ESPN takes a step in the right direction

Stephen A. Smith will still be all over ESPN, but he won't have his own show. Cut and paste from the Journal-Sentinel's SportsWatch:

"Quite Frankly" with Stephen A. Smith, a sports interview and talk show on ESPN2, has been canceled by the network.

The last installment of the show is to air today at 10 p.m. on ESPN2. The show debuted in August 2005 in a 5:30 p.m. time slot, Central time. It was moved its current 10 p.m. slot on Jan. 30, 2006.

"Quite Frankly," a one-hour show that aired on weekdays, was hosted by Smith, a sports columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. The show was taped before a live audience at a studio in New York.

The show was created by Mark Shapiro, who was an executive vice president of ESPN. Shapiro is no longer with the network.

Smith remains at ESPN.

According to ESPN executive vice president Norby Williamson, Smith is to be featured regularly on ESPN's many outlets.