Channeling

Penned in the final months of Fred Hickman's life, this autobiography revisits a trailblazing career. In 1980, Fred was one of the first faces on the Cable News Network. With CNN's Sports Tonight, he became one of America's first Black sports anchors on national TV, and he was first to host TNT's Inside the NBA. His half-century in broadcasting also included time at ESPN, Fox Sports South, and the YES Network.

With help from journalist and friend Harrison Golden, Fred wrote Channeling as an exercise in gratitude. Featured are the challenges that tested this TV legend, the elders who mentored him, the loved ones who lifted him, and the up-and-comers who kept his heart young.

In Fred's absence, the book's title has gained deeper meaning. Sports fans, news hounds, and history buffs alike will not only find inspiration in someone who influenced many TV channels over the years. They will have a first-person narrative as accessible and spirited as its author.

Fred Hickman spent nearly twenty years anchoring Sports Tonight, a nightly sports news show that premiered shortly after CNN's launch in 1980. His half-century in broadcasting also included time on TNT's Inside the NBA, Turner Sports' Winter Olympics and Goodwill Games coverage, ESPN's SportsCenter, the YES Network, Fox Sports South, and the Black News Channel. He earned two CableACE awards and a New York Sports Emmy. Upon Hickman's death in 2022, the National Association of Black Journalists honored him as a "shining example of perseverance and an incredible role model for Black journalists."

Harrison Golden writes for the Society for American Baseball Research. He has worked as a producer for Fox News in New York and as an NBC affiliate reporter in Louisiana. He has contributed work to CNN.com, USA Today, and Interview. He currently lives in North Carolina.