Tony Cox signs off as consortium's midday talker ends production

Tony Cox, host of the talk show produced by the African-American Public Radio Consortium, says farewell to listeners in a post announcing an official end to the short-lived program. "I had big hopes for this show. And everything I could possibly have asked for came true. . . except the money." Upfront with Tony Cox began airing repeats earlier this year while producers tried to raise money; with no funders on board they called it quits as of May 14. It was the second of two midday programs that AAPRC put into production last year. Michael Eric Dyson, host of the first show, received a $505,000 CPB grant to relaunch his program as a production of WEAA in Baltimore. Dyson's new broadcast now airs on WEAA weekdays at 9 a.m. It's slated for national launch "soon."