"Straight Talk" reaches 300th show milestone

By Jeff Au Spafford
Daily Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer

With only minutes left until the camera goes on for the viewers, Art Levine grabs a cup of coffee with the special guest of the evening. They chat informally, a quick way for Levine to get to know his guest. Afterwards, he and his guest head for makeup and prepare for the next half hour. Meanwhile, the hardworking crew works quickly to get ready for the night's broadcast of "Straight Talk."

"Straight Talk" produces seven shows a week, which runs four days a week on two separate channels. Straight Talk is a half an hour broadcast aired to Long Beach and 30 surrounding cities. Straight Talk provides in-depth discussions with business and government leaders, college and university presidents, entertainers, and experts in various fields ranging from health care to non-profit organizations. Many guest speakers have included our own President Maxson, Brian Gimmillaro, head coach of the Cal State Long Beach women's volleyball team, and many politicians including U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer and the late congressman Sonny Bono.

Hosted by Art Levine, Straight Talk has remained on the air for more than 10 years. A few weeks ago, Straight Talk has hit a television milestone: its 300th show. Levine, a knowledgeable person in political broadcasting, is a graduate of Yale law, a member of the State Bar of California and New York and the professor of ethics and legal studies on campus.

Twelve years ago, Levine received an offer from the cable company for the show to be broadcast on television. Now, the show reaches to more than half a million people in nearby cities and has remained one of the most watched and respected talk shows. Levine said that Straight Talk is "value based." The show stresses the importance of value within our community. Each week, the show begins with a one-minute tribute to police officers, firefighters and military officers for their dedication to protect the community.

The show tries to showcase many experts in different fields. Straight Talk has an established theme from week to week.

"Everyone can make a difference in their community without having to hold office," Levine said.

Straight Talk, "a labor of love" as Levine calls it, celebrated their 300th show with Supervisor Don Knobe as a guest speaker. "It really is a milestone for us," Levine said. "[Each show] takes a lot of time and effort. Three hundred shows are a lot of shows. We deeply appreciate our sponsor. Without sponsors, we wouldn't be here. And to our audience, their loyalty has made the show a success."

In addition to the television broadcasts, Straight Talk launched an official Web site in April 2004. The Web site provides information regarding upcoming speakers, a series of audio clips from its past broadcasts, and informative pages about their production, its guests and sponsor information. For more information visit http://www.straighttalk.com.