Earnie Miles Show celebrates 28 years

The 28th anniversary of the Earnie Miles Show will be held Saturday, June 30 at 7 p.m. in the Monroe Civic Center.
This Gospel Extravaganza will feature performing artists and groups such as Flowery Mount, King Ollie and The Southern Harmoneers of Monroe; Mount Zion and Christ Temple of Grambling; The Jubillettes of Downsville; Mount Pleasant of West Monroe; Collingston Mass Choir; Margo Williams of Winnfield; and Pleasant Grove of Unionville.
The show promotes one of the most respected of all American art forms, gospel music. It features national and local recording artists and choirs.
Miles has become a gospel icon throughout northeast Louisiana, southern Arkansas and the northwestern part of Mississippi. He was the first African American on television in the Ark-La-Tex as a weekend news anchor for KNOE-TV.
He can be called a jack of all trades because he has worn many hats such as a former math teacher, director of public relations at Grambling State University, salesman, photographer, newspaper columnist, founder and editor of The Monroe News Leader and sole administrator of the House of Robes.
At the age of 80, Miles is still going strong. He continues to give more than 100 percent of his time and effort to his show. He has hosted 1,410 shows and had 1,032 artists to perform before camera and aired as many as 1,966 songs for the public. His view of issues involving the national and local communities can be heard during the 976 commentaries he has made on the show; various churches and other local organizations received free publicity during the 13,360 announcements he has made, and 11,158 viewers have basked in their “fifteen seconds of fame” when he devoted shows to them.
Just tune in to KNOE-TV-8 each Sunday from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m.
“The Earnie Miles Show has been on the air since 1980 and I can think of nothing better that I would like to be doing,” said Miles.
Jack McCall was the program director who approached Miles with the invitation to host the show with minor stipulations. Miles wanted to choose his guests and to name the show after himself.
He has been fascinated by television since he was a small child growing up in Winnfield.
“I listened to Walter Winchell, who was, in my opinion, the best newscaster at that time,” said Miles.
At the time his interest was to air the likes of B.B. King and Bobby Blue Bland rather than Shirley Caesar and the Mississippi Mass Choir. But Miles, having been reared in the church by his mom, decided it best to keep a gospel music format. His decision is one that he has never regretted.
Miles is one of the most requested emcees in north Louisiana. He is known for his lively Sunday morning commentaries.
This community activist was the first recipient of the Grambling State University Drum Major Award for his contributions to humanity, in general, and to the African American community.
In the words of Miles when ending his Sunday morning gospel show, “Be good to yourself and others, and I’ll see you in church.