First there was Oprah, Beatrice Berry, Amanda Lewis, and now there's Shannon (Littie Dobson-Shannon).  She is the new, up and coming, host and producer of "KEEPING IT REAL WITH SHANNON."  Shannon was born in North Carolina, and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York.

Keeping It Real With Shannon is a talk and entertainment show hosted and produced by Lottie Dobson-Shannon.  The show has aired on Brooklyn Community Access Television (BCAT) for six years, and on Manhattan Neighborhood Network for two years.  Keeping It Real With Shannon reflects on a wide variety of topics, such as Education, Police Brutality, Domestic Violence, Challenges Facing Young Black Males, Relationships, etc.  Past guests have included Terrie Williams, publicist and proprietor of the Terrie Williams Agency; Chancellor Rudy Crew, King Tone of the Latin Kings, legendary R & B singer Isaac Hayes,, Maxine Brown, Carol Williams, Baby Washington; and renowed gospel singers Vicki Winan, The Famous Pilfrim Travelers of South Carolina, and The Southland Singers of Houston, Texas.

The show seeks to discuss and educate the community on engaging topics and promote local and professional artists.  It is informative and entertaining.  The audience is middle aged to elderly.  Everyone enjoys good conversation and good singing.  In order to enhance the program, two new segments were recently added, Shannon's Book Club, co-hosted by Darnell Collier; and Words of Wisdom, hosted by Reverend Amote Sias.  These segments will seek to educate listeners through reading and dialogue.

Keeping It Real With Shannon is the 2002 winner of the Hometown Video Festival Award.  The program won first place in a national competition for Best in Public Access Programming for Talk Show Entertainment.  The show can be seen on Brooklyn Community Access Television every Saturday at 5:30 p.m., cablevision 68, Time Warner 35, and every Saturday on Manhattan Neightborhood Network at 1:00 p.m., Channel 57. 

Shannon started her career in education at the Board of Education twenty-three years ago.  When Shannon graduated, there were little opportunities for blacks in communication.  But it did not deter Shannon from reaching her dream to become a television producer.  Even though she worked primarily in education, she kept one foot in communications.  She began her career at the Board of Education at a young age and worked her way to management, becoming the Project Director of the NYC Board of Education Mentoring Program.  She involved corporate, government, and cultural institutions in mentoring young women in high schools throughout New York City.  The program thrived under her leadership and became the prototype for Matilda Cuomo's statewide mentoring program.

Shannon later became the Executive Director of the Parent Advocacy
Center of Medgar Evers College.  She coordinated staff, raised funds, developed and conducted an award winning parent-training institute, directed at teaching parents skills in advocating for their children in the city public schools.  The program received recognition throughout the state, and from the former Commissioner, Tom Sobol of the New York State Education Department, and became a model for the development of parent participation in programs in Mt. Vernon and Hempstead New York.

Shannon decided to return to the Board of Education as Borough Deputy to the Chancellor, (Rudy Crew).  In this capacity, she was responsible for the development and implementation of projects, and assisting the superintendents in obtaining resources for their schools.  Shannon is now the District Parent Support Officer for the Department of Education, where she empowers parents to become partners in their children's education.

Shannon personified the qualities of intelligence, endurance, compassion, and strong faith that characterize black foremothers who held the family, church, and community together through all adversities.  Shannon is a woman of distinction who has accomplished great professional and education victories, while maintaining a household, and rearing a daughter, who is a senior at Morgan State University.  She strongly believes that Christian fellowship should be practiced in all aspects of life.  Shannon attended college and obtained three degrees, including a Masters.

Shannon serves on the Board of Directors of several corporate and community based organizations. She has won numerous awards and citations from the Borough President, Governor of New York State and others.  She has been featured on "Like It is" (ABC), "Metro Magazine" (WNYE), "The Hotline Show" (Channel 13), "The McCreary Report" (Channel 5), and Medgar Evers Radio Station.  Despite her busy schedule, her first love is her talk show, "Keeping it Real With Shannon."