(KGET) – NAACP award-winning writer, producer, actress, and radio and television personality Tammi Mac is a little sneaky with her talk show, which airs weekdays at 8 p.m. on the FOX SOUL streaming service. She wants to use the platform to delve deeply into politics, education, race, entertainment, and science, but doesn’t want the audience to feel like they are being trained.
“Because the show is more educational, it’s difficult to tell someone it’s educational and then get them to watch it,” says Mac. “Fun arises because it’s more about edutainment than education.
“We have fun and people laugh, but we also learn about the black business on the Tammi Mac Late Show. So it is a way for people who are not familiar with black culture to come into a welcoming environment and find out what we really think, what is really bothering black people. “
Mac can present this information through FOX SOUL, a new live and interactive streaming channel dedicated to African American viewers. The programming is designed to celebrate black culture and address real-world issues that affect the everyday life of the black community through local and national influencers.
One aspect of hosting the FOX SOUL talk show that Mac never expected was that when she talked about educating in a fun way, she never knew she was going to be one to be educated. Mac found out things about the Black community through the talk show that she didn’t know.
Hosting a talk show is a natural career path for Mac. The Missouri native recalls that when she was a child she always wanted to be the one reading to the class.
“I would read with the voice of a newscaster,” says Mac. “I read The Grapes of Anger in class with my newscaster voice, and my teacher was so angry with me. She told me I was such an actress. I told her I would do this with my life, so now I have to practice.
“The other students refused to read and they wanted me to read the whole thing.”
Mac was right, and she landed the career she always wanted. The delivery system is new to the streaming service, but Mac has long been talking about such topics in places ranging from a returning guest on Logo Channel’s “The Gossip Queens” to their daily radio program in Los Angeles.
Mac has been with Texas Southern University since she was a student, where she worked for the school’s radio station. The influence of the radio can be seen in “The Tammi Mac Show” as it encourages interaction with viewers.
“We actually chat live with our viewers,” says Mac. “You comment. You get angry. You will be happy. It’s a series of emotions that come through our chat room. “
Recent topics that have sparked reactions and interactions include an examination of the Juneteenth legacy and reparation for African Americans.
The interactive element isn’t the only big difference between The Tammi Mac Late Show and all of the TV chatters that came before her. It wasn’t that long ago that the nocturnal world was the only domain of white men.
Mac sees her show as an example of how things are changing for the better. And she says it goes way beyond her program to all FOX SOUL offers, which give a voice to a large part of the population who had no such opportunity for so many years.
“I think FOX Soul is definitely speaking in a different direction with this black woman hosting it,” says Mac, pointing to herself. She laughs and adds, “You couldn’t have made a better choice, I have to say.”
What Mac doesn’t highlight is that choosing her on the spotlight on a late night talk show meant finding a presenter who would come to work with tremendous energy. This is necessary because she is juggling both the streaming utility and the radio broadcast.
The reason Mac can do so many things is simple – it loves what it does.
“What I love about both of my shows is that I’m black with no excuses. I can – along with the audience and the audience – really express what it means to be black, ”says Mac. “It doesn’t have to be coated with sugar. It doesn’t have to make anyone feel good. It doesn’t have to be caused by any outrage in America.
“In this way you get the truth, the honesty of what the black community shares with each other on a daily basis.”