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Viacom's plans to split in two may have Bob Johnson splitting sooner, not later

(March 21, 2005) A story yesterday by the Associated Press suggested that BET founder and CEO, Bob Johnson may be departing the nation's largest black-targeted media company sooner than the end of the year when his contract expires. Though the AP article does not mention a specific date, recent developments at Viacom, which owns BET, may be a factor in an earlier departure for Johnson.

Last week Viacom chairman and CEO, Sumner Redstone announced that the media conglomerate is considering splitting itself into two separate publicly traded companies. Its cable properties, such BET and MTV, would be grouped into a single firm, with its television (including CBS), radio and outdoor advertising divisions in another.

Bob Johnson, who became the second largest single shareholder of Viacom stock when he sold BET to Viacom in 2000, could personally benefit from a Viacom restructuring. Wall Street analyst say that the company's stock, which has seen a decline in the past months, could be invigorated by the split. News of the possible split initially increased the stock's value by $2.71 a share to $37, but that is still down from a 12-month high of $42.32.

Johnson said he would devote his time after leaving BET to developing his NBA basketball franchise, The Charlotte Bobcats. He also has business interests in real estate, hotels and restaurants.

The AP story speculates that Debra Lee, current president and chief operating officer, is the most likely successor to Johnson's post.

Viacom, which is also selling some cable properties, has said that it wants to maximize BET's potential. Viacom's co-president, Tom Freston has said publicly that he wants to make BET a "much stronger first choice place for African-Americans."

AURN and Weather Channel team up to deliver forecasts to urban stations

(March 17, 2005) American Urban Radio Networks has reached an agreement with The Weather Channel to broadcast its customized forecasts to urban radio stations across the country. AURN and The Weather Channel will provide format specific live and recorded local weather forecasts on weekday mornings. In addition, scripted custom local weather forecasts will be available for all other dayparts seven days a week.

AURN affiliate stations will also have ready access to exclusive severe local weather coverage in emergency situations and approaching storms. The complete local weather picture will be customized to meet the needs of urban stations. "We're pleased that we can bring America's most trusted brand in weather to Urban Radio. Research shows female listeners of urban radio stations list weather as one of the most important things they listen for and women are dominant listeners to urban formats," said Jerry Lopes, President of Program Operations & Affiliations for AURN.

According to a recent Arbitron study, 72 percent of female urban and urban adult contemporary radio listeners strongly agreed that weather was one of the most important things they listen for compared to 52 percent of women listening to other formats.

Black magazines bounced back in February with above average revenue growth

(March 14, 2005) The nation's leading back magazines bounced back from seasonal drops in their January issues to show above average growth in ad revenues for February. All but one of the top five titles significantly out-performed the industry, according to figures from the Publishers Information Bureau of the Magazine Publishers Association.

Black Enterprise had the greatest growth at 65 percent, closely followed by Jet with 64 percent. The growth in ad dollars for all PIB measured magazines between January and February was 28 percent. Collectively, black magazines had a one-month growth rate of 26 percent.

Essence logged the most in ad revenues with $6.9 million, followed by Jet with $6.3 million. As a group, the leading black magazines took in $26.1 million for February. These titles also out-performed the industry in growth of pages by reaching 36 percent, versus a 20 percent growth in pages for all magazines for February.

  

Tavis Smiley returning to public radio with two-hour weekend show on PRI

(March 11, 2005) Tavis Smiley is returning to public radio through a distribution deal announced by Public Radio International. The Tavis Smiley Show will be available to PRI's 727 affiliate stations nationwide for broadcast and simulcast streaming beginning April 29.

The new program will be similar in content to the daily one-hour show that Smiley aired on National Public Radio for three years until last December when he decided not to renew his contract. Returning with him will be commentators such as Cornel West, Connie Rice, J.C. Watts, and Michael Eric Dyson.

Produced for Friday evening broadcast, the new weekly two-hour Tavis Smiley Show is part of a PRI program initiative designed to help public radio stations grow audience and attract new listeners after evening drive time. Stations will also be able to air the program throughout the weekend, providing additional tune-in opportunities in their markets.

Eleanor Harris, senior vice president and head of PRI Marketing and Distribution, says, "Tavis Smiley deserves to be heard on public radio. His show is extraordinary, and we are proud to partner with him to bring his much-needed perspective to the discerning public radio listener. PRI and our station affiliates are committed to broadening the range and reach of public radio programming, and The Tavis Smiley Show is a key component of that strategy."

Smiley states, "There is no place like public broadcasting for the critical conversations that help bridge America's cultural, political, and social divide. Radio has been and always will be an important part of my mission to bring empowering and enlightening information to diverse communities."

The Minneapolis-based PIR network provides over 400 hours of programming each week. Its best known offerings include Marketplace, This American Life, The World, and Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?

Milwaukee's black newspapers call for boycott of Kohl's Dept. Stores again

By Tannette Johnson-Elie
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
(March 8, 2005) After getting Home Depot to advertise in African-American newspapers, and pressuring Office Depot and T-Mobile Wireless to do likewise, black newspapers have a new target: Kohl's Department Stores.

Kohl's is the target of a boycott orchestrated by Kimber, Kimber & Associates, a Fresno, Calif., advocacy advertising agency that represents 250 black-owned newspapers across the country.

The purported offense: Kohl's practice of excluding black newspapers from its print media buys. The Menomonee Falls-based retail chain channels its print advertising buys mostly to mainstream media that enable it to reach the largest audiences.

A group of black publishers now calls this practice discriminatory and demands that Kohl's do like other companies that have been targeted and cough up millions of dollars in print ad buys.

Since late November, the Milwaukee Courier, The Milwaukee Times and The Milwaukee Community Journal, Milwaukee's three black-owned weekly newspapers, have been running full-page ads urging black consumers not to shop at Kohl's as part of a nationwide effort organized by Kimber.

"Our (black) publishers see this as a civil rights movement for ad dollars and their survival," says Mark Kimber, chief executive officer of Kimber.

This strong-arm tactic succeeded with Home Depot and Office Depot. Home Depot has launched a $4.7 million advertising campaign with African-American newspapers, said Kimber. According to Ethnic Newswatch, it's the largest such campaign that anybody has done. After it was charged with discrimination by Kimber, Office Depot now spends more than $1 million annually on print advertising with black papers.
Click here to read entire Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article

'Their Eyes Were Watching God' draws ratings win for Oprah, ABC

By Tanya Kersey
(March 7, 2005) According to Nielsen Media Research, ABC’s "Oprah Winfrey Presents: Their Eyes Were Watching God," (Sunday, March 6, 9:00 – 11:30 pm) attracted an average audience of 24.6 million viewers and earned an 8.5 rating, 21 share among Adults 18-49 during its telecast. The No. 1 TV program on Sunday evening bested its closest network competition, CBS, from 9:00-11:00 p.m. by 14.0 million viewers (25.0 million vs. 11.0 million) and by 135% among Adults 18-49 (8.7/21 vs. 3.7/9).

Excluding sports and the Oscars, the Oprah Winfrey movie starring Halle Berry, attracted ABC's largest audience in the Sunday 9:00-11:00 p.m. time period in close to 5 years - since May 21, 2000.
 
"Their Eyes Were Watching God" qualifies as the highest-rated Oprah Winfrey movie in more than seven years -- the largest audience since "When Women Had Wings" in November 1997 and highest-rated among Adults 18-49 since "The Wedding-Part 1" (also starring Halle Berry) in February 1998.
 
"Oprah Winfrey Presents: Their Eyes Were Watching God" stands as the most-watched scripted movie (to exclude the CBS documentary "9/11") on all of TV in well over 5 years - since 11/28/99. It was TV's highest-rated scripted movie among Adults 18-49 in more than 3 years - since 1/27/02, ABC's "Rose Red - Part 1." 
 
The BBC partners with A.G. Media's GospelCity.Com to promote gospel DVD

(March 7, 2005 ) A.G. Media Group, Inc. has announced a new marketing partnership with the United Kingdom's British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

Under the agreement, the company's GospelCity.com web property will provide a comprehensive four-week interactive marketing campaign to promote the new release, employing a variety of novel marketing initiatives to promote the new BBC documentary, "The Story of Gospel Music: The Power in the Voice". The film features historical footage and interviews of many notable gospel artists and acts including: The Clark Sisters, Donnie McClurkin, Vanessa Bell Armstrong and many others. The DVD also includes stirring performances from Tramaine Hawkins, Cissy Houston, Mahalia Jackson, Thomas Dorsey, Aretha Franklin and many more. The story of black gospel music is told by theologians, historians and Gospel artists.

"As part of our efforts to introduce this release to the North American gospel audience, the highly-trafficked GospelCity web property offers us the perfect medium to reach a large African-American and Urban Christian audience," stated Burton Cromer, Vice President, Consumer Products for BBC Worldwide.

"The BBC's decision to partner with us further demonstrates the global reach and impact that the GospelCity web property has attained," stated Richard Picart, A.G. Media COO. He continued, "We are pleased that GospelCity is continuing to build on its track record of attracting a high caliber of advertisers and marketers."

A.G. Media Group was established to become a leading Christian media holding company comprising Christian-based Internet, print and television related content properties.

Media International Concepts, Inc. signs agreement with Black Education Network

(March 7, 2005) Media International Concepts, Inc. has  announced it has signed a letter agreement with BEN Asset Group ("BEN") and its subsidiary Black Education Network to develop two pilot shows for series for presentation to the satellite radio industry, including Sirius and XM Radio, as well as for other forms of media distribution.

One of the pilot programs will focus on national issues of concern of the Congressional Black Caucus and the African-American community. The second program will focus on health disparity issues that are plaguing the African-American communities nationwide. All the programs will be solution oriented.

BEN is a privately held corporation engaged in the business of producing, acquiring and distributing informational, educational programming, targeted to a national audience of African-American viewers.

Radio One completes acquisition of controlling interest in Reach Media

(March 2, 2005) Radio One, Inc. has announced that it has completed the acquisition of 51% of the common stock of Reach Media, Inc. for approximately $55.8 million in a combination of approximately $30.4 million of cash and 1,809,648 shares of Radio One Class D common stock.

Reach was founded in 2003 by Tom Joyner, its Chairman, and David Kantor, its CEO, to operate the Tom Joyner Morning Show ("TJMS") and related businesses. The TJMS had previously been syndicated by ABC Radio Networks. Mr. Joyner, known as the "hardest working man in radio," is one of the nation's leading radio personalities, who received the National Association of Broadcasting's prestigious Marconi Award for 2004 as the syndicated radio personality of the year.

The TJMS, reaching over eight million listeners every week, is broadcast on over 115 affiliate stations across the United States and is the top morning show in many of the markets in which it is broadcast. Reach also operates various other businesses associated with Tom Joyner including the Tom Joyner Sky Show, a live remote broadcast of the radio show in cities around the country, the Tom Joyner Family Reunion and various other special event-related businesses. Additionally, Reach operates one of the leading African-American targeted Internet destinations, www.BlackAmericaWeb.com and airs a television program on the TV One cable network.

Armstrong Williams signed as afternoon co-host on WWRL in New York
 
(March 3, 2005) The controversial conservative commentator, Armstrong Williams, has been signed to co-host a daily afternoon talk show on WWRL-AM in New York. Williams was embroiled in controversy in January when it was learned that he received $240,000 in contracts from the Dept. of Education to promote the Bush administration's programs.

"Drive Time Dialogue" is a three-hour show on the black talk station that has features Sam Greenfield as the representative of the liberal point-of-view. Williams, who will start March 14, has made cameo appearances since January, said WWRL general manager, Adraine Gaines.

We had him on both mornings and afternoons since the controversy broke," said Gaines. "We're a very caller intensive station. We get up to 3,000 listeners calling a week. We were looking for the right person to take the conservative position opposite Sam and Armstrong handled himself very well."

Williams will hold down his duties from his office in Washington, DC. Gaines doesn't believe having one part of the team based outside of New York City will be a problem.

"He's an African-American man living in a major urban city," said Gains. "What happens there is no different than what takes place in New York. Plus, we'll be covering national as well as local issues. We think he'll bridge that gap very well."

WWRL is owned by Access.1 Communications, a black-owned broadcasting company with 21 one radio and television properties across the U.S. The stations programming can be heard over the Internet at www.wwrl1600.com.

New distribution agreement puts 'Gospel Truth' magazine in 1,800 Wal-Mart stores

(March 3, 2005) Thanks to a new distribution agreement, Gospel Truth Magazine's will expand it's current distribution through Wal-Mart stores from 400 to 1,800 Wal-Mart stores starting in May. Each store was selected based upon a history of significant sales of gospel music and other urban based publications such as Vibe and Source. This expansion translates to an additional 100,000-plus issues of GTM available to Wal-Mart shoppers.

GTM publisher, Kerry Douglas (left) said a comprehensive marketing and promotion plan has been put into place to ensure sell-through of the additional copies. The first part of the plan includes a half pallet display program with the capacity to hold 186 magazines will be executed in 386 Wal-Marts with the highest propensity to reach the most African American customers.

Other marketing and promotional programs includes various campaigns with GTM s media partners that will include, but not limited to, television partners, Music Choice and Black Family Channel Networks. Radio partners will include ABC Radio Network's REJOICE! Musical Soul Food, and SGN's The Light. Campaigns will comprise of opportunities to win Wal-mart gift certificates, CD's, issues and/or subscriptions to Gospel Truth Magazine and family vacations.

GTM was founded in 1998 by Douglas as a means to promote the awareness of new gospel recording artists to the music industry. Today, GTM has grown into the largest publication of its kind, reaching over 200,000 readers bi-monthly.

Black MBA Magazine ranked by African-Americans among top business publications

(March 2, 2005) Black MBA Magazine, a trade publication targeting African-American MBAs, students and other professionals, emerged as one of the top three publications of choice for African Americans with MBA degrees who consult periodicals for their professional information, according to a poll by Universum Communications.

Black MBA Magazine is the official publication of the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA), a professional organization based in Chicago. Universum Communications is a global research and consulting company that helps large organizations improve their talent attraction and retention strategies

Black MBA Magazine ranked high in two Universum polls—one that measured readership preferences of African-American MBAs in general and another that noted the preferences of African-American female MBAs versus African-American male MBAs.

“These rankings are an important indicator of what Black MBA Magazine has come to mean to the business community,” said Pamela McElvane, and CEO of P&L Publishing which publishes Black MBA Magazine. “We will continue to strive for excellence to sharpen our edge.

Founded in 1996, P&L Group Ltd. specializes in association publishing, sourcing and staffing, and diversity consulting. The firm also publishes Black IT Professional Magazine, which is the official publication of the Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA), a 4,700-member organization based in Philadelphia. The biannual publication is distributed in April and August.

Black host, nominees and winners draw huge black audience to Oscar telecast

(March 1, 2005) With this year's "Academy Awards" featuring more black talent than any pervious telecast, it's not surprising that African-American homes were watching in record numbers. The Oscars, with 3.5 million black homes and 5.2 million individual black viewers, edged out all three of the week's broadcasts of "American Idol." The black audience represented 12.3 percent of the all those tuning in to Hollywood's biggest night.

Fox had four winners in the week's primetime top ten. UPN captured three spots while CBS had two. The Oscars lifted the top ten's overall audience for the last week of February to 25 million, an increase of 11% over the previous week.

Chris Rock as Oscar host draws 41 million viewers and mixed reviews

(Feb. 28, 2005) So how did Chris Rock do in his debut starring role as host of the Oscars, television's second most watched event? It depends on who you ask.

Based on the early returns from Nielsen's meter measurements, the show pulled in a total 41.5 million individual viewers. That's a net loss of about 2 million viewers over last year's telecast. But it's also quite an accomplish for Rock considering his limited recognition outside of black and urban audiences. The contending movies had limited popularity as well, with none having yet broken $100 million figure at the box office. 

Critics greeted Rock's performance and the Oscars' ratings with mixed reactions:

"Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank and Jamie Foxx weren't the only winners at the Academy Awards. Preliminary indications are it was a strong ratings performer for ABC. The Oscars' 30.1 rating in Nielsen Media Research's 56 top markets was a slight 1 percent improvement over last year's comparable number, and the highest-rated Academy Awards in the metered markets since 2000. The rating is an estimate that nearly 33 million households were tuned in. Last year's Oscars were seen by 43.5 million people, a 32 percent increase over 2003. Considering the ominous signs of ratings declines for the Golden Globes and Grammys this year, the numbers left ABC executives pleased. -- The Associated Press

"About 41.5 million viewers watched Chris Rock's first (and, many were speculating yesterday, last) gig as Oscar host on Sunday. That was 2 million fewer viewers than watched last year's Billy Crystal-hosted Oscarcast. Based on the numbers, it would appear that the decision to hire Rock to host the Academy Awards show -- a choice that had done so much these past few weeks to cause the media's knotted and combined locks to part... did not have the same sensational effect on the public at large." -- Lisa De Moras/The Washington Post

ABC officials said they were pleased with the boost Rock delivered in the 18-34 age group coveted by advertisers, and the show earned its best results in three years in attracting women 18-49 and women 18-34. "

"We're extremely pleased with the ratings," said Andrea Wong, ABC exec VP of alternative programming, "and it's great to see growth among 18-34, which means there's interest from a new generation of viewers. Chris Rock deserves a lot of credit for that."

What seems irrefutable, however, is that this was the "blackest" Academy Awards show ever broadcast. When you factor in Rock as host, four black actors with nominations, P. Diddy as presenter, Beyonce holding down three of the four performances of nominated songs, plus frequent cut-away shots of Oprah, Jay-Z and Halle Berry, the three-hour broadcast may have featured the most African-Americans in primetime since Bill Cosby dominated Thursday nights.

Typically, black audiences make up about 10 percent of mega broadcasts, and we'll learn later this week when the breakdown of exactly who was watching what is released if that was the case for this year's telecast.

Vibe launches bi-annual beauty and fashion title targeted to young black women

(Feb, 28, 2005)VibeVixen, a new beauty and fashion title for women from the publishers of Vibe, hit newsstands last week. The semiannual title will publish in the spring and fall of 2005.

Vibe Vixen is designed to cater to the young, urban, trendsetting female whose passion for urban music and culture inspires her choices in beauty and fashion. For more than eleven years, women have represented half of Vibe’s readership, and Vibe Vixen expands on the publication's coverage of cutting-edge fashion and beauty trends for urban-minded women.

The launch issue provides readers with insight to the season’s must-have products, from the latest cosmetic shades that Kimora Lee Simmons can’t live without to the fabulous hairstyles on the runway and the denim staples necessary for today’s stylish vixen. The issue also focuses on this season’s “It” bags and the newest technology on the market. In addition to profiling the latest styles from the fashion industry’s elite, Vibe Vixen features exclusive interviews and commentary with Ashanti, Halle Berry, and Jill Scott, as well as some of the hottest upcoming designers. February’s premiere issue spotlights rising star Ciara.

“We are thrilled with Vibe Vixen and think it’s exactly what our female readers have been looking for in a women’s magazine. This issue is full of the hottest trends in fashion, beauty and makeup, combined with fascinating features on fashion and lifestyle as well as sophisticated survival information for today’s modern, urban woman. I can’t wait to read the feedback letters. I think that our readers will be as happy as we are with the final product,” says Editor-in-Chief Mimi Valdés.

Vibe Vixen will launch with an initial rate base of 425,000 and will be published bi-annually.

TNT teams up with Suzanne de Passe and Jeff Friday for The Film Life Movie Awards

Turner Network Television (TNT) plans to present a new awards show to recognize artistic achievement by persons of African descent in connection with feature-length motion pictures, both in front of and behind the camera, as well as to give merit to outstanding films portraying the black experience, it was announced today by Steve Koonin, executive vice president and chief operating officer for TNT and TBS. The Film Life Movie Awards (working title), will air Saturday, May 21, will be executive-produced by Jeff Friday, founder and CEO of Film Life and the American Black Film Festival held annually in Miami, and by Suzanne de Passe of de Passe Entertainment.

"TFilm Life Movie Awards is a perfect opportunity for TNT to recognize and celebrate the enormous contributions black artists have made to the art of cinema," said Koonin. "We are proud to be able to bring this very special event to our viewers and especially proud to be collaborating with Jeff and Suzanne, who have worked so hard to promote the achievements of African- Americans in film."

THE FILM LIFE MOVIE AWARDS will be taped at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, May 15. Awards will be given in seven competitive categories, including Film of the Year, Best Director, Best Performance by an Actor, Best Performance by an Actress, Best Supporting Role - Male, Best Supporting Role - Female and Best Screenplay. Honorary awards include a Distinguished Career Achievement Award and a Rising Star Award. In addition, THE FILM LIFE MOVIE AWARDS ceremony will include a celebration of new inductees into the Classic Cinema Hall of Fame and a special presentation of the HBO Short Film Award.

Nominations for the 2005 FLMA will be announced in April. The FLMA Jury, comprised of film critics, entertainment editors representing African-American media outlets and prestigious members of the artistic community, will determine the nominees and winners. Eligible films and persons will be considered for awards from U.S. theatrically released motion pictures between Feb. 1, 2004, and Jan. 31, 2005.

 EXCLUSIVE
Essence president explains why the decision was made to suspend 'Suede'

(Feb. 24, 2005) The announcement this week from Essence Communications Partners that it was suspending publication of its newest title, Suede, was followed by a wave of speculation that the decision was somehow connected to the recent sale of the 35-year-old company to Time Inc. However, in an exclusive interview with Target Market News, ECP president, Michelle Ebanks said the decision had nothing to do with the new owners, and everything to do with the numbers behind the new business.

”We’ve been evaluating the business from pre-launch,” said Ebanks, “but we’re getting more consumer research and results in now and we’re seeing how difficult it is to reach this multicultural audience. It’s not something that's ever really been done successfully.”

What’s never been done, she explained further, is a magazine for women of color with an editorial mix of high-end fashion and lifestyle service features. Suede billed itself as a publication that blends what Vogue and Glamour offer individually, but targeted to a multicultural reader.

The problem? Plenty of aspirational features, but not enough service, said Ebanks. “The magazine was very aspirational in its execution. It was more like Vogue than Marie Clare or InStyle, in so far as there was more aspiration than service. We need to work on that balance so that we have more of a mass appeal versus being as aspirational as we were. You find that the books that are more aspirational tend to have smaller circulations.”

The Suede business plan called for the magazine to hit the ground running, quickly building the circulation to 250,000 by year’s end and publishing ten issues across 12 months. Monthly issues were to begin with the April edition. ”We didn’t see yourselves getting there as cost effectively as we had planned in terms of marketing it,” she said. “But the product was more expensive than we thought [it would be] as well."

Having the resources of Time Inc. suggested to some that a way could have been found to give Suede more time to catch on with readers and advertisers. But Ebanks said nothing would have changed what the research was telling them. “It’s tough to make these small circulation models work. And we were ambitious in that we thought we could hit the ball out of the park from the beginning. But it’s going to cost too much to keep everything going at 250,000 circulation at ten times a year”

Ebanks hopes to find a way revamp the concept and return to publishing. Until then, she’s focused on finding positions for the 46 staffers. More than half have already been placed within Essence or Time Inc. There’s no word yet on the future plans for star editor, Suzanne Boyd, but Ebanks would like her to stay with the company.

”For me [losing Suzanne] is one of the biggest disappointments of all,” said Ebanks. “She’s such a huge talent. The fact that we need to step back and re-look at the business model puts her on hold and that’s an unfair position.”

Ebanks said that the suspension of Suede is no reflection on the financial state of Essence magazine -- which is in the process of closing its upcoming 35^th anniversary issue -- or the Essence Music Festival to be held in New Orleans in July.

If she had known a year ago what she knows now about the fate that awaited Suede, Ebanks said “I probably would have started out as a quarterly, just taking baby steps instead of walking and running. I would have given myself more time to test the concept, test the audience and let the infrastructure build up around it as we learned more. That’s what I would have done differently.”

But she added "I have to be financially mindful of the investment relative to the pay off. If I can halt and reconstruct the business model in a way that creates a reasonable investment relative to the return, then that’s what I have to do."

Time Inc.'s Essence Communications suspends publication of 'Suede' magazine

(Feb. 24, 2005) In a statement released last night, Essence Communications Partners (ECP) announced that "Suede" magazine will be going on hiatus after the April issue, its fourth issue. The new title for women of color was launched in September of last year as joint venture between ECP and Time Inc..

In making the announcement, Ed Lewis, Chairman and CEO of Essence Communications Partners, said, "Suede's unique approach to fashion defined a new category. The magazine is smart, exciting and provocative. However, although some of our most talented people have been working on Suede, it has become clear that more time and resources would be needed to further develop this brand. This decision will give us the opportunity to step back and reevaluate the concept and its place in the market."

The closure is the first major business decision since Time Inc. acquired ownership of Essence Communications last month.

'American Idol,' still popular with black audiences, takes first and second place

(Feb. 24, 2005) “American Idol” didn’t just hold on to the top position with black households in the second week of February. It took over second place as well. Both the Tuesday and Wednesday broadcast had 3.1 million black homes tuned in. The strong lead-in gave Fox’s “House” about half its audience on Tuesday and its eighth place spot.

”Desperate Housewives” placed ABC back on the list with tenth place. CBS had three winners, as did UPN. Overall, the total number of black homes watching the top ten was 22.4 million, the same as it was for the previous week.


MTV Base debuts Pan-African channel that spotlights African artists

(Feb 22, 2005) MTV Networks, a division of Viacom Inc., has launched MTV base, the company's  first pan-African music television channel. The channel is beaming to a launch audience of 1.3 million households in sub-Saharan Africa. 

"MTV base as the company's 100th channel is the most anticipated launch in our history -- it's our first dedicated African service and takes MTV's global footprint to every region of the world," said Bill Roedy, President, MTV Networks International. "MTV base celebrates the diversity of vibrant music culture across Africa, while offering rich, creative inspiration for MTV's global network."

Company officials said MTV base is programmed to appeal to young Africans aged 15-34, satisfying their immense appetite for high quality contemporary music content that transcends national borders. The 24-hour music channel will broadcast 'urban' music genres and artists from across the whole African continent, as well as artists from around the world, in a unique editorial mix aimed at providing equal exposure for grassroots African and international music talent.

Alex Okosi, General Manager, MTV Networks Africa, said "MTV base is designed to celebrate African artists and music, and the music that the young people of Africa love. In keeping with the pan-African remit of the channel, the music policy for MTV base will showcase the creativity and diversity of contemporary music in Africa, giving an international platform to African genres such as Kwaito, Hip-Life, Mbalax and Zouk and putting African artists in the spotlight alongside their international peers."

While key longform programming strands on MTV base such as African music documentary series, MTV base Spotlight, will be broadcast in English, the channel aims to play contemporary music videos from all over Africa, including videos broadcast in Swahili, English, French and Portuguese. The first African artist to have their music video featured on the channel, is Nigerian artist 2 FACE, whose iconic "African Queen" will set the standard for other artists to follow.

As part of MTV Networks' global commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS, MTV base will feature programming from the award-winning, worldwide Staying Alive initiative - including documentaries highlighting stories of young people affected by the epidemic from South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Cote d'Ivoire. Today, MTV base will debut the Save the Humans campaign, a series of four public service announcements (PSAs) airing globally on MTV channels that features a cast of animal characters that have gathered to discuss the global threat of HIV/AIDS - including a South African rhino. In the coming months, MTV base will feature locally produced PSAs and long-form programming as part of the Staying Alive initiative.

Clear Channel station fires Chicago PD following evidence of payola scheme

(Feb. 21, 2005) According to a story published last week in the Chicago Sun-Times, the program director of gospel radio station WGRB-AM was fired after evidence of a payola scheme was uncovered.

Sandra Robinson, who doubled as program director and afternoon talk show host at "Gospel Radio 1390" was dismissed after six years at the Clear Channel Radio station.

"Payola is absolutely prohibited, and we have strict enforcement policies to prevent it," said John Gehron regional vice president of Clear Channel Radio. "We take these matters very seriously and have terminated the employee in question."

Gehron declined to comment further, but insiders said the matter came to light while Robinson was out on medical disability. A call to the station inquiring about why a particular song hadn't been played prompted an investigation.

Officials reportedly discovered that Robinson's husband, Nelson Robinson, was an independent record promoter associated with Connected Productions, which represents gospel music labels. Payments allegedly were made to guarantee airplay of songs, insiders said.

Radio One reports record revenue growth for fourth quarter of '04

(Feb. 17, 2005) Radio One, Inc. reported its operating and financial results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2004. Net broadcast revenue was approximately $79.5 million, an increase of 3% from the same period in 2003. Operating income was approximately $38.1 million, an increase of 14% from the same period in 2003. Station operating income was approximately $46.3 million, an increase of 11% from the same period in 2003. Net income was approximately $18.6 million or $0.13 per diluted share, an increase from net income of approximately $14.5 million, or $0.09 per diluted share for the same period in 2003. Adjusted EBITDA was $41.7 million as compared to adjusted EBITDA of approximately $38.0 million for the same period in 2003. Free cash flow was approximately $22.2 million, an increase of 8% from the same period in 2003.

Alfred C. Liggins, III (above), Radio One's CEO and President stated, "Radio One performed admirably in spite of the difficult radio industry environment during the fourth quarter. We grew our revenue roughly 300 basis points faster than our markets as a whole, continued to expand our margins and announced transactions that are consistent with our strategy of prudent growth in radio and diversification into complementary media.

"During the quarter, we announced our signing of a definitive agreement to acquire 51% of Reach Media, Inc., the owner of the Tom Joyner Morning Show and related businesses. Mr. Joyner is the leading personality in urban radio and the acquisition of this content machine broadens our portfolio of media assets significantly. Also, in November, we began broadcasting WPZS-FM and WRNB-FM in Philadelphia, which we acquired in February 2004. Along with our new Houston station which went on the air last September, we have a number of new stick stations that should be growth drivers for 2005. We continue to be excited by our business model and we think this will be a year full of opportunities to drive our near and long-term growth prospects."

Essence sponsors "Take Back the Music Week" beginning Feb. 21st

(Feb. 16, 2005) Essence magazine has declared February 21^st through the 25^th as Take Back the Music Week. The weeklong initiative is a call to action for individuals to express their concerns, likes and dislikes about popular music. Essence is encouraging the public to effect change by calling, writing letters and sending e-mails with their thoughts about how black women are portrayed in music and videos directly to the people who can make a change—programming executives at cable networks, radio stations and record companies.

The finale of the Take Back the Music Week will be a Town Hall Meeting cohosted by Essence and Spelman College. The Town Hall Meeting will be held, Friday, February 25, 7–9 p.m., at the Cosby Auditorium on Spelman’s campus in Atlanta, Georgia. The topic will be “Where Are We Now? How Did We Get Here? Where Are We Going?” The panel discussion will feature Michael Lewellen, vice-president of corporate communications at BET; Bryan Leach, vice-president Urban A&R at TVT Records; Kevin Powell, author and activist; MC Lyte, female hip-hop artist/actress; Tarshia Stanley, Spelman professor of English; and Moya Bailey, Spelman student. The panel will be moderated by Michaela angela Davis, ESSENCE executive fashion and beauty editor.

Take Back the Music Week is a part of Essence magazine’s campaign of the same name, which is a yearlong in-depth examination of the ways in which black women are depicted in popular music and videos. Throughout the year, Essence will survey the landscape to present a broader scope and understanding of this provocative issue, and provide a platform for discussion.

Omarosa criticizes portrayal of blacks on reality TV shows

(Feb. 16, 2005 - Associated Press) By Lynn Elber - Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, tagged as an imperious diva on "The Apprentice," criticized the NBC reality show for stereotyping her and other black contestants.

"Once you start looking at how all the black men are lazy and laid-back and nonassertive and nonaggressive and all the black women are quite the opposite, I think there is a pattern," she said Wednesday.

Speaking at an NBC teleconference for another reality show, Manigault-Stallworth said wasn't "sassing" executive producer Mark Burnett but contended that the show's editing was to blame.

Burnett fired back when asked to respond.

"How insulting to other African-Americans," Burnett told The Associated Press. "What African-American man have we shown to be lazy? None of them. Kwame almost won the whole thing."

Burnett referred to Kwame Jackson, the runner-up to winner Bill Rancic in the first edition of "The Apprentice." On the show's second season, the only black male contestant was among the final four.

Manigault-Stallworth, part of a Feb. 28 episode of "Fear Factor" featuring reality show contestants, competed for a job with Donald Trump in "The Apprentice's" debut season.

She was fairly depicted, Burnett said Wednesday.

He said he would advise her to "take responsibility for your own behavior and stop disparaging other African-Americans."

Manigault-Stallworth was no friend to Jackson in the contest, Burnett said.

During Jackson's final "Apprentice" test, staging a concert with Jessica Simpson, Manigault-Stallworth flubbed transportation for the pop singer and appeared to fib about it. Jackson said later he thought she'd lied.

Manigault-Stallworth said this season continued the manipulation of contestant images. When black contestants don't fit a certain perception, they tend to be ignored, she said.

She's spoken with a black female contestant who's dissatisfied with her treatment, she said. She didn't identify the woman, but a subsequent comment indicated she was referring to Tara, a New York City government manager.

"She was kind of crying, saying, 'They're not showing me at all and I did all the right things,'" Manigault-Stallworth said.

"She's well-behaved, well-spoken, she doesn't argue with anybody," Manigault-Stallworth said, and she is getting "absolutely no air time."

Burnett said contestants tend to receive more camera time when their future on the show appears in question.

"I think this is more of an extension of what's happening overall in Hollywood," Manigault-Stallworth said. "There's not a whole lot of roads for black women on television, and the roads that are presented don't always seem to be positive."

She's said she's writing and pitching projects because black women need to "tell our own stories" with positive images.

Burnett is a dominant figure in reality TV whose other projects include "Survivor" and the upcoming boxing show "The Contender." One of the boxers committed suicide after filming, a tragedy that Burnett said was unrelated to the series

'American Idol’ edges out 'Grammy Awards' for top spot with black audiences

(Feb 15, 2005) Reality TV juggernaut, “American Idol,” returned to number one of the top ten primetime shows in black households for the second week of February, barely overtaking the “Grammy Awards.” The Tuesday and Wednesday editions of “Idol” together pulled in 6.2 million homes.

Fox’s new drama, “House,” continued to do well, placing seventh. UPN counted three winners among the top ten, while CBS had three. The overall number of households for the week – which lacked a football game to boost ratings – was 22.4 million, a drop of 16.4% over the first week of February.

American Legacy celebrates its tenth anniversary with series of events

(February 8, 2005) American Legacy, the magazine of African-American history and culture, will mark its tenth anniversary year with the publication of the Spring 2005 issue.

“We are very excited about reaching this milestone in the life of the magazine,” said Rodney J. Reynolds, founder and publisher of American Legacy. “Our goal of creating a resource center for African-American history and culture is being realized.”

The magazine will mark the occasion with a series of events, starting with an exhibition at the Forbes Galleries March 3 – April 16 in New York. The “Celebrating Black America Tour,” a five-month tour beginning in May, will visit over 25 cities and is expected to attract over 125,000 people. In September American Legacy will present its second annual Living History Awards at a black-tie gala.

Reynolds partnered with Forbes Inc.’s American Heritage division in 1995 to launch American Legacy, distributing the publication to African-American churches and organizations. After one year of publication, the magazine became profitable. Today, the quarterly magazine has a circulation of over 500,000 and a total readership of over 2.2 million.

In addition to its flagship title, the company also publishes American Legacy Woman, a supplement to the magazine which addresses the historical, beauty and lifestyle intersts of African-American women; and American Legacy, Jr., a history and culture magazine for children in grades four through seven. In 2003, the magazine introduced its annual healthcare supplement, Healthcare Advantage, which focuses specifically on health issues faced by the African- American community.

With partner New Millennium Studios, the magazine launched American Legacy Television in 2001.  Famed actor, director and producer Tim Reid hosts and produces the nationally syndicated program. “I’m extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished over the past 10 years. The brands we’ve developed each provide information that’s uplifting, enlightening and is difficult to find elsewhere.  Our brands empower not only African-Americans, but all Americans”, said Reynolds.

Black magazines’ seasonal losses in January not as bad as industry’s

(Feb. 10, 2005) While January is usually a slow month for magazine advertising revenues, the nation’s leading black magazines managed to do better than the industry overall. On average, Black Enterprise, Ebony, Essence, Jet and Vibe showed a 35% decrease in ad pages between December 2004 and January 2005, according to figures from the Publishers Information Bureau of the Magazine Publishers Association. The average for all 202 magazines measured by PIB was a 40% decrease.

Vibe magazine had the greatest improvement in year-to-year comparisons. Its January 2005 issue had a 76% increase in revenue over the same month last year. The five black PIB magazines combined had a 22.5% increase in ad revenue for the January ’05 over January ’04. All PIB magazines averaged only a 9.7% comparison.

All revenue projections from PIB are based on the national open rate charged according to the magazine's rate card.


  Source: MPA/PIB. Figures shown in millions

AURN's Urban Knight Awards honorees feted at RAB 2005

(Feb. 10, 2005) American Urban Radio Networks presented  its fourth annual Urban Knight Awards at the RAB 2005 Radio Sales, Management and Leadership Conference in Atlanta. The awards were co-sponsored by Interep.

This Year, Russell M. Perry, president & CEO of Perry Publishing and Broadcasting, and Jerry Rushin, vice president and general manager of WEDR and WHQT-FM/Cox Broadcasting were inducted into the Urban Knight Hall of Fame.

“We are extremely honored to recognize the leadership of each of our awardees as they continue to lead the way for the phenomenal growth and success of their stations,” said E. J. “Jay” Williams, Jr., president, American Urban Radio Networks.

In addition to the Urban Knight Hall of Fame inductees, the other Urban Knight Award recipients this year included:

• Rick Caffey, senior VP/market manager, Infinity Atlanta
  Radio Group
• Al Ward, VP National Sales – KJLH –FM/Taxi Broadcasting
• Darrell E. Martin, president & CEO, Martin Broadcasting
• Lee Armstrong Clear, St. Louis market manager,
  RVP/Clear Channel Radio
• Glenn Cherry, owner/president/CEO, Tama Broadcasting.

‘Super Bowl XXXIX’ at the top of a winning week for Fox network

Football’s last hurrah for the season attracted 86 million individual viewers, of which 9.7 million (5.4 million homes) were African-Americans. That’s a slight drop in overall audience from last year, but more than enough for Super Bowl XXXIX to take the number spot in primetime for the first week of February.

The game led Fox’s unprecedented six winners for the week. CBS and UPN split the remaining four spots. The overall number of households for the top ten was 26.9 million, practically matching the 27.6 million from the previous week.

Interep announces plans and partners for Power of Urban Radio symposium

(Feb 7, 2005) Interep will host its seventh annual Power of Urban Radio Symposium on Wednesday, April 27th, 2005 at the Grand Hyatt in New York. The symposium expects to draw over 300 of the country's leading national marketers, their ad agency partners and senior executives from the leading broadcasters to discuss how to effectively target African American consumers.
 

POUR Partners (l-r) Sherman Kizart, Barry Mayo, Zemira Jones and Charles Warfield come together to announce plans for the April event in New York.

The focus of this year’s symposium is on the emergence of the Urban Market as the new General Market and its significance in the future of radio advertising. Industry leaders Charles Warfield (president/COO, Inner-City Broadcasting Corporation), Barry Mayo (SVP/ Market Manager, Emmis NY) and Zemira Jones (VP of Operations, Radio One) are coming together for the first time to spearhead this event.

The keynote speaker for the event is Dr. Nat Irvin II, founder and president of Future Focus 2020, an organization dedicated to enhancing leadership skills and promoting futurist thought to Urban America. Irvin believes that young urban America will be very influential in the national and global economy.

"Interep's Seventh Power of Urban Radio will be our best yet,” said Sherman K. Kizart, SVP/Director of Urban Radio for Interep. “The Interep Power of Urban Radio Symposium has been on the forefront of generating millions of new dollars for Urban Radio's coffers over the past seven years, and we're looking forward to taking its success to the next level.”

Barry Mayo added, "Interep’s Power of Urban Radio has had a dramatic impact on the growth and development of Urban Radio. I'm excited about the role that Emmis is playing in this year’s event as we seek to make this year’s session even more informative and productive.”

 “The mission is about moving forward and talking about the future," said Warfield. “We are tremendously excited about urban radio today, and its prospects for the future. The Power of Urban Radio will convey this excitement and explain the facts behind it to the advertising community.”

"Urban Radio’s impact on African American culture will continue to grow,” acknowledged Zemira Jones. “Radio One is excited about the Futurist theme of the 2005 Power of Urban Radio and the impact that it will have on Urban Radio today. It is important for us to share our insights with senior corporate decision-makers, who are already looking three to five years ahead. We must explain why urban radio’s influence should play a significant role in their plans.”

'American Idol' sings its way to the top spot again, adding a million more households

(Feb. 3, 2005) With football out of the way, "American Idol" easily captured the number one and two positions for primetime shows in the final week of January. In the process each show added about a million more black households than in the previous week, with the Tuesday-Wednesday combo attracting 9.5 million black homes.

Fox's new medical drama, "House," drew a crowd of 2.2 million. The rest of the lineup looked familiar. UPN counted four winners and CBS had three. The overall viewership for the top ten was 27.6 million, an increase of 19% over the third week in January.

Emmis fires two of Hot97's morning crew over Tsunami song, 'gross insensitivity'

(Feb. 2,  2005) WQHT/Hot 97-FM and Emmis Communications announced in a statement that they have terminated the employment of morning show producer Rick Del Gado for his role in writing, producing and airing “The Tsunami Song,” a highly insensitive parody of the 1985 single “We Are the World.” Hot 97 and Emmis also terminated morning show personality Todd Lynn for making offensive, racially insensitive comments while on the air. Both terminations are effective immediately.

Simultaneously, Emmis announced that it will make a lump-sum donation of $1 million to Give2Asia to aid the organization in its Tsunami relief and recovery effort.

An internal investigation by Hot 97 and Emmis determined that the singularly egregious actions of Lynn and Delgado warranted termination from their employment at the station. Other members of the morning show crew: Miss Jones, DJ Envy and Tasha Hightower have each been given two-week suspensions. The salaries of these individuals will be redirected to Give2Asia for the duration of their suspensions, which will end on Wednesday, February 9. Another member of the morning show crew, Miss Info, has not been suspended.

“The actions of the morning show crew were socially and morally indefensible and the entire Emmis family is ashamed by this,” said Rick Cummings, President of Emmis Radio “Emmis and Hot 97 have investigated this matter thoroughly over the course of the last week. Our decision to terminate Mr. Del Gado and Mr. Lynn while suspending the other members of the morning crew sends a message that this type of insensitivity is utterly unacceptable.”

BET founder and CEO Robert Johnson to step down by end of the year

By Tanya Kersey (Jan. 31, 2005) Robert Johnson, founder and CEO of Black Entertainment Television (BET) will step down from his post at the end of this year, according to a story published in the Wall Street Journal.
 
Johnson, 58, signed a five-year employment agreement after selling BET to media giant Viacom for $3 billion in 2000.  The contract expires at the end of 2005. The Wall Street Journal broke reported in today's edition that Johnson has relinquished day-to-day responsibilities at the Washington, D.C.-based cable network. Representatives from BET and Viacom would not comment on the WSJ report.
 
Debra Lee, chief operating officer of BET, is currently running the day-to-day operations for the network. She also signed a five-year deal with Viacom that expires at the end of 2005 and reportedly has no plans to depart the company.

According to sources Johnson will step down to devote more time to his other business ventures including the Charlotte Bobcats, the NBA franchise Johnson purchased in December 2002.  The team will move to a $265 million arena in Charlotte at the end of the year.  Johnson also has ventures in real estate, hotels and restaurants.
 
Johnson's departure will likely decrease BET's independence. After being acquired by Viacom, the network was not merged into the management of the parent company's other cable channels. Viacom's co-president, Tom Freston has said publicly that he wants to make BET a "much stronger first choice place for African-Americans."

New site launched for business news on blacks in the book publishing industry

Target Market News and Black Issues Book Review form strategic alliance to create news and information source

(February 1, 2005) BlacksandBooks.com, a new information Web site, has been launched to target those who want authoritative business information about African-American authors, publishers and booksellers. The new venture brings together Target Market News and Black Issues Book Review magazine in a strategic alliance.

"We have long recognized the need for more trade information about African-Americans' rising profile in book publishing - not just as authors, but as publishing professionals, booksellers, agents and consumers," says Ken Smikle, founder, president and publisher of Target Market News, which is publishing BlacksandBooks.com.

"The African-American consumer market represents one of the leading growth opportunities in the publishing industry," continues Smikle. "We have seen black household spending on books grow from $258 million in 1996 to $331 million spent in 2003 [the most recent year in which data is available]. 

In the weeks ahead BlacksandBooks.com will be adding exclusive news stories, features and statistics related to African-Americans and book publishing. The Web site will also track the sales figures and bestselling book figures for titles by and for African-Americans.

Black Issues Book Review (BIBR) founding editor and editorial director Susan McHenry is editing BlacksandBooks.com from New York City, while she continues contributing to BIBR and its web site bibookreview.com. The the two companies will be cross-promoting their sites and collaborating on other resources.

"BlacksandBooks.com is very fortunate to have Susan McHenry as our editor," says founding publisher Smikle. "Her extensive experience will be invaluable in establishing the unique information environment that we're seeking for the site."

"The content we are launching with is just a modest example of how we intend to change the flow of information and availability of these facts," said Smikle. "We believe that we can ultimately change the paradigm of how African-Americans are viewed in the publishing business."

Target Market News, a Chicago-based news and research company that specializes in tracking African-American marketing, media and consumer behavior, owns TargetMarketNews.com.
Click here to go to BlacksandBooks.com.

Tyra Banks will debut talk show for FOX stations next season

By Tanya Kersey (Jan 25, 2005) Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution announced at a news conference that Tyra Banks' new talker, “The Tyra Banks Show,” will debut on 19 Fox-owned TV stations in such major markets as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Dallas and Washington. In addition to the previously announced markets, including Denver and San Diego, the talker has now been cleared in more than 70% of the country. The announcement was made during the annual NATPE confab in Las Vegas, NV.

Targeting women 25-25, Jim Paratore, Executive VP at Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution told reporters, "Tyra will give a fresh voice to daytime TV for a new generation of women. "This is a targeted long-term play for us."

Banks says the show will not be celebrity heavy. Instead, “I want the focus to be on real issues affecting women today."

Bank's UPN series “America's Next Top Model” returns to the catwalk for a fourth cycle on March 2. The series has also been picked up for a fifth and sixth cycle.

TennesseeBlack.com launched to serve African-Americans throughout the state

(Jan 26, 2005) TennesseeBlack.com, a niche portal website that exclusively targets the African American market in the state of Tennessee, has been launched by JD Harper, Inc. a black-owned Chattanooga-based company.

The company's main strategy is to create the state's first one-stop, state-wide website, that allows individuals, corporations and organizations to target African-American market at an affordable price, said site president and CEO, Jermaine Harper.

The new website is dedicated to educating and empowering black Tennesseans by providing news and commentary on issues that affect the growth and the advancement of African Americans in Tennessee.

In addition to the website, TennesseeBlack.com will coordinate a number of off-line events and initiatives throughout the state. "Empowerment Workshops" will focus on educating and empowering individuals and families about wealth creation through homeownership, financial literacy and career management.

Tennessee's African American population exceeds 940,000 and is expected to grow by double digits over the next decade. "We will work to build long-lasting relationships with our advertising clients, by partnering with them to build long-term relationships with African American consumers," said Harper.


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