Robin Meade Picked to Host “With All Due Respect” on Dec. 20

“Let’s just say nobody in this group is shy with the opinions,”

Robin Meade says

“You couple that with input from our viewers – who also aren’t afraid to tell it like it is – and you’ve got a pretty spirited hour of TV.”

Sports stars-turned-TV analysts Charles Barkley, Dennis Eckersley and Kyle Petty will branch out to offer opinions on other topics in a one-hour special on news network HLN.

“With All Due Respect” will air Dec. 20 and be hosted by HLN anchor Robin Meade. The network said Thursday that the trio will discuss subjects ranging from sports to world news, entertainment and current events.

Barkley, the NBA Hall of Famer; Eckersley, the baseball Hall of Famer; and Petty, the longtime NASCAR driver, are all commentators for Turner Sports, which like HLN is owned by Turner Broadcasting System, a unit of Time Warner Inc.

HLN and Turner Sports today announced the premiere of a new, one-hour special called With All Due Respect, featuring HLN anchor Robin Meade, TNT NBA analyst Charles Barkley, TBS MLB analyst Dennis Eckersley and TNT NASCAR analyst Kyle Petty. The special will include the trio giving their opinions on topics ranging from sports to world news, entertainment and current events. With All Due Respect will premiere on HLN on Sunday, Dec. 20 at 10 p.m. (ET).

“Charles, Dennis and Kyle have diverse interests, and their perspectives reach beyond sports,” said David Levy, president of ad sales, distribution and sports, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. “We look forward to bringing them together with Robin Meade for an exciting year-end show. This special is a terrific way for Turner Sports to join forces with HLN for a unique program.”

“The Turner Broadcasting roster includes exceptional talent, from news anchors to sports legends, and With All Due Respect is a great way to showcase that talent,” commented Bill Galvin, SVP, HLN. “As the News and Views network, HLN is known for offering a wide range of opinions that get viewers talking — and this special will have no shortage of opinions.”

With All Due Respect will include interaction and questions from the live studio audience, along with questions from fans submitted through CNN iReport, the network’s user-generated news community. Submit an iReport, go to and click on the With All Due Respect assignment. In addition, fans will have the opportunity to give their thoughts and opinions on a number of the show’s topics via Facebook (HLN, NBA on TNT, NASCAR and TBS Hot Corner fan pages) and Twitter (@NBAonTNT, @NASCAR, @TBSHotCorner).

Robin Meade is the anchor of HLN’s morning show, Morning Express with Robin Meade. Among other stories, Meade anchored the network’s coverage of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the January 2009 inauguration of President Barack Obama, and the July 2009 coverage of Michael Jackson’s memorial event. In July 2008, she scored the exclusive first interview with freed American hostages — at their request — after their release from Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) captors. In June 2009, Meade performed a tandem skydive with President George H.W. Bush in Kennebunkport, Maine, to commemorate the former president’s 85th birthday. Meade is also the face of HLN’s “Salute to Troops” segment, a daily message to U.S. troops using photos and videos sent in by their loved ones. Meade’s first book¸ Morning Sunshine! How to Radiate Confidence and Feel It Too, was an instant New York Times bestseller upon its release in September 2009.

Charles Barkley is an NBA Hall of Famer who has spent 10 years as a TNT NBA analyst on the three-time Emmy® Award-winning Inside the NBA studio show. A 16-year NBA veteran and 11-time NBA All-Star, Barkley is equally well-known for his irreverent humor and wide-ranging interests outside of basketball. Sports Illustrated’s 2002 “Personality of the Year,” Barkley is the author of three books: Who’s Afraid of a Large Black Man? (2005), I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It (2002) and Outrageous! (1992).

Dennis Eckersley is a Hall of Famer whose 24-year career in Major League Baseball includes time with the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, and St. Louis Cardinals. Best known as one of the all-time greatest relief pitchers, Eckersley also threw a no-hitter in 1977 when he was a starting pitcher. Eckersley has had a successful post-retirement career, becoming a fan favorite through his work on TBS’s MLB regular season and Postseason coverage as well as on the New England Sports Network (NESN).

Kyle Petty is a third-generation NASCAR driver, following in the footsteps of his father, Richard Petty, and grandfather, Lee Petty. A 30-year racing veteran, Petty now serves as a NASCAR on TNT studio and race analyst, bringing energy, humor and insight. In addition his passion for racing, Petty has committed himself to expansive charity work, including the Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America and as the founder of the Victory Junction Gang Camp, which helps terminally ill children. The camp has locations in Level Cross, N.C. and in Kansas City, Mo.