Note: The show airs at Noon ET-3pm today and every Saturday. Tune in to Oprah Radio on Sirius XM or right here in the Internetwebthing

Two years ago, we were one of the first blogs to post this video of Derrick Ashong’s intelligent and diplomatic response to an aggressive YouTuber attempting to make Derrick look like just another dumb black person voting for Obama because he was black…

…Today, Derrick launches his new show, The Derrick Ashong Experience, on Oprah Radio.

According to Mashable:

His new show on Oprah Radio will debut 12:00 p.m. EST on January 23. That’ll be it’s regular timeslot, too. Subjects will include politics, pop culture, music, the arts and — here it is — social media. He plans to answer questions received via social media channels, although it’s not clear yet which services he’ll use and in what ways.

All that seems like a good fit for Oprah’s network, since she has an established record with both Obama supporters and Twitter.

Ashong says the show “will challenge my listeners every day, in every moment, in every decision to push our world towards a brighter light. It will bring a passionate, global perspective to radio.” That’s some high hype, but you’ve got to at least be intrigued by the show’s social media origins and angle, regardless of whether or not the content and viewpoint appeal to you.

From a conversation with Derrick about his new show, I can also report that the show will take a more global approach to political and cultural topics. Derrick grew up in a combination of Ghana, the Middle East and Jersey, so he’s seen quite a bit.

Why is this show newsworthy? I’m not just promoting it because Derrick is my friend. First, this show features a young, educated black voice talking about affairs of the day in an intelligent and interesting way. Second, in addition to the content and style, the way the show is being distributed is new and gets us closer to the future of news/information/entertainment. Third, it’s Oprah yall!

On and about the content, here’s today’s lineup:

  • Grammy winner John Legend: live from The Sundance Film Festival to talk about music, his background, his humanitarian efforts around he world and also the devastation in Haiti
  • Grammy-nominated John Forté: an interview about his story of being a grammy nominated producer/co writer for the Fugee’s and then ending up in prison for 7 years. They will also discuss music and how youth has been and is affected by it, also a live musical performance.
  • Actor Wendell Pierce and director Tanya Hamilton of “Night Catches Us.” This is a movie about complex political and emotional forces In 1976 that are set in motion when a young man returns to the race-torn Philadelphia neighborhood where he came of age during the Black Power movement.
  • The subjects and stars of the documentary “A Small Act” will also join Derrick this Saturday

In addition to Oprah’s satellite radio channel, the show will stream live on the web every Saturday Noon-3pm ET. There will also be some social media integration, so check Derrick out on Twitter.

For past JJP coverage of Derrick Ashong, check out these archive posts.

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