2016-04-28

Listen to Prince Rogers Nelson last performance in Atlanta



Recorded in audience by Joeycocotrd

All Rights Belong To Prince, Paisley Park

01. When Will We Be Paid
02. Black Sweat
03. Girl
04. All Day, All Night
05. I Would Die 4 U
06. Baby I'm a Star
07. The Ballad of Dorothy Parker
08. Play Video
09. Eye Love U, But Eye Don't Trust U Anymore
10. Little Red Corvette / Dirty Mind
11. Linus and Lucy
12. Nothing Compares 2 U
13. Cream
14. Black Muse
15. How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore
16. Waiting in Vain
17. If I Was Your Girlfriend
18. Sometimes It Snows in April
19. Purple Rain
20. The Beautiful Ones
21. Diamonds and Pearls

2016-04-27

Sasha Avona Bell, Flint Woman Who Sued Over Water Crisis, Fatally Shot

Story by NBC News
Written by Corky Siemaszko

A key figure in the Flint water crisis has been killed — a young mom who was one of the first to sue after her baby boy came down with lead poisoning.

Sasha Avona Bell was fatally shot last week — allegedly by a spurned lover — while her 16-month-old son Matthew was in the apartment, according to the Flint Police Department.

The murder suspect, identified as Malek Thornton, also gunned down another 19-year-old woman in the apartment named Sacorya Reed, police said. Matthew was not harmed.

"They used to have a dating relationship," Capt. Leigh Golden of the Flint Police Department told NBC News on Wednesday. "They had broken up."

Thornton was arrested a short time after the bodies were found and charged with two counts of first degree murder, two counts of open murder, and a felony firearm charge, police said.

Golden said she did not know if Thornton was the father of Bell's son.

Bell's case was one of 98 lawsuits filed on behalf of 220 children by New York attorney Corey Stern, who said her death was not related to the water crisis roiling the hardscrabble city of 99,000.

"I've gotten to know a lot of the people who live in Flint and she was just a sweet young girl," Stern told NBC News. "She loved her son very, very much and she was one of the first to make the decision to pursue a case for her child. Her death was tragic."

Stern said Bell's dream was to become a pediatric nurse and work with special needs kids. He said her lawsuit will continue.

"Hopefully, her child will be lifted up by the love and support from everyone who cared deeply for Sasha," he said.

Bell was killed several days after 43-year-old Matthew McFarland, a foreman at Flint's scandal-scarred Water Treatment Plant, was found dead at his home on April 16.

The Lapeer County Sheriff's Department said there was no evidence of foul play. But McFarland had been questioned by investigators looking into whether officials deliberately downplayed the dangers posed by the lead in Flint's drinking water.

His death came after co-worker Michael Glasgow, who ran Flint's water treatment plant, was charged with tampering with evidence and willful neglect of duty for allegedly filing false reports to the state about water quality.

Two state environmental officials, Stephen Busch and Michael Prysby, were charged with misconduct, evidence tampering, conspiracy and violations of the Safe Water Drinking Act for allegedly altering water test results.

2016-04-25

Prince was Free



http://www.yeswecode.org/

The only way I can say it is WOW!!! To have lived in a time when I did the Temptations-Walk in the middle of my 3rd and 4th grade classrooms (showing off); in the fifth grade to dance with my four classmates in a talent show to three songs from the newly highly-touted Jackson Five (we should have won against our eight grade competitors and they know it); and to follow up years later dancing on Soul Train to "Soft and Wet" and "I Wanna be your lover" by Prince in my senior year of high school and freshman year of College, the sadness of the deaths of Prince, Michael Jackson, Eddie Kendricks, Whitney Houston, Earth Wind and Fire's Maurice White, Ohio Players' Sugarfoot, Curtis Mayfield, Bruce Lee (debuted as Kato in the Batman rival show 'The Green Hornet'), and the Temptations' Melvin Franklin/David Ruffin/Eddie Kendricks; or back in the 80's day with the trio of Marvin Gaye, John Lennon, and Minnie Riperton,,,looms large to me and those I grew up with in Chicago, Los Angeles - Crenshaw district, and Compton/Carson/Long Beach, Ca.

Frankly the death of a celebrity that you are a 'fan of' when you witnessed the launch of their careers is much more difficult to deal with, than a fan that came along later in that celebrities' career. It's as if you saw them at birth, you see their career growth, and lay them to rest.

Like the sudden death of Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke, Prince is yet another shocking death especially since Prince just performed in Atlanta last week.

The cause of death being the Flu is not enough. Prince Rogers Nelson died from something else and the fans want to know what happened? The autopsy results take a few weeks to complete.

The freedom of Prince's fight to a final victory a few years ago in the battle with Warner Brothers over his music masters was well chronicled. Freedom reigned eventually for the purple one and an agreement was reached in 2014. Now, when his musical freedom was in control, Prince dies suddenly in his own home without a will. http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6062423/prince-deal-with-warner-bros-new-album-coming

I did not know of his personal life - marriage, divorce, courtship, death of a baby - but it does take a toll on you to suddenly be by yourself. To die days after riding a bike, a week after performing concerts, and other recent public sightings...something does not pass the smell test. Again, we'll know within a few weeks.

We knew about Michael Jackson's issues with drug use; we knew about Eddie Kendricks cancer; we knew about Whitney Houston's cocaine use; we knew about the aging Melvin Franklin; and Minnie Riperton's cancer. The death of 32 year old Bruce Lee was sudden and mysterious with hit movies released and others in the making - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Lee. \



But Prince, how can he die with all that he did for people. For instance, in Los Angeles Prince performed a string of concerts for 20 and 25 dollar tickets. He felt that ticket prices prevented poor and even middle class people from going to concerts to see major artists.

Prince wrote a sizable check to the family of Trayvon Martin to the families legal fees.

Prince developed Yes We Code with proceeds from his Essence performance in New Orleans last year to help the more than 100,000 young women and men from low-opportunity backgrounds find success in the tech industry - http://www.yeswecode.org/ .

Prince, in his lyrics, made light of Aids; Black Lives Matter; Police Brutality; the Purple Sky we live beneath; Drugs; to name a few... http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/questlove-remembers-prince-in-this-life-youre-on-your-own-20160425



I hear now that many of my colleague broadcasters, journalists, and friends that feel more hurt from Princes' death than Michael Jackson but cant explain why. The two were linked in the Pop culture in many ways, moreso for their tireless work ethic and a tremendous amount of song. Prince though - many would argue - crossed over to all races and cultures earlier in his career with the multi-racial band similar to Sly and the Family Stone. Yes Michael Jackson was a better dancer and singer, but Prince was more of a Musician and Producer along the lines of Stevie Wonder. Both Wonder and Prince recorded many songs by themselves playing all of the instruments. Many feel that Prince kept it real consistently throughout his career with image and music originality, branding, and creativity. Prince also produced music for many new and established artists creating multiple hits for them, in a similar way that Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic, and Quincy Jones. http://chicagodefender.com/2016/04/28/prince-and-doug-banks-57-years-of-greatness/

Prince created his own image and music interpretations without compromise. The musician Prince is respected by fans who took up music in elementary, high school etc... and can relate and dissect Prince's-own musical arrangements, including his music with numerous other acts (including a few songs for Michael Jackson) as we were trained to do in Music and Band classes.

In the end, Prince was Free and now his being, his spirit, is on another yet greater journey. Thank you Prince for sharing your talents and being to the world.

Singer Billy Paul dead at 81









How Prince Introduced Misty Copeland to the World



Story by ForHarriet.com
Photo by Kevin Mazur

Before Misty Copeland became a ballet superstar and the first Black principal dancer at American Ballet Theare, she appeared in the 2009 video for Prince's "Crimson and Clover" and accompanied him on tour in 2011.



Prince was a longtime fan of ballet.

Copeland had been dancing with ABT since 2000 and a soloist since 2007 when she got a call one morning in 2009. It was Prince. She told New York Magazine, "I was asked if Prince could have my cell number...I was literally still waking up. ‘What? Prince who?'"

The next day she headed to Los Angeles for the video shoot.

Years later, she accompanied him on select dates of the Welcome 2 America tour where she blended her classical ballet foundations with improvisation.

She told 92Y that Prince made her listen to "The Beautiful Ones" repeatedly so she could get an intimate feel for the music.

The result of that work can be seen when she joined Prince to he perform "The Beautiful Ones" for the first time on television in 2011.

Prince even got his good friend Tavis Smiley to interview Copeland for his talk show. Producer Neal Kendall told TheWrap, “It was not about him, it was about how he could help someone he felt was worthy gain attention.”

Nelson George shared on Facebook that Prince was critical to funding his 2015 documentary on Copeland "A Ballerina's Tale." The film documents Misty's road to making history while recovering from a shin fracture in 2014. https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/a-ballerinas-tale/id1041637682?mt=6&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

CNN's 1999 Larry King interview with Prince


Prince appeared on a December 10, 1999 episode of CNN's Larry King Live and talked about his career, his new album and why he changed his name.

Stevie Wonder on Prince


Stevie Wonder speaks of the musicianship of Prince on CNN

2016-04-22

An Interview with Prince

Source: Blac Detroit Magazine

June 7, 1986 after a concert at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Detroit's Radio Legend "The Electrifying Mojo" interviews Prince on the Purple One's birthday.



April 17, 2016: Prince offers a little speech and even less piano at Paisley to prove he's fine

Story by StarTribune
Written by Joe Bream

Prince is alive and well. He wanted to prove that so he invited people to Paisley Park on Saturday night for the deep-discount price of a mere $10.

Announced late Saturday morning via Twitter, it was billed as a dance party. But, with Prince, things are seldom as advertised or expected. Shortly after midnight, two hours into the dance party with DJ Pam the Funkstress, Prince appeared.

It was show-and-tell time. He wanted to show off his new purple Yamaha piano (he played “Chopsticks” and a brief instrumental passage with a classical flourish) and his brand-new metallic purple guitar (he didn’t play it; more on that later).

You may have heard the hubbub on Friday, first reported by TMZ, not necessarily the bastion of accuracy. Prince’s private plane made an emergency landing early Friday morning in Illinois as he was returning to the Twin Cities from two shows in Atlanta on Thursday. TMZ said he had the flu. (He had postponed the Atlanta show from the previous week because of the flu.)

A source close to Prince told me that the singer was dehydrated on the flight home.

Prince himself wanted to clarify the situation on Saturday: “Wait a few days before you waste any prayers.”

Typically cryptic Prince, indeed. http://kirktanter.blogspot.com/2016/04/an-interview-with-prince.html

He was a little clearer on other subjects. He explained that he was hoping to release a live album of one of the Atlanta concerts on his Piano and a Microphone Tour.

The new piano at Paisley, which was covered by a cloth that was ceremoniously removed, was different from the one he’d played in that same room in January when he kicked off his Piano and a Microphone Tour. That instrument was a Yamaha piano shell with some jerry-rigged insides, including electronics. The new one is a self-contained piano.

Prince also brought out a shiny guitar case (purple, natch), placed it atop the piano and opened it to show off his new purple guitar that was made for him in Europe. But he declined to play the new instrument.

“I have to leave it in the case or I’ll be tempted to play it,” he explained in a hand-held microphone on a long cord. “I can’t play the guitar at all these days so I can keep my mind on this [the solo piano] and get better.”

Similarly, he said he doesn’t listen to a lot of music “unless it’s stuff I already know.” He said it’s hard to listen to new music and concentrate on his piano work.

In fact, earlier in the evening about 7:30, he stopped by the Electric Fetus in south Minneapolis and purchased a handful of CDs, including a Stevie Wonder oldie. Yes, he knew it was Record Store Day.

During his less-than-5-minute appearance at Paisley, Prince chided a fan for taking a picture. “Security,” he barked playfully. Then he said it was OK to let her stay.

Prince concluded by saying he was giving the 200 or so Paisley-goers a present – a half-hour of the live concert from Atlanta broadcast over the Paisley sound system.

He never intended to perform on Saturday. There was no microphone stand next to his piano. He just wanted to demonstrate that reports of his dire health were greatly exaggerated.

Read more: http://kirktanter.blogspot.com/2016/04/princes-mysterious-final-flight-stopped.html

Prince's Mysterious Final Flight Stopped for 'Unresponsive Male'

Story by NBC News
Written by Tom Winter

The final flight that a stricken Prince took from Atlanta last week made an emergency landing after an "unresponsive male" was reported on the plane, a source with direct knowledge of the incident told NBC News.

Few details have been released about the circumstances surrounding that unplanned stop — adding another layer of mystery to the superstar's final days before he was found dead Thursday at his Minnesota estate.

An autopsy of the 57-year-old singer was underway Friday morning as authorities try to determine what caused his death. Results, however, won't be released for several weeks, Martha Weaver, a Midwest Medical Examiner's Office spokeswoman, told NBC News.

A representative had said he was not feeling well at his Thursday night show in Atlanta and his health worsened after he boarded a plane after midnight for Minneapolis. He was reportedly suffering from the flu, and had to cancel other shows.

The private jet he was on was diverted about 300 miles before reaching Minneapolis to Moline, Illinois, according to flight records and statements made by Prince's publicist last week.

The only flight scheduled from Atlanta to Minneapolis — and with a diversion to Moline — was a Dassault Falcon 990 jet operated by Executive Jet Management "Jet Speed."


Rolling Stone's Joe Levy: 'I was shocked' at Prince's death.

The flight took off at 12:51 a.m. ET April 15, and according to records, began an unscheduled landing to the Quad City International Airport in Moline at 2:01 a.m.

Records show that the plane had landed in northwestern Illinois after descending about 45,000 feet in about 17 minutes, at points reaching 5,000 feet per minute. A pilot of this type of aircraft tells NBC News that rate would certainly be indicative of a medical emergency on-board.

The Moline Fire Department told NBC News it received a call for Emergency Medical Services to respond to the airport at 2:15 a.m.

A source said that the plane had radioed in a medical emergency for an "unresponsive male."

While the closest hospital is Trinity Moline, an emergency official said that the facility is not normally staffed or equipped to handle more severe medical issues.

When contacted by NBC News, the hospital said it treated no patient by the name of Prince Rogers Nelson — the artist's full name. Another nearby hospital, Trinity Rock Island, also said it did not take in such a person.

A Prince spokesperson previously said that he was treated for the flu in Moline and released later that day.

Flight records show that the same plane departed Moline at 11:57 a.m. and arrived back to the Twin Cities at 12:45 p.m.

Following reports of his sickness, Prince appeared the following day at a nighttime dance party at Paisley Park, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. http://kirktanter.blogspot.com/2016/04/april-17-2016-prince-offers-little.html

One fan at the show told NBC News that the Grammy-winning musician thanked his doctor while making a speech and asked the crowd to give him another round of applause.

"It was a little awkward in that moment, didn't really realize it, didn't think anything," Patricia Chavez said, "but maybe he was a little bit more sick than he gave off."

Read more:
http://kirktanter.blogspot.com/2016/04/april-17-2016-prince-offers-little.html
http://kirktanter.blogspot.com/2016/04/an-interview-with-prince.html

Statement By The President On The Passing of Prince

Statement by President Obama

Today, the world lost a creative icon. Michelle and I join millions of fans from around the world in mourning the sudden death of Prince. Few artists have influenced the sound and trajectory of popular music more distinctly, or touched quite so many people with their talent. As one of the most gifted and prolific musicians of our time, Prince did it all. Funk. R&B. Rock and roll. He was a virtuoso instrumentalist, a brilliant bandleader, and an electrifying performer.

“A strong spirit transcends rules,” Prince once said — and nobody’s spirit was stronger, bolder, or more creative. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, his band, and all who loved him.‎

Remembering the Other Prince

Commentary by Dr. Earl Ofari Hutchinson

* "Does anyone hear us pray? For Michael Brown or Freddie Gray
* Peace is more than the absence of war."
* "If there ain't no justice then there ain't no peace."

Baltimore police officials couldn't have been too thrilled about these lyrics in May, 2015. They were the lyrics in Prince’s “Baltimore” a rollicking, but moving, and heart felt tribute to the slain Freddy Gray that was released weeks before his May 2015 benefit concert for the Gray family. The lyrics were Prince’s in your face message to Baltimore police and city officials who first stonewalled Gray’s death, and then watched as riots convulsed the city in the aftermath of it. This was no fly by night cheap, celebrity photo op publicity gambit to capitalize on the turbulent events in the city. The month before the soft-spoken Prince gently reminded and admonished the audience at the Grammys at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, "Albums — remember those?" "Albums still matter. Albums, like books and black lives, still matter."

Even before Prince took the stage at the Grammys and in Baltimore at the Gray Benefit concert, I remembered the flap that he had caused two years earlier with his lambaste of Wall Street greed in his song “Ol’ Skool Company.” He minced no words, “Fat cats on Wall Street, they got a bailout, while somebody else got to wait.” “$700 billion but my old neighborhood, ain’t nothing changed but the date.”

When I heard those words I thought back to the Prince concert I attended in the early 90s and especially the one I attended at the Inglewood Forum in April, 2011. At this concert, Prince insisted that tickets not carry the standard usurious, highway robbery prices for big name performer’s concerts. The result was that the concerts were more community events than a celebrity studded concert event. The concert was a stop on his national tour billed as Welcome 2 America tour. Prince ladled out more than $1 million from proceeds of the tour to the Harlem Children’s Zone and more than $500,000 to arts programs in New York and North Carolina. This made sense and was in keeping with Prince’s rage against hunger, poverty, and especially its devastating and corrosive effects on children in a track in his 1985 single, “Hello.” He both pleaded for and scolded America for its abysmal indifference to the hungry and poor, “We’re against hungry children, our record stands tall, but there’s just as much hunger here at home.”

The evening at the Forum, Prince gave a mellow, subdued, and fan warm appreciation concert. He showed himself as an artist and entertainer who really cared about his audience and who was conscious of who his audience was and their appreciation for him as a musician band a man of social consciousness.

It was that social consciousness that was too often ignored, downplayed, or missed completely. This was also true with Michael Jackson. And as with Jackson, Prince had a track record to prove that he really did care. It showed in his quiet giving to charities such as City of Hope, Jazz Foundation of America, H.A.L.O., Elevate Hope Foundation, Urban Farming, The Bridge and Edith Couey Memorial Scholarship Trust Fund. Then there was his very public pitch at a concert for the Chicago based Rebuild the Dream foundation to provide jobs, skills training, and business opportunities for minority youth in Chicago.

Prince, as with Jackson, was often hit with the criticism and the demand to say and do more against racial injustice. He was often hammered for his at times enigmatic, seemingly muddled, religious conversion and seeming coolness to same sex marriage and abortion.

But he picked his spots quietly, and in ways that he felt could make a difference. In between, there were the especially delicious and delightful moments when he let it fly. This was certainly the case with “Musicology” on his 2004 album. He boldly asked and challenged “Dear Mr. Man, we don’t understand. Why poor people keep struggling, but you don’t lend a helping hand?”

Prince’s legacy as a prodigiously talented singer and performer was more than sealed long before his tragic death. But it was his charitable work and willingness to use his music when and where he felt it could make a difference and to make his protest in his own way against injustice that must be known and remembered. That is that he be remembered as more than just a black man who made his living on a concert stage or in the recording studio. Or a man whose other claim to notoriety was that he delighted in being a man of mystery and puzzlement.

The mountains of tribute are mostly to Prince as the performer, musician par excellence, showman, and song writer. They’re all deserved. But it’s the other Prince, the man who gave his time, money and raised his voice against injustice that I will remember most.
____________________________________________________

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His latest book is From Sanders to Trump: A Guide to the 2016 Presidential Primary Battles (Amazon Kindle) He is an associate editor of New America Media. He is a weekly co-host of the Al Sharpton Show on Radio One. He is the host of the weekly Hutchinson Report Saturdays 9:00 AM on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles and the Pacifica Network

2016-04-21

Singer/Musician/Producer Prince (Prince Rogers Nelson) Found Dead At Paisley Park


Paramedics were called to his Paisley Park studio (pictured) at 9.43 this morning and police confirmed that Prince had died

Story by WCCO Minneapois

Prince passed away Thursday morning at his Paisley Park recording studio. He was 57.

Prince’s publicist confirmed the pop music superstar’s death, according to the Associated Press. https://www.yahoo.com/news/legendary-artist-prince-found-dead-57-172005660.html

____________________________________
Celebs comment on the passing of Prince:
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/celebrities-react-princes-death-social-media/story?id=38575865
http://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/music/can-t-be-real-fans-celebrities-mourn-prince-s-death-n559991
____________________________________


Prince made a surprise appearance at a dance party in Minnesota on Saturday, in what is believed to have been his final public appearance

Carver County Sheriff Chief Deputy Jason Kamerud says deputies responded to Paisley Park at 9:43 a.m. on the report of a medical situation. Later Thursday morning, authorities confirmed that there was a dead body inside.



Last Friday, Prince was briefly hospitalized. Prince’s representatives say he had been recovering from the flu, which caused him to cancel two shows earlier in April.

There was an event at Paisley Park on Saturday. According to reports, Prince appeared and showed off a new guitar, but did not perform. He also reportedly showed up at a Dakota Jazz Club show Tuesday night to watch Lizz Wright.



Paisley Park is located in Chanhassen, Minnesota.


After 18 years of battling with Warner Bros. Records, Prince now owns the rights to the music he recorded on the label.
______________________________
Prince Gains His Catalog in Landmark Deal With Warner Brothers:
http://www.delcotimes.com/article/DC/20140424/NEWS/140429784
http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6062423/prince-deal-with-warner-bros-new-album-coming
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/prince-settles-18-year-dispute-record-company-article-1.1762106
______________________________

Read more:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/legendary-artist-prince-found-dead-57-172005660.html
http://www.tmz.com/2016/04/21/prince-dead-at-57/
http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7341522/prince-dead
http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/21/entertainment/prince-estate-death/
http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-prince-20160421-story.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3552300/Fatality-Prince-s-estate-Minnesota-days-musician-rushed-hospital.html
https://www.yahoo.com/music/authorities-investigate-death-princes-recording-studio-165414224.html

Study: Radio Deemed Most Popular, Satisfying In-Car Source

Story by Inside Radio

More than 3/4ths of American drivers (77%) listen to radio in the car weekly. That total dwarfs all other audio options, CD players (41%), connecting a phone (27%), satellite radio (23%), Pandora (18%), Spotify (13%), Apple Music (10%) and Amazon Music (10%).

That’s one of the topline results from new research of 1,200 English-speaking American drivers aged 18-64 from Frank Magid & Associates.

“The message is very, very good for radio, which has always been very strong in the car,” Mike Bloxham, senior VP, television & video at the research firm, said during a first look at the results at the NAB Show Wednesday in Las Vegas. “The narrative around radio has been hijacked by the media and agency people but the data always refutes that position.”

Asked which audio source they use most often in the car, half (51%) of all respondents selected AM/FM, more than two-and-one-half times its next nearest competitor, satellite radio at No. 2 with 14%. That was followed by the CD player (10%), connecting a phone (7%), Pandora (6%), Spotify (4%), Amazon Prime Music (2%) and Apple Music (1%).

AM/FM was also found to be the most important audio source in the car, with 73% giving it a 4 or 5 on a 1-5 importance scale. All other options trailed by significant margins: CD player (49%), connecting a phone (40%), satellite radio (28%), Pandora (24%), Spotify (16%), Amazon Prime Music (12%) and Apple Music (12%).

The study also shows broadcast radio delivers the highest level of satisfaction of any in-car audio source. More than seven in ten (72%) said they are either very or highly satisfied with AM/FM radio in the car. Once again, no other service came close. CD player ranked second (51%), followed by connecting a phone (34%), satellite radio (23%) and Pandora (10%).

A majority of drivers said they would miss AM/FM radio if it was not available in their next car. “It’s like taking the tires off, if you took the radio out,” Bloxham said. And AM/FM is the No. 1 source for eight of the top 10 most important in-car attributes, such as “playing my favorite music,” “easy to use” and “playing a variety of music,” along with service elements such as traffic, local news and weather.

Radio’s place in the daily routine of Americans “will give the medium a real strong defense against the intrusion of other services,” Bloxham said. “But it doesn’t make you inviolate. It means you still have to be on your guard against the intrusion of others who are sexier or more glamorous. But you have a very strong case to make.”

The study was conducted in conjunction with veteran researcher Marshall Cohen and consultant Fred Jacobs. Completed in October 2015, it included 1,200 English-speaking American drivers aged 18-64 who drive at least 30 minutes per day and had some involvement in the car purchase decision-making process.

2016-04-20

Harriet Tubman on the United States' $20-Dollar Bill


Harriet Tubman will replace former President Andrew Jackson on the $20 dollar bill, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced Wednesday. https://medium.com/@USTreasury/an-open-letter-from-secretary-lew-672cfd591d02#.6pb18gelr


Harriet Tubman - Mini Biography (TV-14; 2:47) Watch a mini biography of legendary Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman, who routinely put herself in danger to guide thousands of slaves to freedom.


Harriet Tubman - Union Spy (TV-PG; 1:44) During the Civil War Harriet Tubman volunteered to be a spy for the Union and successfully aided the Union in its effort to win the war.

Read more about Harriet Tubman:
https://medium.com/@USTreasury/an-open-letter-from-secretary-lew-672cfd591d02#.6pb18gelr
http://www.biography.com/people/harriet-tubman-9511430
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1535.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/05/14/keep-harriet-tubman-and-all-women-off-the-20-bill/
http://usuncut.com/news/harriet-tubman/

2016-04-19

NBA Legend Vince (Vince-Sanity) Carter

272 Slaves Were Sold to Save Georgetown University in Washington DC. What Does It Owe Their Descendants?


The grave of Cornelius Hawkins, one of 272 slaves sold by the Jesuits in 1838 to help keep what is now Georgetown University afloat. Credit William Widmer for The New York Times

In 1838, the Jesuit priests who ran the country’s top Catholic university
needed money to keep it alive. Now comes the task of making amends.


Story by New York Times
Written by Rachel L. Swarns

WASHINGTON — The human cargo was loaded on ships at a bustling wharf in the nation’s capital, destined for the plantations of the Deep South. Some slaves pleaded for rosaries as they were rounded up, praying for deliverance.

But on this day, in the fall of 1838, no one was spared: not the 2-month-old baby and her mother, not the field hands, not the shoemaker and not Cornelius Hawkins, who was about 13 years old when he was forced onboard.

Their panic and desperation would be mostly forgotten for more than a century. But this was no ordinary slave sale. The enslaved African-Americans had belonged to the nation’s most prominent Jesuit priests. And they were sold, along with scores of others, to help secure the future of the premier Catholic institution of higher learning at the time, known today as Georgetown University.

Now, with racial protests roiling college campuses, an unusual collection of Georgetown professors, students, alumni and genealogists is trying to find out what happened to those 272 men, women and children. And they are confronting a particularly wrenching question: What, if anything, is owed to the descendants of slaves who were sold to help ensure the college’s survival?

More than a dozen universities — including Brown, Columbia, Harvard and the University of Virginia — have publicly recognized their ties to slavery and the slave trade. But the 1838 slave sale organized by the Jesuits, who founded and ran Georgetown, stands out for its sheer size, historians say.

At Georgetown, slavery and scholarship were inextricably linked. The college relied on Jesuit plantations in Maryland to help finance its operations, university officials say. (Slaves were often donated by prosperous parishioners.) And the 1838 sale — worth about $3.3 million in today’s dollars — was organized by two of Georgetown’s early presidents, both Jesuit priests.

Some of that money helped to pay off the debts of the struggling college.

“The University itself owes its existence to this history,” said Adam Rothman, a historian at Georgetown and a member of a university working group that is studying ways for the institution to acknowledge and try to make amends for its tangled roots in slavery.

Although the working group was established in August, it was student demonstrations at Georgetown in the fall that helped to galvanize alumni and gave new urgency to the administration’s efforts.

The students organized a protest and a sit-in, using the hashtag #GU272 for the slaves who were sold. In November, the university agreed to remove the names of the Rev. Thomas F. Mulledy and the Rev. William McSherry, the college presidents involved in the sale, from two campus buildings.

An alumnus, following the protest from afar, wondered if more needed to be done.

That alumnus, Richard J. Cellini, the chief executive of a technology company and a practicing Catholic, was troubled that neither the Jesuits nor university officials had tried to trace the lives of the enslaved African-Americans or compensate their progeny.

Mr. Cellini is an unlikely racial crusader. A white man, he admitted that he had never spent much time thinking about slavery or African-American history.

But he said he could not stop thinking about the slaves, whose names had been in Georgetown’s archives for decades.

“This is not a disembodied group of people, who are nameless and faceless,” said Mr. Cellini, 52, whose company, Briefcase Analytics, is based in Cambridge, Mass. “These are real people with real names and real descendants.”

Within two weeks, Mr. Cellini had set up a nonprofit, the Georgetown Memory Project, hired eight genealogists and raised more than $10,000 from fellow alumni to finance their research.

Dr. Rothman, the Georgetown historian, heard about Mr. Cellini’s efforts and let him know that he and several of his students were also tracing the slaves. Soon, the two men and their teams were working on parallel tracks.

What has emerged from their research, and that of other scholars, is a glimpse of an insular world dominated by priests who required their slaves to attend Mass for the sake of their salvation, but also whipped and sold some of them. The records describe runaways, harsh plantation conditions and the anguish voiced by some Jesuits over their participation in a system of forced servitude.

“A microcosm of the whole history of American slavery,” Dr. Rothman said.

The enslaved were grandmothers and grandfathers, carpenters and blacksmiths, pregnant women and anxious fathers, children and infants, who were fearful, bewildered and despairing as they saw their families and communities ripped apart by the sale of 1838.

The researchers have used archival records to follow their footsteps, from the Jesuit plantations in Maryland, to the docks of New Orleans, to three plantations west and south of Baton Rouge, La.

The hope was to eventually identify the slaves’ descendants. By the end of December, one of Mr. Cellini’s genealogists felt confident that she had found a strong test case: the family of the boy, Cornelius Hawkins.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/17/us/georgetown-university-search-for-slave-descendants.html?_r=0

NAB’s Smith: Radio’s Strengths Must ‘Not Be Undermined.’

Story by Inside Radio

Marking the official opening of the 2016 National Association of Broadcasters Show, president & CEO Gordon Smith’s State of the Industry address heralded the accomplishments of radio and television. And it emphasized the continued evolution of both as consumer habits shift.

In his robust discussion of radio issues, Smith stressed that the medium’s future lies in its availability on every device and “making choices that support its innovations.” Pointing to Nielsen research that says more Millennials listen to radio than any other demographic—66.5 million each week—Smith said, “Radio’s audience continues to evolve, and we must continue to evolve with them.”

That includes the steady push to make FM radio chips standard fare in smartphones. With AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint unlocking FM radio in current and future phones, “more than two-thirds of U.S. mobile phone users [will have] access to a free entertainment and emergency information option through FM radio in their smartphones,” he said. “We do hope Verizon and others will join them soon.”

The NAB chief also addressed “ensuring radio’s rightful place” in the automotive dashboard of the future, calling attention to studies that make clear AM/FM radio is indispensable to drivers as their No. 1 audio option in vehicles. “While many drivers desire interactive features, the great majority also wants a traditional radio interface,” he noted. “We know that radio is what drivers want most, and we also will ensure that Detroit knows it.”

Smith added that radio broadcasters “must, and we will, continue to retain our rightful place in the automobile,” while stressing that the industry needs to work toward the future by “providing [an] interactive experience for those listeners who desire it. In the end, as you know, the customer is king and our listeners will decide ultimately what they want and what is on the dash.”

And regarding the hot button issue of royalties, Smith pointed out that the NAB is maintaining efforts to support policies enabling stations to deliver content across emerging platforms. Noting the association’s advocacy that helped reduce Copyright Royalty Board rates for radio broadcasters’ streaming services by 32%, the audience applauded enthusiastically, as he added, “We want reasonable streaming rates that encourage more broadcasters to stream and deliver music in new ways to their listeners. This is a win for everyone who loves, who makes or who plays music.”


Emphasizing that radio is among the few media players that continues to offer a free service for its audience, Smith stressed that “these attributes are unique in today’s media landscape, and should not be undermined,” while noting, “No other media industry is as dedicated to supporting our local communities: not Google, not Apple, not Pandora, not cable, not satellite. We don’t send a bill to our communities for all the services we provide.”

Rallying the industry in his conclusion, Smith said, “There is no other industry in the world like broadcasting...no other industry has, at its core, such an overarching focus on bringing communities together and serving the public good.”

2016-04-18

Scenes of Ruin After Ecuador Earthquake Kills Hundreds


At least 230 people were killed and hundreds more were wounded in one of the strongest earthquakes to strike Ecuador in decades (By REUTERS)

Story by NY Times
Written by Maggy Ayala and Nicholas Casey

QUITO, Ecuador — The strongest earthquake to strike Ecuador in decades left the Andean nation traumatized on Sunday, with collapsed buildings in a swath of destruction stretching hundreds of miles.

At least 272 people were killed and 2,527 injured, mostly in the northwestern coastal area of Manabí, the government said.

President Rafael Correa cut short a visit to Europe and declared a national emergency after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck on Saturday night, shaking the central coast. The effects could be felt in the capital, Quito, and into parts of Peru and Colombia.

Portoviejo, the provincial capital of Manabí, and Pedernales, a resort town, appeared to have sustained the most damage, with about 370 buildings destroyed.

Viviana Baquezea, 34, a florist, was driving back to her home in Portoviejo, accompanied by her parents and an employee, when the earthquake struck. They were met by a scene of destruction.

“It looks like a war zone,” Ms. Baquezea said by telephone from Portoviejo. “It’s incredible what was happened to us — that our city is destroyed and we’re experiencing such anguish and pain.”

“We don’t have food or water, there are no supermarkets, and we’re surviving with what we had in our homes,” she added.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/18/world/americas/ecuador-earthquake-deaths.html?src=mv&_r=0

And the most educated city in America is...Bethesda, MD?


Source: ValuePenguin

2016-04-14

NBA Legend Kobe Bryant retires with 60 points in the finale



Time for a Kobe-mercial:




Link: http://kirktanter.blogspot.com/2015/11/nbas-los-angeles-lakers-guard-kobe.html

2016-04-11

Doug Banks, Legendary Radio Personality, dead at 57 - MEMORIAL SERVICE IN DALLAS APRIL 16TH 10AM -


Doug Banks Memorial
Date: April 16th at 10am
Address: SPARKMAN HILLCREST FUNERAL HOME & MEMORIAL PARK
7405 West Northwest Highway
DALLAS, TX 75225
Phone: 214-363-5401
______________________________________________________

Long time syndicated Radio host Doug Banks passed away Monday morning. He had been recovering from a stroke, had diabetes, and was on dialysis.

Doug was off the air for several months recovering, returning to the airwaves in February and seemed better. Many last saw Doug on the last Soul Train Cruise, or in Chicago last Friday at the Black Womens Business Convention.

Doug was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Detroit.

When I talked on the phone to Doug Banks' former Executive Producer Tim Smith earlier today, Tim said that he just spoke to Doug last Wednesday, and that Bank's spirits were high, he was alert, and very optimistic about his total recovery.

Doug was one of the best in radio and his high energy show was fun-filled with a great deal of laughter. http://www.dougbanksradioshow.com/

Doug worked many years in Chicago in the 80's and 90 at WGCI and WVAZ (V-103), and I remember him while growing up in Los Angeles listening to Doug on heritage 1580 KDAY. Doug Banks show also aired in New York on WBLS, in Detroit, San Francisco, Las Vegas...to name a few. The well known nationally syndicated Doug Banks Radio Show was launched by ABC Radio Network, and was last syndicated in the afternoons by American Urban Radio Networks. http://chicagodefender.com/2016/04/11/syndicated-radio-jock-and-broadcast-legend-doug-banks-passes/



Radio Journalist, and publisher of popular website "Radio Facts" Kevin Ross stated on his website: "When I saw Doug a few months ago in the neighborhood on his way to CVS he didn’t look so well as we chatted about catching up for lunch. Shortly thereafter, I called Wendy, though they were not together at this time, but I knew they were still good friends, and she said that 'Doug is just going through complications of diabetes, but thanks for checking on him'. Sadly, this morning, our Good friend & Former Agent, Brad Ginsburg, reached out to me and told me that our good friend, Doug Banks, is finally at peace."

Journalist Roland Martin, host of TV One's 'News One Now' tweeted: "I am stunned to hear of the death of Doug Banks. I heard he was not doing well and had failing kidneys. This is just so hard."

Al Sharpton, host of Syndicated Radio Show "Keeping it Real with Al Sharpton" stated on his program: "...our prayers and condolences go to Doug Banks' family. He was a good brother, a great broadcaster, and he will be missed."

WBLS New York Program Director Skip Dillard stated on his facebook site: "An increasingly Sunny Monday just turned sad for me as I leaned of the sudden passing of the amazing Doug Banks this morning. He did mornings on WBLS for several years and was currently among the top rated Afternoon talents at V103 Chicago. Doug's syndicated morning show, WGCI and WBMX stints all served as Inspiration for me in my career! I always coveted his air checks! I last saw him 3 years ago when we did a tribute to Jerry Boulding during Nielsen's annual radio conference. RIP"

Former Doug Banks Show Executive Producer Hurricane Dave Smith: "I was in the food court at CNN center today when I got the news that Doug Banks passed away. It literally brought me to tears. I had the honor of being Doug's Executive Producer when we worked together at ABC Radio Networks. He was a real professional and will be missed. Our kids used to play together. Sad day, we lost a legend."


Production Director for Radio One in Detroit Bobby Holiday: "Long live the distinguished career of Mr. Doug Banks! RIP Sir. Words will never be able to express the joy you brought to my live and my career!! You will be sorely missed!!!!"

Program Director and On-Air Talent for Cumulus Lafayette, Louisiana Jerold Jackson: "The guy right here has mentored many in our business. Always a smile and was genuinely a radio guy. RIP Doug Banks."

Production Director of Radio One Washington DC cluster Mike Chase: "Wow....I had NO idea. God bless his fam. RIP Doug."

Doug Banks and Tom Joyner Turntable Brothers

Doug Banks wasn't just my Turntable Brother, he was my other brother! We did this back when urban radio made itself the best thing on the air - and we made each other better. Chicago, radio and afternoons will never be the same. I miss him and what we shared together. Say man! I'll see you on the other side Doug.

Posted by Tom Joyner on Monday, April 11, 2016
Legendary Radio Personality Tom Joyner: "Doug Banks wasn’t just my Turntable Brother, he was my other brother! We did this back when urban radio made itself the best thing on the air – and we made each other better. Chicago, radio and afternoons will never be the same. I miss him and what we shared together."

American Urban Radio Networks President Jerry Lopes: “We were all deeply saddened to hear the news of Doug’s passing. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family ….his wife Wendy and his daughters Kennede and Kelli said Jerry Lopes, President of Program Operations and Affiliations for American Urban Radio Networks, distributors of the Doug Banks Radio Show. “Radio has lost a true legend”.

Author, Filmmaker, and Radio Personality Michael Baisden: "Doug Banks and I had a history that went back far beyond my appearances on his nationally syndicated show. I’m from Chicago where Doug Banks was at the top of his game on the airwaves. His voice was synonymous with the city of Chicago. I’m going to miss you Doug, the times we spent together in the studio having fun, the Jamaica Island Jams, but most of all seeing you every day in Dallas in the studio next door. It was great hanging out with with you, Dee Dee, and Rudy Rush. You always had an open door and a kind word. I’ll never forget that. My heart and prayers go out to you and your family. Rest in peace Dougie!"

Legendary Singer Eddie Levert Sr: "Sad to say its true, miss you man!!!!!!!"

Doug Banks death is sudden and the whole Radio World is in mourning.

More details to come on the tragic death of Radio Legend Doug Banks.

Links:
http://www.dougbanksradioshow.com/
http://chicagodefender.com/2016/04/11/syndicated-radio-jock-and-broadcast-legend-doug-banks-passes/

2016-04-07

Leon Haywood, 70's Funk and Disco Singer, dead at age 74



Story by Soul Tracks
Written by Chris Rizik

(April 6, 2016) It is a sad coincidence as I sit here visiting Houston, Texas today, that one of this city’s great contributors to popular music, Leon Haywood, has died at age 74. Haywood was an immensely talented singer, songwriter and producer, perhaps best known for his somewhat lurid chart-topping hit "I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You.”

A musician from childhood, Haywood moved to Los Angeles in the 1960s, where he worked with the great Sam Cooke as a keyboardist. When Cooke died, Haywood recorded his first charted single, 1965’s "She's with Her Other Love." Two years later, he scored bigger with "It's Got to Be Mellow."

While staying busy as a singer and musician, Haywood was having trouble achieving the level of stardom that his talent warranted until the mid-70s, when he helped usher in the disco movement with a decidedly funkier edge to his music. From 1975 to 1980 he was a consistent hitmaker with top 20 hits like “Strokin’,” “Don’t Push It Don’t Force It”, and his biggest song, "I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You."



Even after his hitmaking days as an artist faded, Haywood continued his work as a songwriter and producer, first in R&B (Carl Carlton’s 1981 hit "She's a Bad Mama Jama") and later in the blues arena. Ironically, at the same time, his 70s music was being regularly sampled by major hip-hop artists such as Dr. Dre.

While some may best remember Leon Haywood for his hit singles as an artist, his contribution went beyond those individual songs, to an important role in transitioning music forward during one of its most creative periods, a transition that is still felt today.

2016-04-06

Special Announcement from Singer/Actress Janet Jackson

2016-04-05

President Obama: Offshore Tax Schemes, Havens Are 'Gaming the System'


President Obama critical of Corporate Loopholes

Story by NBC News
Written by Halimah Abdullah and The Associated Press

President Obama on Tuesday criticized loopholes that help protect offshore tax havens and U.S. companies that move abroad for lower tax rates.

"A lot of these loopholes come at the expense of middle-class families," Obama said during the White House press briefing adding that such companies are "gaming the system."

The president's comments come on the heels of the Treasury Department's new package of rules aimed at making "tax inversions" — when U.S. companies move abroad for lower tax rates — less financially appealing. The new regulations, the third round that Treasury has put forward on inversions, seek to limit internal corporate borrowing that shifts profits out of the United States.

"There's always going to be illicit movement of funds but we shouldn't make it legal," the president said.

And while tax inversions differ from the recently revealed murky network that helped world leaders and celebrities hide money in foreign accounts, the president drew a parallel and pointed out that tax avoidance is a global problem.

The basic principle is the same, the president said.

"Making sure everybody is paying their fair share."

In recent years tax inversions have sparked a political outcry.

Last November, drug companies Pfizer and Allergan announced a $160 billion deal that could save New York-based Pfizer hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. taxes annually by moving its headquarters for tax purposes to Ireland, where Allergan is based.

Late Monday, Pfizer and Allergan issued a joint statement saying that they are reviewing the new Treasury rules and would not speculate on their potential impact. Investors, however, appeared to think the rules could undermine the two companies' deal, and sent Allergan's shares down nearly 22 percent in after-hours trading. Pfizer's shares rose about 2 percent.

Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said Treasury's new rules are designed to make inversions less economically beneficial for companies. But he again called on Congress to act to halt the practice.

"Only new anti-inversion legislation can stop these transactions," Lew said on a conference call with reporters. "Until that time, creative accountants and lawyers will continue to seek new ways for companies to move their tax residences overseas and avoid paying taxes here at home."

Several Democrats have announced bills to make it harder for U.S. corporations to invert and President Barack Obama has included proposals in a package of measures to reform corporate taxes. But prospects for passing such legislation in an election year are not deemed high, given the wide differences between Democrats and Republicans on taxes.

In a statement, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, praised Treasury's new set of proposals. But he said "the only way to slam the door on inversions for good is to pass tough, strong legislation and reform our tax laws."

Lew said the new Treasury proposals would also take aim at foreign companies that acquire multiple U.S. firms over a short period of time. Lew said these transactions were being done by what he called "serial inverters" in an effort to keep slashing their U.S. tax liabilities.

Some groups representing foreign companies with U.S. operations were critical of the new rules.

"The administration's sweeping proposal will increase the cost of investing and expanding across the United States for all foreign companies and put at risk more than 12 million American workers that are supported by foreign direct investment in the United States," Nancy McLernon, president and CEO of the Organization for International Investment said in a statement. "This is a misguided approach that could have a freezing effect on attracting global employers and will damage U.S. competitiveness, which may very well be measured in lost jobs, wages and GDP."

2016-04-01

KGO San Francisco and the Death of Radio - Commentary by former KGO Producer/News Editor Claudia Lamb

On March 31, 2016, Cumulus Media gutted two legacy Bay Area stations – KFOG and KGO, changing formats of both, and laying off most of the remaining news departments of the latter.

Story by Soundwaves-TV

Claudia Lamb worked at KGO from 2007 to 2011, producing and writing the afternoon news at KGO Radio in San Francisco, which was then the number one rated News and Talk station in the country. In a four-year period, they won four Associated Press Mark Twain Awards, and four prestigious Edward R. Murrow awards. She left the station at the end of 2011.

We invited her to share her thoughts (originally posted on Facebook), following the mass firings. If anybody’s wondering what’s happening to our favorite radio stations, strap yourselves in…


Commentary by Claudia Lamb

Radio died for me today.

The Great Lady – KGO Radio in San Francisco – was killed off this morning, ending a long downward spiral for a once-great station. Many good people I had the honor of working with were laid off today. http://kirktanter.blogspot.com/2016/04/cumulus-rolls-quake-like-shake-up-at.html

KGO was the #1 radio station in San Francisco for 3 decades; it was a 50,000 watt powerhouse whose signal went from the Pacific coast to the Rocky Mountains – from Mexico to Canada and on up to Alaska. It was the West Coast Flagship station for ABC News. It was where you went to stay informed, and on any given afternoon at least half-a-million people were listening.

KGO was responsible for the News Talk format, and it employed the absolute greats in the field. I could not even begin to estimate how many journalism awards KGO Radio won – it would be in the hundreds. The Afternoon News won those awards – but, Bret Burkhart was a force unto himself. More awards than I know. And Ravi Peruman won awards for his work, especially the piece he did on the Harvey Milk assassination.

Over the decades it raised $20+ million for Leukemia research during its annual Cure-A-Thon. It was the voice of information during a night of chaos after the Loma Prieta quake. For nearly 20 years it was the home of 49ers Football. It was the voice of San Francisco.

We were based in the ABC broadcast center along the Embarcadero, the newsroom looked out on the Ferry Building, and I watched many sunrises over the Bay Bridge from my desk. There was a deck that ran the length of the building, it had a barbeque and patio furniture so you could sit out and enjoy the sun before the fog rolled in.

Our GM installed a fancy machine that made honest-to-gosh fresh ground espresso and lattes – there were employee appreciation luncheons, and bottles of good champagne for the milestones. There were beers at Gumpy’s (the Cheers-type bar across the street), and wild celebrations after awards ceremonies. There was a camaraderie, a shared goal of excellence and we were all proud to work at what the business itself had dubbed ‘the best News Talk station in the country’.


KGO San Francisco won Four(4) Associated Press Mark Twain Awards

That all changed when Citadel bought ABC News for an obscenely high price in 2007. That’s when everything changed. The Vulture Capitalists that bought KGO weren’t interested in radio – they were interested in nothing but money. They weren’t interested in making money off of radio – they were simply interested in what the next quarter would mean for their profit statement.

Citadel, along with Cumulus, Entercom and Clear Channel (a.k.a. iHeart Radio) destroyed radio as we knew it. If you can’t stand to listen to radio anymore you can thank these companies. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 allowed them to consolidate thousands of Mom-and-Pop radio stations into just a handful of owners. What was once a thriving marketplace of ideas and new music became a moribund feedback loop of homogeneity and satellite programs.

In a feeding frenzy of buying these few companies overpaid for stations, borrowing 4 and 5 times more than what they were worth – starting out hopelessly in debt. They would buy 10 stations in a market, shove them all into one building that was owned by a subsidy, to whom they would pay rent, and then sell all of the physical assets of those stations (buildings, radio equipment and everything inside down to the last paperclip). The Grinch left more at Cindy Lou Who’s house than these vultures did. Next, they cleared out 80% of the staff – such a savings on labor! – and forced the remaining 20% to pick up the slack.

They took all that gooey, gooey money they got from the sale of EVERYTHING and instead of paying off their obscene loans, the Vultures gave themselves 8 figure bonuses annually on top of their obscene pay. My favorite was the $27 million bonus (on top of $3 million annual pay) Farid Suliman, the CEO at Citadel, took the week the company declared bankruptcy, which was the year they cleared out half the newsroom, which had been cut in half the year before.


KGO San Francisco Newsroom

The Vultures relied more and more on satellite programming, and laid off scores of professionals. This drained the product of any local flavor – and had real consequences in many marketplaces when a local emergency happened and there were no live people to cover it and tell people to evacuate or shelter-in-place.

Sure the product SUCKED and ratings dropped but, hey – the Vultures were making bank.

KGO – like Wile E. Coyote – continued to run on air for nearly three years after Citadel bought us. We finally looked down after they cut three-fourths of the news room, the helicopter, airplane, most traffic reporters, and virtually all admins. Then we fell to the bottom of that long canyon. Poof.

The Crash of 2008 accelerated the demise of radio, but it was on a path to destruction no matter what. The Vultures had created a cycle of cutting people and services to keep their bonuses intact. The cuts meant a shabbier and more worthless product, which drove down listenership, and thus ad revenue. I likened their cuts to a Doctor telling her patient, “Look, your toe is bleeding – we need to take off the foot to stop it. Oh. Now your foot is bleeding – let’s take off the leg to stop it.”

Every one of these Radio behemoths is teetering on the edge of complete disintegration. iHeart Radio, formerly known as Clear Channel (the name of the beast that started this whole buggery), has a few weeks to come up with $6 billion of the $21 billion they owe creditors. Cumulus – the company that bought Citadel a few years ago and finished off KGO today – owes nearly $3 billion and their stock has gone from $4 to 46 cents in the last year. Entercom seems healthy with only $500 million in debt, and $9 million in cash on hand. They are all out of assets to sell, and they owe billions more than their stations are worth. They are not underwater on their loans – they are drowning in debt they have no way to pay.

I will never forgive the Dickey brothers, the Mays brothers, Farid Suliman, and David Field for what they did to Radio. Like vampires they sucked the life force out of radio, and killed it. What they did should have been illegal. But, there were no regulations to stop it, and there still aren’t.

KGO was making a $5 million a year profit on top of paying its full staff *very well* (and that was in the Bay Area) when Citadel bought it and killed it in 10 quarters. When I left the station at the end of 2011 I was doing 4 jobs – our newsroom having been cut from 32 top-notch professionals to 13 overworked souls. The rest of the station had it just as bad – the cuts were capricious and in one afternoon I watched 412 years of corporate memory walk out the door. It was the first of many cullings.

When I gave my notice I didn’t have anything left to give to the station. I simply couldn’t continue to do 4 people’s jobs, and I knew that what I was putting out was 60% garbage and 40% news. I fought the good fight to try to keep information on the air. But, the lack of personnel, and the *terrible* management were demoralizing.

The day I had a knock down drag ‘em out fight over whether we should run the story on the ‘Singing Dog’ in New York City or go with the rapidly unfolding events of the Egyptian Revolution and the Arab Spring, I knew I had lost. There was no point in trying to push that rock up the hill anymore.

Leaving KGO was the toughest professional decision I have ever made. Radio had been my life for 25 years – and I grieved. We radio people are an odd lot – but we’re indulgent with each other’s idiosyncrasies, have each other’s backs, and we play fantastic practical jokes. I never felt more at home in a job than when we were all working on breaking news. We worked as a team – a well-tuned machine that came together to relentlessly find the facts our listeners counted on.

We weren’t producers and reporters and anchors and engineers – we were a unit that leaned in and skipped dinner or going home and worked hour after hour because our job was News. We were dedicated professionals who all had go-bags in our car just in case, and followed the story where it took us. We were the most dedicated people you will ever find in a news room anywhere, and it reflected in the superior news we produced for decades.

To all my friends who were laid off today: I am so sorry for your loss. I wish you the best of luck in finding a place to use your talents. Never forget that News is a noble profession and can make a difference in the world, and you worked in a place that set the standard for it in Radio. It was an honor to have worked with you, and to have called KGO my home.
__________________________________________________________________________
Claudia Lamb started in the business at age 3 doing modeling work for magazines, calendars, and catalogs. At age 11 she was cast as Heather Hartman in Norman Lear’s 70s cult classic Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, starring Louise Lasser. After a brief stint as a stand-up comic, her passion turned to radio. She became a Talk Show Host and worked for KOA in Denver (1989 – 1991), WKRC in Cincinnati (1991), KCMO in Kansas City (1991-1993), and KHOW in Denver (1993-1994). While at KOA as a traffic reporter, Ms. Lamb was part of the team that won the 2004 Colorado Broadcasting Award for best coverage in Breaking News. In 2007 she began producing and writing the afternoon news at KGO Radio in San Francisco, which was then the number one rated News and Talk station in the country, where the team won the prestigious national Edward R. Murrow Award for best coverage of Breaking News.She left the station at the end of 2011.

Dr. George Fischbeck dies at 92; popular weatherman at KABC-TV Los Angeles


Dr. George Fischbeck outside his home in Woodland Hills in 2008. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Story by Los Angeles Times
Written by Valerie J. Nelson

George Fischbeck, a science teacher turned weatherman who joined KABC-TV in 1972 and spent nearly two decades exuberantly delivering the local forecast, has died. He was 92.

Fischbeck, who was known as "Dr. George," died of natural causes early Wednesday morning at the Motion Picture & Television Fund retirement home in Woodland Hills, his daughter, Nancy Fischbeck, said.

A trained meteorologist, George Fischbeck was so enthusiastic about his subject that he sometimes forgot to talk about the next day's weather.

"I must begin with an apology," Fischbeck said on a 1978 broadcast. "Last Friday we got carried away again and we got everything in but the forecast."

When the rare inclement weather threatened Los Angeles, his newscast's ratings went up as viewers tuned in to see a seemingly real-life Mr. Wizard — complete with thick black-rimmed glasses, animated mustache and signature bow tie — race around the set.

Some people considered Fischbeck's weathercasts "madcap performances," according to a 1978 Times profile with the headline "Blue Skies for Dr. George." The "doctor" referred to an honorary degree from the University of Albuquerque.

"I'm Channel 7's father image," Fischbeck said in 1978 while insisting that he was not its comedian because he refused to do jokes. "I am not a phony. I am not manufactured or contrived."

He did, however, once call attention to the beginning of March by hauling a lion and a lamb into the TV studio.

The cult of personality that prevailed on local television in the 1970s "seemed to have reached a zenith" at KABC by 1979 when Fischbeck began receiving even wider play on the local news to exploit his huge following, former TV columnist Howard Rosenberg wrote in The Times.

In a 1981 report, People magazine compared Fischbeck to "a caged lion" who "stalks the weather map, prowls the sound stage ... and explodes into a frenzy of animation while delivering his forecasts. He candidly admits that cameramen should get hazard pay for trying to keep up with him."

His Channel 7 colleagues said the enthusiastic weathercaster was no different when the cameras were turned off.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-dr-george-fischbeck-20150325-story.html

Cumulus Rolls Quake-Like Shake-Up at SF’s KGO.

Story by Inside Radio

In a major shake-up at one of the Bay Area’s oldest radio stations, news/talk KGO (810) San Francisco has reportedly laid off its morning and afternoon staffs in anticipation of a new direction at the Cumulus Media outlet. Ronn Owens, a KGO fixture for 40 years, is moving to afternoon drive on Cumulus Media sister “Hot Talk 560” KSFO starting Monday.

His departure is part of what’s expected to be a major format change to mostly syndicated talk programming. The San Jose Mercury News reported that 20 people were laid off at KGO Thursday. Other reports pegged the number at three dozen. Among them: sports director Rich Walcoff, a nearly 32-year station vet. “They just basically told me that they’re going in a different direction,” he told the newspaper. “It’s a Black Thursday at KGO.” Kristin Hanes, a KGO news reporter, said Cumulus “blasted out almost the entire news staff.”

Read more: http://kirktanter.blogspot.com/2016/04/kgo-san-francisco-and-death-of-radio.html

Promos tout a new direction for the station: “The next generation of KGO 810 is coming Tuesday morning at 6am.” Regular programming has been removed in place of a long-form stager that celebrates San Francisco and its people.

The upheaval occurred on the same day that Cumulus appointed veteran rock programmer Bryan Schock as Operations Manager/Program Director of its classic rock “The Bone” KSAN (107.7) and adult alternative KFOG (104.5). In a memo to staff, Justin Wittmayer, VP and market manager, addressed new programming strategies. “We believe the direction will put KGO and KFOG on the best paths to growth and success,” Wittmayer said. But the changes also involved “the difficult but necessary task today of restructuring our KGO and KFOG station staffs to allow us to meet the new needs of these two stations as we invest in new programming that is redefined, refocused and of the highest quality.” Without disclosing numbers or names, Wittmayer said that affected “a number of full-time and part-time positions across these two stations, primarily in the news department at KGO and in key dayparts at KFOG.”

KGO ranked 21st with a 1.8 share of listeners aged 6+ in Nielsen’s February survey. KFOG was tied for 17th with a 2.0 share.

Wittmayer promised more details on the programming changes and additions in the next few days.

With Owens in afternoons, KSFO will be live and local in both drive times. Program director Mike Anthony says the move is “a great opportunity for a whole new audience to hear the brilliance that has made Ronn a legend in San Francisco radio.”

Owens, who was heard from 9am-noon on KGO, was offered his choice of time slots at KSFO by Cumulus and chose 3pm-6pm, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “What a unique opportunity to keep doing what I’ve been doing for the past 40 years, in the place I love doing it, the Bay area,” Owens said in a release. “And I’m just a couple of clicks down the dial.”

“Talk 910” KKSF is also making news with a new morning-drive host. The iHeartMedia talker is bringing “The Stephanie Miller Show” back to San Francisco beginning Friday. In addition to her syndicated morning show, the left-leaning talker is well known from her TV and comedy appearances, including as the host of CNBC’s “Equal Time” and Oxygen TV’s “I’ve Got a Secret,” among others. Miller replaces Sacramento-based Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty, who are expected to be part of the new KGO airstaff.

KKSF will also add Mo’Kelly to the lineup from 6pm-7pm weekdays.

“The Bay Area is arguably the most progressive market in the nation,” said Don Parker, senior VP of Programming for iHeartMedia San Francisco. “This move aligns Talk 910 with the predominant sentiment of the region in all prime dayparts, delivering compelling progressive or lifestyle content throughout the day.”

Read more: http://kirktanter.blogspot.com/2016/04/kgo-san-francisco-and-death-of-radio.html