“Keyshia Cole on the red carpet”
It was an evening full of glamour, hope and inspiration, as BET presented its inaugural celebration of THE BET HONORS at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, January 12. Hosted by the always hilarious and charming Cedric “The Entertainer,” the show, which recognizes African American luminaries across a broad range of achievements, will premiere on BET on Friday, February 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET/ PT.
In its first 12-month analysis of advertising spending on media outlets that reach African American consumers, The Nielsen Company reported that spending for the period October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2007 totaled $2.3 billion. The Nielsen African American ad spending analysis covers over 22,000 national, regional and local advertisers, across 130+ media vehicles.
African American Spending by Medium
Nielsen Monitor-Plus, the advertising intelligence service of Nielsen, tracked 5 individual media for this analysis: Local Radio, National Magazine, National Cable TV, Network TV and Syndication TV. Local Radio reported the greatest amount of spending on African American targeted media at $805 million dollars, comprising 35% percent of total spending.National Cable TV reported the largest ad growth with 14.5% during this period. This growth is the result of a number of factors including: Year over year growth for BET, the inclusion of TV One in the Nielsen Monitor-Plus service as of January 2007, as well as a number of high profile TV programs such as “House of Payne” on TBS, “Being Bobby Brown” on Bravo, “Flavor of Love” on VH1, and “Making the Band” on MTV.
CATHY HUGHES, Founder
Washington, D.C. – Mayor Adrian Fenty has signed off on a real estate deal that provides $22 million in grants and incentives to the project developer and will bring Radio One’s headquarters back to the nation’s capital where it was founded 28 years ago. While the move from Lanham, Md., where Radio One occupies several floors of a golden glass suburban office building alongside a beltway exit ramp some 12 miles outside of the city, will not save Radio One any money, it will give the urban legend a new coat of luster and perhaps an emotional jolt that the financially troubled operation could use.
Radio One will not own any part of the development, but will be among the many operations that lease space in the project near Howard University. It will include office space, retail and, possibly, some residential space. Fenty said bringing Radio One back to the District was “a huge priority for my administration” and referred to the development as a “catalytic project.” It is unclear when construction on the massive $144 million project will begin.
Radio One, Inc. (www.radio-one.com) is the nation’s seventh largest radio broadcasting company (based on 2006 net broadcast revenue) and the largest radio broadcasting company that primarily targets African-American and urban listeners. Pro forma for recently announced transactions, Radio One owns and/or operates 60 radio stations located in 19 urban markets in the United States.
Additionally, Radio One owns Magazine One, Inc. (d/b/a Giant Magazine) (www.giantmag.com), interests in TV One, LLC(www.tvoneonline.com), a cable/satellite network programming primarily to African-Americans and Reach Media, Inc(www.blackamericaweb.com), owner of the Tom Joyner Morning Show and other businesses associated with Tom Joyner. Radio One also operates the only nationwide African-American news/talk network on free radio and programs “XM 169 The POWER,” an African-American news/talk channel, on XM Satellite Radio.
Source: Radio & Records
“Love Wins,” Edited By Smiley, to be Released in Fall 2008
SmileyBooks, the publishing company founded by Tavis Smiley, has launched a national campaign to generate submissions for his next book Love Wins: True Stories of Transformation and Triumph. Smiley is the New York Times best-selling author of What I Know for Sure and The Covenant. “I believe, just as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. did, that love is the most powerful and transformative force in the world; the only thing capable of turning an enemy into a friend,” Smiley asserts.
Smiley envisions Love Wins as a collection of inspiring real life stories that give voice to the transforming power of unconditional love. “Too often 21st century living has a way of disconnecting us from that divine power within,” says Smiley. “Love Wins is an expression of faith that we can reconnect with love’s power – to positively transform each other and the world we live in.” Love Wins invites people to reexamine their lives through the lens of love and share the one story that most compellingly reveals how giving or receiving love changed their life.
During Tavis’ travels across the country over the years, he has been captivated by the stories of everyday people whose lives have been affected by the quiet, simple beauty of love in all of its remarkable facets. The true stories featured in Love Wins will range from 500 to 1,200 words in length. Contributors’ bios will be included along with their selection and each author will receive a complimentary autographed first edition copy of Love Wins. In addition to the entries included in the book, SmileyBooks will feature additional selections on www.tavistalks.com.
Details on the Love Wins submissions guidelines can be found at www.tavistalks.com/media/smileybooks
Yvette Noel-Schure has been named head of Columbia Records’ media department. She joined the label in 1993 as director of media. Rounding out the staff are VP Benny Tarantini, a 12-year veteran with Sony BMG; senior director Edwin Banacia, who has been at the label for eight years; media coordinator Andre Morris; and media assistant Winnie Lam.
Official Website: Columbia Records.com
Staff Promotions
Steve Aaron, CEO of VIBE Media Group has announced that Danyel Smith has been appointed to vice president and editorial director, Vibe Media Group, in addition to her role as editor-in-chief of VIBE. Edgar Hernandez joined the VIBE team in September 2007 as associate publisher and Gary R. Lewis has been promoted to chief marketing officer.
“Thanks to the talents of people like Danyel, who helped build this brand from the ground up, VIBE Magazine has emerged as the gold standard for urban media,” says Aaron. “Now in our 15th anniversary year, we celebrate her dynamic leadership and vision that will help VIBE break new ground and maintain our top position in this ever-changing market.” Smith originally joined VIBE in 1994 as music editor. By 1996, she was promoted to editor-in-chief, a position she held for two years before leaving to be editor-at-large for Time Inc. After writing two novels, Smith returned to VIBE in 2006, again as editor-in chief.
“With our recent key promotions, especially Gary, I believe we are surely fortifying a strong team that will be integral to the continued growth of our business,” added Aaron. “
Other recent staff promotions, include (in alphabetical order):
VIBE Media Group, an affiliate of The Wicks Group of Companies, L.L.C., is a leading music/lifestyle media company that publishes the award-winning VIBE magazine, the preeminent brand in urban and music culture, which was founded by Quincy Jones in 1993.
MahoganyMEDIA.com 