Earl Arms, Host of PBS Black Nouveau

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Not long ago, I met Earl Arms, Host of the PBS television show Black Nouveau, at the Sherman Phoenix hangout in the heart of the central city. With movie star looks, Earl wore dark shades over a gray suit and a hip black fashion shirt. He is 35, but he could pass for ten years younger. We went inside, and a grinning woman stood up to hug him. She said,“I taught Earl Arms when he was in high school. He was always a great student and now he’s done well. I am so proud of him.” She was Shahanna McKinney Baldon, a teacher at Marshall High School. Earl and I moved into another room, found a quiet table and began our conversation.  

To my understanding, the Arms family has a long history in Milwaukee. Tell me about your early background, your parents, where you grew up, your neighborhoods, and schools you attended.

The Arms family was one of the first Black families to settle in Wisconsin. I spent the first 10 years of my life in the Sherman Park neighborhood around 49th and Clarke. When I was ten, we moved to 76th and Grantosa where my family lives now. I went to three different elementary schools, then to Morse Middle School. I graduated from Marshall High School.  

Did you have a career goal when you were in high school?

I always wanted to be a TV sports journalist. I played football and tennis. I loved sports, and I loved to talk. For college, I went to Whitewater as a broadcast journalism major, and I got a lot of hands-on experience working at UWW-TV television news, and that got me acclimated to being on-camera. Great experience. I was the sideline reporter for the football games when Whitewater won the national championship. I also wrote for the Royal Purple newspaper. I was a political science minor, and my professor Paula Mohan taught me about equity before equity was even a buzzword. 

What did you do after college?

My first job was as a sports videographer at a station in Madison, but I got laid off. That was 2008, the great recession.

I wanted to be a TV sports anchor. I went back to Whitewater for grad school in Higher Ed Administration as a supplement to my journalism background. I also did work for Time Warner Cable Sports as a videographer and reporter. My work caught the eye of news directors.

Take me through your professional career, the jobs you’ve held and your goals as a media personality and influencer.

I left the Masters program to take a job as Sports Anchor in the Flint/Saginaw Michigan market. I covered the Michigan teams, but I also got to see the social and economic problems Flint was having. 

Flint and Milwaukee are kind of alike, old industrial towns that lost hundreds of jobs when the manufacturing companies left their towns for cheaper labor. 

True, but I found there were still citizens who were loyal to these towns. In 2013, I left Flint and became sports anchor at CBS 58 in Milwaukee, and I covered Marquette basketball when they reached the Elite Eight in Washington D.C. But I mainly did the 6 and 10 p.m.weekend sports newscasts. We covered the Packers, Bucks, Brewers and Badgers. I had a lot of fun. But I was also interested in how regular news was covered. Serious news. I noticed a lack of representation of storytellers who could tell stories about the community. I wanted to get into regular newscasting, but I had a noncompete clause that prevented me from taking another news job in Milwaukee. I ended up moving to Jackson, Mississippi as a morning news anchor. 

Jackson, Mississippi, the deep South, antebellum, once the hotbed of racism and discrimination.

Actually, what I liked about Jackson and the South was a point of pride in the Black community and the concept of pride in ownership. For example, in Milwaukee I had a hard time finding a Black doctor or dentist. In Jackson, Black professionals are everywhere. And owning a home, even if it wasn’t much, was important to Black families. That experience made me realize there is something going on outside of the Midwest. In some ways, Milwaukee was more racist than Jackson.

Why did you leave the Jackson news job?

I decided to get out of TV news. I was getting tired of the grind. There was an opening in the office of the Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor, Mandela Barnes. In communications. Also, I wanted to get back to Wisconsin. Later, I took the job as Media Relations Manager for the Milwaukee Public Schools. Then, the pandemic hit, and everything shut down. 

Back to your professional background as a TV sports reporter. You once said, and I quote, “I know how much sports intersects with society.” What do you mean by that?

Looking at American history, slaves were investments, bred to be big and strong to work as laborers in the fields. Sports is not a lot different from that when it comes to Black athletes. They helped achieve equity. I see sports as the ultimate equalizer. Look at the history of racial integration in sports from boxing, baseball, the NBA, the NFL When you see racial progress in sports, you will see progress in society.  

I read this about you: “As a media professional, Earl uses storytelling, relationship building, and advocacy to bring attention to those making a positive impact.” So how do you go about that?

Storytelling is vital to touching people’s emotions. As far as cities and communities, even neighborhoods, I think it’s important that the storytellers are part of those cultures. For instance, why are we not talking about why Wisconsin is the worst place to raise Black children? Or why is there so much violence in Black neighborhoods? A story should tell about the “why,” not a minute and a half TV news report.

And you employ the “why” approach to your show, Black Nouveau on PBS.

We do. Think of everyday life for Black residents. They shouldn't have to drive 20 minutes to find fresh fruit or quality food or a good restaurant. Many Black people live in food deserts, which is a fact. But what is the story? The story should be “Why are there food deserts?” Or “why are there so few Black homeowners or why the neighborhoods have deteriorated, or why haven't the streets been repaired?” 

You are host of Black Nouveau. You do stories out in the field and you do long interviews in the studio. What is the purpose of the show?

Black Nouveau is a venue to tell stories about the Black community, what is going on and what is affecting us. Black Nouveau is the only local show on TV that sets out to find stories that represent Black neighborhoods and businesses and also to cover communities like Sherman Park and Bronzeville. This show has been on the air for more than 30 years. I’ve been host for two years. It is the most fulfilling work I’ve done in television because the stories are longer and we can dig deeper. No more 10 second sound bites. 

Is there a favorite story you’ve done?

One was about the Nevermore Batterers program run by Steve Thomas, who himself had been a batterer. The story was about Black men who physically abuse women and are recovering. In TV news, you might hear stories about Black men abusing women, but not about the why of what happens. 

We also did a long form documentary style program on the Juneteenth celebration. 

Let’s talk about PBS. Public Television regularly offers programs on progressive ideas with informed academics and pundits, and also features shows produced by the BBC. The PBS audience consists of a demographic of largely educated white viewers. Does Black Nouveau reach this white audience?

I agree with your assessment. A lot of white viewers. One day, I was riding my bike along the lakefront, and I got to talking with this white guy who said, “Hey, I know you. You’re Earl Arms of Black Nouveau.” As many Black people who have stopped me about our show, there are also a lot of white people as well. We reach an informed audience, and I hope we can educate them, or even nudge them into taking that step into a Black business, restaurant or neighborhood. 

You have another job. You are the Interim Director of Media Relations for Milwaukee Public Schools. What does that job entail?

We tell positive stories about MPS and accomplishments and about successful graduates who have good stories. 

MPS does get some complaints, even among residents who send their kids to the public schools. One complaint I’ve heard from parents and business people about MPS is there are not enough courses on the tradesz­electricians, plumbers, carpenters, or even in the tech job world such as computer programming and web design. Any thoughts from your contacts at the MPS school board on how to improve education in the trades?

I think that kind of training is now happening within MPS, the learning of trades, and about business. In the district, we try to tell stories about learning the trades including staff members who teach the courses. You can find these stories on our website and newsletters we send out every Friday. Keep in mind that the home is where schooling first happens, families being the first teachers. But public education is a cornerstone of American democracy.  

The central city has significant issues from high crime to low incomes and even poverty. Many of the Black leaders I’ve talked to from community organizers to elected and appointed bureaucrats think the best way to improve the inner city is building up the infrastructure, new stores and businesses, quality housing, and better schools. Any thoughts on this?

Of course, they are right. If you’re talking about closing the wealth and opportunity gap between Black and white communities, that involves investing in neighborhoods. Land ownership, whether residential or business, is the key to success. Where there is investment, there will be prosperity. How we can make a place where folks are safe, are welcome, and where they can raise their children to build on the wealth. We can’t keep redlining with investments and deserting certain areas. Which brings me back to how sports intersect with life. Look at how the NFL became successful, getting TV contracts, building stadiums, recruiting star players, investing. Same with the NBA. Where there is investment in resources, there can be success.   

Earl Arms is president of the Wisconsin Black Media Association, the local chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists. Earl was also named UW-Whitewater 2021 Outstanding Recent Alumnus. 

You can find out more about his program Black Nouveau on the Milwaukee PBS website: milwaukeepbs.org/local-programs/black-nouveau