The uproar over Tavis Smiley’s departure from NPR is growing louder by the day.

Since Smiley’s Nov. 29 announcement that he’s giving up “The Tavis Smiley Show” after three years on NPR, many station managers have called NPR – and sent e-mails – expressing their anger and disappointment that Smiley’s show will no longer be heard. The big complaint: That NPR officials could have – and should have – done more to keep Smiley on their roster. There have even been reports that several NPR staffers resigned in protest over Smiley’s departure (his last show airs Thursday).

Smiley, for his part, felt NPR wasn’t doing enough to reach its minority audience – and he was continuously butting heads with his bosses over the format and tone of his show.

I’m hearing that plans are now afoot to get Smiley back onto public radio – but without any type of affiliation with NPR, which would go a long way toward soothing frustrated Smiley fans out there. And, if this plan works out, don’t be surprised if Smiley’s “home base” will be one of the premiere public radio stations in the country.

Smiley’s PBS show, meanwhile, is completing its first year on the air – and will feature John Travolta, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Bacon and Venus Williams in the coming weeks.

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Star Jones Reynolds and Al Reynolds, Tamara Tunie and Gregory Generet will co-chair the First Annual Skating with the Stars Under the Stars at Wollman Rink (Feb. 7). It benefits Figure Skating in Harlem, a girls charity that helps girls with their self-esteem and achievement through skating and education. World renowned skaters Sasha Cohen, Victor Petrenko and Michelle Kwan will also be there.

Last, but not least:

* Tomorrow on TCM (10 p.m.): “Scorsese on Scorsese,” a documentary about filmmaker Martin Scorsese. Richard Schickel hosts.

* Favorite TV publicist names, part deux: Ofelia Castiblanco (Ch. 4), the De La Rosa gals – Jennifer and Delilah (no relation) – Rosemary Sribnyj (CBS) and E!’s double-threat combination: Nicole Goesseringer and Elena Miklaszewski. Somewhere, Carly Ubersox smiles.