Activism in Higher Education".
  29. "Roundtable: Obama Leaves Church Amid Scrutiny". NPR.org. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  30. "Roundtable: Merchandise Follows Obama-Mania". NPR.org. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  31. "New York Artist Targets Florida Governor Ron DeSantis". www.blackstarnews.com. May 31, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  32. Facts, Radio (May 26, 2020). "Rob Redding's Book "The Professor" Hits Number 1 - Radio Facts". Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  33. "Rob Redding's 'Target: Unwrapping Racism' debuts at No. 1".
  34. "Art In Activism: Artist Rob Redding To Address Pratt Institute Wednesday".
  35. Redding, Robert (March 2017). "Black voices, White power: Members of the Black press make meaning of media hegemony". Journal of Black Studies. 48 (2): 143–164. doi:10.1177/0021934716681152. S2CID 148449940.
  36. "Resolution of Risk".
  37. "Rob Redding: The Master of Commentary and Canvas". www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/2507592. June 1, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  38. "The Critic's Notebook". The New Criterion.
  39. Larson, Per (July 22, 2017). "Per on Art". Archived from the original on July 15, 2019.
  40. "Talker Rob Redding Sells Painting for $10K". RADIO ONLINE. August 10, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
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