T.D. Jakes testing TV talk show in Atlanta, other markets

He will replace repeats of “The Rachael Ray Show” from Monday until Sept. 11.

Jakes, in an interview, said the show will be motivational and spiritual but not overtly religious.

“I want to tell inspirational, uplifting and provocative stories,” he said. “I want to help work through the tangles and snares in life as well as interview interesting, primarily everyday, people.”

In other words, he won’t bring on a lot of celebrities, opting for more of a “grass-roots” approach.

He has taped many of the episodes already. One of the more compelling episodes, he said, was gathering five mothers of people whose deaths have been in the news, including Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Michael Brown and Eric Garner. “It was very emotional,” he said.

Jakes also talked to a man who, as a 12-year-old boy, falsely pinned a murder on three men. Many years later, he admitted he had lied. “He comes on the show to ask for their forgiveness,” Jakes said.

The preacher said he acts like a mediator and counselor as much as he is a talk show host. “It’s what I’ve done off camera for 40 years,” he said. “My role as a pastor is to counsel people in grief and divorce and family crisis. Doing it in front of a live audience adds a new dimension.”

Jakes last tried a weekly interview talk show on BET two years ago (which was shot at Turner Studios in Midtown), but it failed to gain traction. He blamed that on the time BET chose to air it on Sundays when many of his fans were in church.

And while he would have loved to have worked with his friend Oprah Winfrey on her cable network OWN, broadcast syndication offers a potentially bigger audience. Nielsen demographic studies show a disproportionate number of black women watch daytime talk shows, which may be why shows such as “The Wendy Williams Show,” “The Steve Harvey Show” and “The Real” have been big hits in recent years.

It’s also why the local Fox affiliate WAGA-TV (Fox 5) has tried two talk shows this summer chasing similar audiences featuring actors and married couple Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker followed by rap star Ice-T and his model wife Coco.

If Jakes does well, he said he could go nationwide starting in the fall of 2016. “It gives me a chance to see whether I like doing a daily show,” he said. “And will people like to see me in this role? That’s what we’ll find out.”

Having Atlanta as one of the test markets, he said, is important. "I love the city," he said. "I love the people. They've always treated me with kindness." He is an executive producer of a film starring Jennifer Garner and Queen Latifah called "Miracles From Heaven," which is shooting in the Atlanta area now (check buzz.blog.ajc.com for filming updates).

And his annual family festival MegaFest was based in Atlanta for several years until he brought it to Dallas two years ago. The next festival is Aug. 19-23.

“Logistically, it was easier to hold it on my home turf,” he said, “but we want people from Atlanta to come here.” Last year’s attendance, he said, was 75,000 people.