Nationally-Syndicated Morning Man Big Boy Signs With Talent Agency ICM Partners

S

tory by Inside Radio

Premiere Networks-syndicated morning man Big Boy (Kurt Alexander) signs with talent agency ICM Partners, which counts John Travolta, Uma Thurman and Kathy Bates among its clients.

“Big Boy’s Neighborhood” is based at iHeartMedia urban contemporary “Real 92.3” KRRL Los Angeles and is syndicated nationwide with a TV version of the popular morning show carried by Fuse TV, which was just picked up for a third season. He also has a trio of podcasts, “Big Boy on Demand,” “Big Boy Uncut” and “Big Boy’s Fully Loaded.”

The multi-media personality recently released the documentary “Off Air w/ Big Boy,” which was screened at the Pan-African Film & Arts Festival, according to the Hollywood Reporter. He has also made a number of cameo appearances in “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping,” “The Longest Yard” and “Charlie's Angels 2.” Big Boy has also appeared on “The Talk,” “Hip Hop, Real Husbands of Hollywood,” “Entourage” and in “Deuce Bigelow: Male Gigolo.”

A three-time Marconi-award winner, the longtime L.A. radio morning man released an autobiography in 2011, “An XL Life: Staying Big at Half the Size,” and was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2015.

The veteran personality’s voice can be heard on the video game “Grand Theft Auto V” and his BigBoyTV YouTube channel has generated more than 147 million views and 720,000 subscribers, Hollywood Reporter says.

ICM Partners represents clients in the fields of motion pictures, television, music, publishing, live performance, branded entertainment and new media.

KOBE AND GIANNA BRYANT MEMORIAL

LINK TO KOBE MEMORIAL: http://www.espn.com/watch?id=afcdede7-dd29-45fc-aa3f-e5b007c00145

Why Bernie Fears the Superdelegates Will Do Him In–Again

Story by Earl Ofari Hutchinson - Author, Political analyst, and Radio Broadcaster -

Bernie Sanders railed loud and long in 2016 that the Democratic Party’s system of superdelegates and the superdelegates themselves were stacked against him. He was right. The Democratic Party’s superdelegates unlike the GOP superdelegates are not bound by the party rules to vote for the person getting the most delegate votes. They can vote for the person they want.

In 2016, there was never any doubt that this would be Hillary Clinton. Sanders knew it and screamed foul. He knew it because the Dems superdelegates are a bunch of senators Sanders (who himself qualifies as a super-delegate by virtue of being a Senator), governors, Congresspersons, Democratic party elders, big gun officials, and everybody on the Democratic National Committee. There are 775 of them. Together they make up about 15 percent of the overall number of delegates.

Sanders has a good case against the outsized role of superdelegates. In 1982, Democratic Party officials cooked up the idea of having super-delegates as a fail-safe firewall against the horror in their eyes of having what happened in 1972 happen again. That was the year George McGovern got the party to hold lots more primaries, and then rode the crest of the anti-war, civil rights, student protest, and populist wave, to win them and bag the Democratic presidential nomination. McGovern was thoroughly trounced by Nixon in the general election. Superdelegates would be the guard at the hen house door to ensure that any future Democratic presidential candidate would have to be properly establishment, credible, presentable, and electable in the general election. There would be no more wild man nominees.

Because Sanders screamed loud about the unfairness of the system, The DNC mindful of Bernie and the screams of others about the alleged unfairness of this system, with much fanfare, supposedly snatched the power out of the hands of the superdelegates to micromanage the convention and the presidential nominee in their political image.

Now with much talk of a possible brokered 2020 convention, Sanders, and many others in the party sweat bullets at that prospect. There’s good reason. A brokered convention is simply that one candidate doesn’t have enough delegate votes to bag the nomination on the first ballot and voting goes to a second or more ballot. The last Democratic brokered convention was in 1952 when Illinois Governor Adlai Stevensen didn’t get the nomination on the first go-round. The brokered part comes into play when delegates and party leaders engage in furious back and forth horse trading and swapping votes for their pick.

If this happens at the 2020 Democratic convention, the obvious target will be Sanders. Despite the rule changes, the superdelegates then would loom large again. Under the new rules they can vote on the second round of balloting and the vote of many almost certainly would not be for Sanders. The reason why hasn’t changed one whit since 2016. Centrist Democrats for the most part still quake in fear that a Sanders nomination will virtually hand the White House back to Trump.

At least Trump and the GOP seem to think so. The nonstop rumors and reports keep swirling that they are salivating at the thought of Sanders as his opponent. His Medicare for all, rip of corporate big shoots, and the claims that his radical reforms will cost untold trillions, supposedly are more than enough to make Sanders easy pickings for Trump.

That’s only part of the fear of a Sander’s nomination. He’s an avowed socialist, and despite running as a Democratic party contender, he is still very much the independent maverick. To many, that means he is not a team player, and the swatch of Bernie backers that harass, harangue, and even threaten anyone who dares utter a word against Bernie has done much to drive home that fear about, and image, of him. The polls that show Bernie trouncing Trump before one general election ballot is even cast can’t be taken seriously.

If it came down to added rounds of balloting, and Sanders is the delegate leader, but has not gotten the majority needed for the nomination outright, then we are back to the superdelegates. Sanders supporters have flatly said that they would be the ultimate weapon to torpedo his nomination. This would be far more damaging than 2016. Then Clinton clearly won a majority of regular party delegates through her primary battles with him and the super-delegate count for her was merely icing on the nomination cake.

This won’t be the case this time around. Sanders will almost certainly be at or near the top in the number of delegates he’ll rack up in the primaries. He’s got too much campaign cash, and a big, loud, and vigorous support base for that not to happen. If he is the delegate count leader, and he’s denied the nomination in follow up rounds of balloting deal making, it would be a party horror. No amount of shouts about the mortal peril a Trump reelection poses to the country, will sway legions of Sanders supporters to hold their proverbial nose and vote for the Democratic party’s alter ego choice, let alone hit the campaign trail for that ticket absent Sanders.

Let’s hope for the Democrats and Sanders sake it never gets to that.
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Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/warren-buffett-says-im-democrat-150804514.html

President Obama chats with NBA All-Stars who make a difference both on and off the court

With the NBA All-Star game in Chicago this year, President Obama had the chance to sit down with three players - Giannis Antetoukounmpo, Chris Paul, and Kevin Love, in a conversation moderated by Michael Wilbon. These players recognize that making lasting change starts by investing in our communities. And that's why we decided to put the Obama Presidential Center and the Obama Foundation right here in Chicago. Check out the Obama Foundations' highlights from the weekend below.

Harry T. Moore helped thousands of blacks register to vote. It led to his assassination on Christmas night

Early civil rights leader Harry T. Moore was killed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1951 on the night of his 25th wedding anniversary. Florida Today

Story by Florida Today
Link: https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2020/02/03/harry-t-moore-african-american-black-civil-rights-leader-florida/4481452002/

To celebrate Black History month, we will be spotlighting key African Americans who had a major impact on Florida.

MIMS — Harry T. Moore knew he was a marked man.

He helped sign up black voters throughout the state in the 1930s and '40s, organized more than 50 Florida branches of the NAACP and investigated lynchings around the state.

It was his insistence on equal rights and his refusal to be intimidated that led to his killing on Christmas Night, 1951, in the small city of Mims in East Central Florida. Moore's wife, Harriette, also was killed by the bomb set beneath their home.

“Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore were the first martyrs of the civil rights movement,” said Sonya Mallard, coordinator of the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Memorial Park and Museum in Mims, which is built on the spot where the Moores were murdered. “Harry T. Moore got over 116,000 blacks to vote. Remember, voting is a big thing, and for Harry T. Moore to do that, he traveled the backroads in Florida with threats against his life.”

Moore’s life story is one of inspiration and tragedy.

Born in the small Florida town of Houston in Suwanee County, Moore moved to Florida’s east coast at age 19 to take a teaching job after graduating from college.

One night, while playing Bid Whist, a card game that was popular in the black community, he met Harriette Sims, his future bride-to-be.

“He fell in love instantly," Mallard said. "She was three years older than him and she was taller than him, but they fell in love.”

The couple married on Dec. 25, 1926.

Harriette left her job as an insurance agent and became a teacher. Harry soon was named principal at the area’s all-black school.

However, it was his quest for equality for black citizens that led him to seek out more than just being a teacher.

Getting involved with the NAACP

“Over the course of some years, Harry became concerned with the lack of equity in terms of facilities, pay for teachers, materials for his students, etc…” said Bill Gary, president of the board of the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Cultural Complex.

“Harry received some information from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Upon reading about the NAACP and what its mission was and objectives, Harry thought, ‘this is the organization that I need to make and bring about changes in the lives of the people I come in contact with, the people that I teach, my friends and my family.' "

So, in 1934, Harry organized the first Brevard County branch of the NAACP. He went on to organize some 50 more branches of the NAACP throughout Florida.

In 1941, he helped organize the Florida State Conference of NAACP branches, and he was named the group’s president.

During the course of the next several years he encouraged more than 100,000 black people to sign up to vote.

Harry thought that even if a black person could not be elected, black voters certainly could use their leverage to support candidates who expressed an interest in doing better for black citizens.

“Of course, that upset the status quo,” Gary said. “Many politicians and others became alarmed at this turn of events.”

All the while Harry worked for equal pay for black teachers in public schools, despite them being segregated.

His efforts worked. He filed a lawsuit in Florida to equalize teacher pay for black and white teachers and that led to lawsuits in other states and, ultimately, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that all teachers would be paid the same.

Activism draws negative attention

Harry Moore's efforts didn't please everyone.

In 1946, both Moores were fired from their teaching jobs because of their activism.

After that, Harry dedicated his time to seeking justice for black people by investigating lynchings and filing lawsuits against voter registration barriers and white primaries.

In 1949, Harry became involved in a case that ultimately led to his murder. It was known as the Groveland Four case, where a group of black men was accused of raping a white woman.

One of the four was killed when lynched by a posse while the other three were detained by Lake County Sheriff Willis McCall.

The three surviving men, including one minor, were eventually found guilty by an all-white jury.

As Executive Director of the Florida NAACP, Harry Moore organized a campaign against what he saw as the wrongful convictions of the three men.

After the men’s convictions were overturned, McCall shot two of them while transporting them to a new trial venue. He claimed that the two men, both handcuffed, attacked him in an escape attempt.

One man died at the scene while the other survived and said McCall shot them in cold blood.

Former UN Ambassador Susan Rice via tweet warns Snoop Doog about messing with CBS's Gayle King

Susan Rice (photo with husband)
@AmbassadorRice tweets as follows:

This is despicable. Gayle King is one of the most principled, fair and tough journalists alive. Snoop, back the **** off. You come for
@GayleKing
, you come against an army. You will lose, and it won’t be pretty.
***********
Snoop Dogg's video response to former Ambassador Susan Rice: https://www.facebook.com/hiphopcrownnation/videos/308995166723558/
***********
CBS's Lisa Leslie Interview in question (video): https://twitter.com/i/status/1224759600798425090
***********
CBS This Morning tweet
✔
@CBSThisMorning
.@WNBA legend @LisaLeslie told @GayleKing that Kobe Bryant's legacy is "not complicated" for her despite his 2003 rape accusation.

"I don't think it's something that we should keep hanging over his legacy." https://cbsn.ws/2UopNFW

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Hoyer, Maloney to Hold Press Conference Tuesday Morning Ahead of Washington DC Statehood Markup and Committee Vote

February 10, 2020

Contact: Jack Miller – 202-225-8050

Norton, Hoyer, Maloney to Hold Press Conference Tuesday Morning
Ahead of Statehood Markup and Committee Vote

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD), and House Committee on Oversight and Reform Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) will hold a short press conference on Tuesday, February 11, at 9:30 a.m. in Rayburn 2247 before the House Oversight Committee markup and vote on Norton’s D.C. statehood bill.

Media attending can RSVP to jack.miller@mail.house.gov

WHAT: Congresswoman Norton, Majority Leader Hoyer, and Chairwoman Maloney to hold a press conference

WHEN: Tuesday, February 11 at 9:30 AM

WHERE: Rayburn HOB, Room 2247, 45 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC

HBO Picks Up Russell Simmons Rape Documentary After Oprah Walks Away

Photo of Russell Simmons by Coco Curranski / CC by 2.0

On the Record, a documentary that explores sexual assault and rape allegations made against Def Jam Records co-founder Russell Simmons, has been bought by HBO.

Story by Digital Music News
Written by Paul Resnikoff

Last month, Oprah Winfrey stepped back from her role as executive producer for the film and said that it would no longer become available through Apple TV+, as was initially planned. Winfrey made clear that she believes the alleged victims, but disagrees with the creative direction taken by the filmmakers, in addition to their decision to show the work at the Sundance Film Festival.


Russell Simmons and Oprah Winfrey

It appears that the producers were right to send On the Record to Sundance, however, as it received two standing ovations and subsequently drew interest from HBO higher-ups.

HBO hasn’t announced an official release date for the documentary, but it’s expected to be part of the HBO Max service, which is set to debut in May. Unlike the traditional HBO network, Max will offer non-HBO television shows and a library of content that more closely resembles Netflix’s catalog.

The Russell Simmons film was created by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, who investigated rape allegations made against Simmons by a number of women, especially Drew Dixon, who came forward via a 2017 New York Times article. The earliest of these claims date back to 1991, and New York State does not have a statute of limitations for first-degree rape.

Simmons founded Def Jam in 1983, alongside Rick Rubin.

The New York City native exited his executive positions at Def Jam, CNNMoney, and elsewhere in 2017, after Dixon’s story prompted many others to speak publicly of their own experiences.

Though Simmons has vehemently denied the allegations, he sold his assets in 2018 and relocated to Bali, Indonesia, which has no extradition treaty with the United States.

No evidence of engine failure in helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others, NTSB say

This image was taken from a drone using the reported position of the helicopter.

Story by CNN
Written by Steve Almasy and Nick Watt

Los Angeles (CNN)The National Transportation Safety Board, which is looking into the January 26 helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight other people in Southern California, announced Friday there was no evidence of catastrophic engine failure.

"Viewable sections of the engines showed no evidence of an uncontained or catastrophic internal failure," the investigative update said.

The NTSB said one witness who was on a mountain bike trail reported he heard the helicopter and saw the blue and white aircraft emerge from the clouds passing from left to right directly to his left. He thought it was on a "forward and descending trajectory."

The witness told investigators the Sikorsky S-76B started to roll to the left and he briefly saw its belly. It was only a couple seconds before it crashed about 50 feet below him, the update says.

The update includes photographs. One was taken from a drone that investigators flew along the flight path, as recorded by satellite. The image captures the view of the last reported position of the aircraft.

"The last ADS-B target was received at 1,200 feet approximately 400 feet southwest of the accident site," the NTSB said.

The update found no outstanding airworthiness directives (no safety notices about issues involving helicopter) and that all inspections on the aircraft were up to date.

The NTSB noted that pilot Ara Zobayan scored satisfactory grades in proficiency for maneuvers needed in low-visibility conditions. He had proficiency training in inadvertent entry into instrument meteorological conditions and unusual attitude recovery in Mary 2019, the update says.

The helicopter descended at a rate of more than 4,000 feet per minute immediately before it crashed into a hillside, the NTSB said.

The pilot told an air traffic controller he was climbing to 4,000 feet over US 101 in Calabasas, NTSB investigators reported. Radar showed the helicopter reached 2,300 feet in elevation before making a left turn.

"Eight seconds later, the aircraft began descending and the left turn continued," the report said. "The descent rate increased to over 4,000 feet per minute, ground speed reached 160 knots.
Investigators previously said the helicopter descended at a rate of approximately 2,000 feet per minute.

"Our investigators have already developed a substantial amount of evidence about the circumstances of this tragic crash," said NTSB Chairman Robert L. Sumwalt in an accompanying statement Friday. "And we are confident that we will be able to determine its cause as well as any factors that contributed to it so we can make safety recommendations to prevent accidents like this from occurring again."

In addition to Bryant, 41, and his daughter, Gianna Bryant, 13, the crash claimed the lives of Payton Chester, 13; Sarah Chester, 45; Alyssa Altobelli, 14; Keri Altobelli, 46; John Altobelli, 56; Christina Mauser, 38; and Zobayan, 50.

The cause of death for all nine victims was determined to be blunt force trauma, and the manner of death was certified as accident, according to the coroner's office.

The group was expected at the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks for a basketball game on the day the helicopter crashed about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

NBA trade deadline 2020 winners and losers: Clippers add depth with Morris; Warriors give Wiggins fresh start

Clint Capela and Andre Iguodala are big winners on deadline day as are the Clippers and Heat.

Story by CBSSports
Written by James Herbert

The NBA's version of musical chairs is over and … Shabazz Napier is a Washington Wizard. Dang, I was just getting used to him being a Denver Nugget.

OK, that isn't the biggest news following the 3 p.m. ET trade deadline, but if you can't get your Morrises and Hernangomezes straight, it's worth looking at our trade tracker. What follows is a broad overview of the deadline deals, in which I attempt to way-too-prematurely declare the winners and losers of the day. Let's start with the positive stuff.

Winner: Clint Capela

Over the past few years, the Rockets have drifted away from pick-and-roll sets, marginalizing Capela slowly and then all at once. It was clear in the games leading up to this trade that they thought they were better without a non-shooting center, and the rationale is particularly understandable now that Russell Westbrook is on the roster. From Capela's perspective, this is the rare time when going from a fringe contender to a rebuilding team is unequivocally a step up.

The Hawks' entire system is based on Trae Young running high pick-and-rolls, and Capela will now get to play the role he's best at, with a young and ridiculously skilled point guard spoonfeeding him dunks and layups. It's like a new Lob City!

Loser: Andre Drummond

Oh man: @AndreDrummond
If there’s one thing I learned about the NBA, there’s no friends or loyalty. I’ve given my heart and soul to the Pistons , and to be have this happen with no heads up makes me realize even more that this is just a business! I love you Detroit...

It can't feel great to be salary-dumped for a second-round pick two years after being named to his second All-Star team. Drummond's game is divisive, especially for a max player, but the Pistons punting on even dealing with his player option this summer is a bit of a shock. This kind of thing isn't supposed to happen to a 26-year-old as talented as he is, and Drummond is now going from a bad situation to an arguably worse one, with a difficult decision to make.

Option 1: Drummond can pick up his $28.8 million option for 2020-21 and sign up for another year with a team that is years away from being even close to relevant.

Option 2: Drummond can decline the option and enter free agency this July, when the teams that project to have max cap space are:

* Atlanta, which just traded for Capela
* Miami, which employs Adebayo
* New York, which employs Mitchell Robinson
* Memphis, which employs Jonas Valanciunas and will probably just roll with Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Clarke in the frontcourt eventually
* Detroit, which just traded Drummond for a second-round pick
* Cleveland, which just traded for him
* Charlotte, which might have interest and makes some sense, but could be essentially bidding against itself (if the front office doesn't decide it would rather hold out for a better defender or simply avoid making a big investment in a traditional center)

What a strange place he is in.

Winner: The positional revolution

Shoutout to FreeDarko. Houston didn't even keep Jordan Bell, and I half-expected it to dramatically waive Tyson Chandler and Isaiah Hartenstein and add a SMALLBALL patch to its jerseys. The 6-foot-5 P.J. Tucker is the Rockets' starting center, and while I'm curious to see what they do with their open roster spots in the buyout market, it's clear that the 6-foot-7 Robert Covington, the 6-foot-6 Thabo Sefolosha and the 6-foot-6 Danuel House will all spend time being their tallest player on the court.

"Pretty straight forward," Daryl Morey said, via the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen. "The best way to play with our stars that we feel is the one that gives us the best chance to win the championship is with a stretch four, playing up-tempo, shooting and wing defenders


I have no idea if this is going to work to the point where Morey and Mike D'Antoni keep their jobs beyond this season, but I admire the courage of their convictions and I love anything that riles up traditionalists. Let's get super weird.

Loser: Meh-mphis!

I like Justise Winslow. He has always been a strong and versatile defender, even starting at center in the playoffs as a rookie. Last season, the Heat empowered him to play point guard, and he took full advantage, showing off a broader skill set and more confidence in his shot than ever before. If Memphis gets that guy, I'll be even more excited about its future, which I didn't think was possible.

The value proposition isn't great, though. Winslow's shooting was terrible in the 11 games he played this season, and it took on not one but two onerous contracts to swap Iguodala for him. That feels like an overpay, although I am intrigued by Gorgui Dieng based on how he played (and more specifically how he shot) when Towns was hurt this season.

Winner: Miami's creative geniuses

I admit that I'm a bit disappointed that the Heat couldn't get Danilo Gallinari, but I'm still kind of flabbergasted that they were able to do what they did. Miami had plenty of competition for Andre Iguodala, and it managed not only to get him but to shed $28.7 million in salary owed to Dion Waiters and James Johnson next season. I can't wait to see teams try to score against Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler and Iguodala in the playoffs, and I anticipate that the Heat will be even better next season, setting themselves up to pitch 2021 free agents from a position of strength.


Loser: John Collins

I get why the Hawks wanted to get a center to play next to Collins -- defense is a thing -- but I wish they had found a way to get a floor-spacing one. The optimistic spin on Collins playing next to Capela is that it will force the 22-year-old to expand his game, which he was in the process of doing anyway. In the immediate future, though, it's an awkward fit, and there's no way to get around the fact that Collins will spend less time playing the two-man game with Young.

Winner: The Los Angeles team that got Morris

The Clippers and Lakers were both among the teams that wanted to take Marcus Morris from the Knicks, and the Clippers notched another win over their rivals. Credit them for having the foresight to keep their 2020 first-round pick out of the Paul George deal last summer, which gave the Morris deal a simple, obvious structure. Morris might be a slight downgrade from Moe Harkless defensively, but he gave the Celtics good minutes against LeBron James in the playoffs and he's a much more effective offensive player. Unlike Harkless, Morris can punish teams for switching smaller defenders onto him or leaving him open on the perimeter.

Loser: The Los Angeles team that didn't get Morris

The Lakers have a championship-caliber team, and it sounds like they'll add Darren Collison or some other veteran in the relatively near future. They didn't have to do anything. It's a bit of a bummer, though, that they lost the Morris sweepstakes to the Clippers and couldn't find a Kyle Kuzma trade they were comfortable with, as difficult as those tasks may have been.

Winner: Iguodala and his Iguodollars

The 36-year-got to rest up for more than half the season, and he now has a chance to compete in the East with a dangerous team. Iguodala would have been a deadline-day winner even without the contract extension (for $15 million next season, with a $15 million player option the following season that the Heat have reportedly pledged to pick up if they strike out in free agency), simply because he gets to play for another top-notch coach with a significant but not especially taxing role. The extension just reinforces the fact that he played this whole situation perfectly.

Loser: The Warriors, retroactively

It doesn't feel right to call Golden State a loser of this trade deadline, but I needed a way to emphasize that its 2019 offseason looks different now. The Warriors gave up a first-round pick to dump Iguodala's contract, setting up their sign-and-trade for Russell. Adding Russell meant hard-capping themselves, so they have had limited roster flexibility ever since. The second-round picks they got for Willie Cauley-Stein, Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III are helpful, but I'm not sure that Wiggins and a first-round pick is the return they had in mind for Russell --the pick is great; Wiggins is an enormous risk.

Winner: Wiggins the Warrior

The Timberwolves have been various shades of bad throughout Wiggins' six-year career, and perhaps he needs a fresh start. After a promising stretch in November, it seemed like he might be playing himself out of town, but his contract once again looked untradeable when his efficiency declined and Minnesota fell apart. That he was moved to Golden State of all places is somewhat shocking, and the organization has every incentive to invest in his development. If Wiggins is going to be the player he can be, this is the place to do it. I don't know how he'll fit in Steve Kerr's offense, but I am certain that he'll have plenty of space playing next to the Splash Brothers next season.

Loser: Philadelphia, despite making a good trade

I don't like binary thinking, and the Sixers' trade deadline can't neatly be put into either box here. That they have wound up in my group of deadline losers is a reflection of the fact their roster is still messy, as they elected not to give it a major shakeup, and the fact that it feels wrong to praise them effusively for correcting a self-inflicted problem. Trading for Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III was smart -- both fit with Philly's stars, and the price wasn't too high. They both signed minimum contracts with the Warriors last summer, though, and if the Sixers had signed them (or players like them) rather than stacking the roster with bigs, they wouldn't have had to do this.

Winner: Karl-Anthony Towns

Minnesota traded his best friend on the team, but then acquired one of his best friends in the world. The Wolves' thirst for D'Angelo Russell has been the worst-kept secret in the NBA for what feels like forever, and they finally got it done. From an allocation-of-resources standpoint, I'm not sure Russell on a max contract is worth giving up the pick they sent to the Warriors, but ending the KAT-Wiggins era and starting this new one will unquestionably please Towns. Now let's see how they play together.

Loser: Meh-nnesota!

The Wolves got their man, but at what cost? I'm interested in seeing Russell and Towns' pick-and-roll chemistry on offense, but I shudder when I think about the other side of the court. Given how much money Russell and Wiggins make, the pick they sent to Golden State could be the most valuable and important part of this deal. Minnesota's front office still has a steep hill to climb.

Winner: Dewayne Dedmon

Dedmon joins Trevor Ariza (and George Hill a couple of years ago) in the signed-with-the-Kings-and-got-traded-months-later club. Capela's presence means he won't start in Atlanta, but there are worse fates in life than being a backup on a three-year, $40 million contract. More than that, though, Dedmon is returning to a locker room in which he was popular and a coaching staff that got the most out of him on the court.

Loser: Meh-waukee!

I wanted the Bucks to do something, despite their record and their chemistry. An extra playmaker would have been nice. A lights-out shooter would have been, too. Milwaukee might win a title and make this criticism look stupid, but I can't help but feel like it got too comfortable.
______________________________________________________
Read more: https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-trade-deadline-2020-winners-and-losers-clippers-add-depth-with-morris-warriors-give-wiggins-fresh-start/?ftag=SPM-16-10abi8e

State of the Union Address 2020 by United States President Donald J. Trump

State of the Union Address

United States President Donald J. Trump Senate Impeachment Vote - Live!

Digital Record Breaker For Radio: Industry Delivers Its First Billion-Dollar Digital Year.

Story by Inside Radio

The radio industry just came off a record year for digital. For the first ever, radio’s digital ad revenue topped $1 billion during 2019, a 25% increase compared to a year earlier. That’s according to new Borrell Associates research commissioned by the Radio Advertising Bureau.

Based on data collected from Borrell from thousands of radio stations, the RAB says digital accounted for one out of every ten dollars in radio industry advertising revenue last year. And to put that growth into perspective, the trade group says digital revenue is now growing faster for the radio industry than it is for any other media segment that is also selling digital advertising. “As radio continues to gain renewed interest by advertisers and the media buying community, they are recognizing radio’s assets beyond broadcast,” RAB President Erica Farber said in a press release Wednesday.

The average radio station booked $299,213 in digital revenue in 2019, and the average market cluster billed $1.3 million.

The report, being made available to RAB members, also looked at the top five digital performers in local markets. It shows average digital revenue ranged from $664,651 for top performing clusters in the smallest markets to $17.1 million in the largest.

The findings are a part of “Digital Sales Skyrocket, Hitting $1 Billion,” the RAB and Borrell’s eighth annual report on the radio industry’s digital revenue.

“The radio industry is carving out large chunks of the digital advertising pie from other print and broadcast competitors who also sell digital marketing to local businesses,” said Gordon Borrell, CEO of Borrell Associates. “Our latest survey of radio managers shows that they have stronger and more positive attitudes toward digital media. That’s a very good thing, because our survey of ad buyers also shows that radio’s most at-risk customers are the ones who aren’t being offered a digital package by their sales reps.”

‘More Aggressive’ Growth In 2020

Just one month into the new year, Borrell Associates is forecasting that radio will set another new record for digital revenue in 2020. The segment will expand at a faster pace this year, predicting a 29% growth rate that will bring in $1.3 billion in digital revenue by year-end. “Growth in 2020 is forecast to be even more aggressive than 2019,” the report says. “The radio industry has so passionately embraced the digital beast that its growth far outpaces that of any print or broadcast competitor that is also trying to sell digital marketing.”

The digital gains are helping offset declines in traditional advertising. Borrell’s data shows local radio sales declined by $248 million last year while the industry’s digital revenue increased by $198 million over 2018 levels. The net loss was $51 million, or a half percentage point decline.

While progress is being made, the report says there is “ample room” for growth as a majority of radio advertisers still aren’t buying digital products from sales reps. “This report underscores the importance of being a well-trained and knowledgeable radio professional and the RAB continues to deliver the digital training and professional development required for radio sellers to best serve their clients,” said Farber.

The data is based on an analysis of digital revenue from 3,488 radio stations, and Borrell survey findings from 1,006 radio ad buyers and 208 radio managers representing more than 1,900 stations.

Super Bowl Halftime show

49ers vs. Chiefs | Super Bowl LIV Game Highlights

Highlights from The San Francisco 49ers taking on the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LIV in Miami yesterday (NFL). Link: https://youtu.be/UVV80kTudSM

Cashing In On Cannabis: It’s Complicated… and Risky.

Story by Inside Radio

It’s the pot of gold that radio seemingly can’t touch. The exploding U.S. hemp-based CBD market could be a $2.25-$2.75 billion industry in 2020, according to Nielsen. Yet broadcasters are largely precluded from taking a piece of the CBD ad pie by an intricate thicket of state and federal laws that make accepting ads a risky proposition. Recreational marijuana, too, is a booming business in a number of states that have decriminalized it. But that also remains off limits.

A hot topic at state broadcaster meetings and across the industry, the complexities of cannabis advertising was dissected last week by Washington-based law firm Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth during the cheekily-titled webinar “Getting into the Weeds of CBD & Marijuana Advertising."

While recreational use of pot is legal in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Washington and a growing number of states, its sale, use and distribution remains a felony under federal law. It all boils down to a key clause in the Controlled Substances Act that makes it illegal to use “any communication facility” to facilitate “any act or acts consisting of a felony under any provision of this subchapter.”

That puts any radio or TV station airing ads for marijuana “under the hook,” attorney Frank Montero said on the webinar. Broadcasters are “uniquely vulnerable,” compared to say a billboard company, because using a federal broadcast license to market an illegal substance could jeopardize their FCC license.

That’s why law firms like Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth caution broadcasters to steer clear of ads for marijuana, defined as a cannabis plant or derivative with a THC level greater than 0.3%. “As things currently stand, the advice we have received from the FCC is you’re best off not taking [marijuana] advertising,” Montero said.

And that those that do should “use diligence” to ensure the advertiser isn’t engaged in any serious Dept. of Justice violations, such as distributing to minors, connections to criminal enterprises or not being properly licensed in their state, added attorney Daniel Kilpatrick.

In addition, some states where recreational pot is legal have enacted laws governing how it can be advertised. In Colorado, for example, the advertiser must have “reliable evidence” that no more than 30% of the audience is reasonably expected to be under the age of 21.

But laws that govern marijuana and CBD products are in a state of flux. Legislation has been introduced in the House that would decriminalize and tax marijuana at the federal level. If passed, that could potentially open “a whole new realm of advertising that you could take without a significant risk” Kilpatrick said. With the torrid pace at which the cannabis industry is growing, there’s bipartisan pressure within Congress to decriminalize marijuana. “It’s kind of hard to put this wild horse back into the corral,” Montero said. But decriminalization at the federal level would likely come with its own set of advertising restrictions.

Hooray, CBD Is Legal. But…

For broadcasters looking to cash in on the exploding cannabis industry, there was a breakthrough in 2018 when the Farm Bill was adopted. It legalized and regulated certain hemp derivative products, including CBD oil, removing them from the blanket prohibition of the Controlled Substances Act. That essentially created two camps: marijuana (still illegal under the Act) and derivative CBD products unshackled by federal law. But accepting CBD oil ads without putting your station at legal risk involves a litany of steps and precautions that must be taken.

The good news is the 2018 Farm Act allowed CBD products that fall at or below the 0.3% THC level to be “produced, sold, used and advertised pursuant to an approved state plan or a default federal plan. The bad news is that’s just where the complications begin,” said attorney Seth Williams on the webinar. To protect themselves, the attorneys said broadcasters who accept ads for CBD oil should get the advertiser to sign a document stating that it is derived from hemp, not marijuana. The document should also include their state license number. They should also make sure the advertised product is produced under an approved state or federal hemp production plan and that it complies with FDA requirements and other truth in advertising requirements. Advertising claims about the ability to cure or treat illnesses or symptoms run afoul of FDA and FTC restrictions.

Making things even more complicated for broadcasters, the FDA prohibits the sale of CBD intended to be taken orally or marketed as a dietary supplement. Only topical applications are approved for sale.

“A lot of people got out a little far over their skis when the 2018 Farm Bill happened and they said, ‘Oh, CBD oil is legal. No, it’s not legal if it’s marijuana-derived and it’s not legal if you’re using it orally, in food or any sort of drug that’s intended to cure, mitigate or treat disease,” Williams explained.

With CVS and Walgreens stocking CBD-infused ingestible products, “the industry is starting to push beyond where the law is right now,” Williams said. “But it makes it really difficult on broadcasters and other people who are writing advertising because those are still illegal substances under the FDA.” Some states are cracking down on this, while others are looking at legalizing ingestible CBD, including California which has a pending bill to do just that.

And therein lies the conundrum faced by broadcasters. A massive new industry is sprouting up that is either off limits or ridiculously complicated to navigate. As Nielsen put it in a recent report, “While the regulatory roadmap remains ambiguous, one thing is clear: The next decade for the hemp-based CBD market has the potential to be a game changer for the traditional CPG [consumer packaged goods] and retail industry.”