Radio One Midwest Power Plays

Big Bink PDs Power 107

Theodore ‘Big Bink’ Turner started 2012 in a different city, with a new expanded job, but the same Radio One radio family.  Named Program Director of Radio One’s WCKX-FM (Power 107.5) in Columbus, OH, Big Bink segued from his position as MD/On-air personality at KBFB-FM (97.9 The Beat) in Dallas. Says Gary Spurgeon, GM of Radio One Dallas, “Bink’s hard work, dedication, work ethic, positive attitude and leadership abilities gave him this great opportunity.”

Mason in the Afternoon Now

Detroit veteran air personality John Mason, heard regularly as the public address announcer for the Detroit Pistons, is now heard regularly again on Radio One, this time on talk WCHB-AM (1200), simulcasting on 99.9 FM, in the 4-7pm weekday slot. Known as the Voice of Detroit, the 30-year veteran is a two-time Emmy award winner for producing and hosting television shows on local NBC and former UPN affiliates, and owner of his own syndicated radio morning show that was previously carried on WGPR prior to Radio One’s LMA switch of the format to gospel.

Mason seems to have resolved his differences with Radio One where he previously hosted mornings, then afternoons at its urban AC WDMK-FM (Kiss 105.9) from 2001 to 2006 after having done an 18-year stretch in mornings at crosstown Urban WJLB-FM (97.9).

 

Radio One Ups Robyn and Ro

Radio One Cleveland welcomed two midday personalities to its WZAK-FM (93.1) and WENZ-FM (Z107.9) over the holidays. Robyn Simone segues from middays at WENZ to the same position at heritage WZAK, adding APD duties, while former weekend personality Ro Digga assumes Robyn’s midday slot at WENZ, adding Programming Coordinator responsibilities.

Says Operations Manager Colby Colb, “After doing midday’s on WENZ for the past 10 years, Robyn was a natural fit on WZAK for the listeners and the staff continuing the great progress we made under Karen Vaughn. Ro Digga started as an intern nine years ago and has worked hard to become one of the best jocks on the station and will take us to new heights on Z1079.”

Professor Knowles Teaching Music World Knowledge

Mathew Knowles, founder, President and CEO of Music World Entertainment, now celebrating his 29^th anniversary and his 10^th as head of the Music World Gospel label, will resume his signature course, The Recording Industry, during the Spring 2012 semester at the Texas Southern University School of Communication. Held weekly in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, the course offers a well-rounded and interactive approach to the new paradigm of the music business with students creating audio and video presentations for a new music company and/or record label at the conclusion of the semester. Students then travel from the TSU campus to Music World Entertainment’s campus to make their final project presentations at the House of Deréon Media Center.

“Teaching and mentoring young adults is one of my passions,” explains the popular college lecturer who is planning the release of a book this year. “I am most impressed with their intellect and creative thinking abilities. I’m confident that my students will continue to develop into critical thinkers and will go on to be brilliant contributors to society.”

Steve Harvey On Dream Building

Syndicated radio personality, comedienne, game show host and best-selling author Steve Harvey was presented the Humanitarian Award at the BET 11 Annual Awards where Harvey mentioned his commitment to his mentoring program to young men that recently held its third annual mentoring weekend at his ranch in Dallas. Designed to share and teach the principles of manhood and dream building to 125 teenage boys (50 boys from the Dallas-area, 65 boys from around the country, and 10 junior counselors), ages 13-18 who are without fathers in their lives, the weekend welcomed Denzel Washington, Jermaine Dupri, Stephen A. Smith, Terrence J., KRNB air personality Azim Rashid, Will Packer, Dr. Steve Perry and John Hope Bryant, among others, to make the event transformative in the lives of these young men.

“The sole purpose of this weekend is to turn these boys into men and provide them with a vision and a dream,” said Harvey. “One thing I’ve told them is: success is within you. If you do what you say you are going to do, you’ll always be able to do what you want to do!”

Parents, chaperones and single mothers were also exposed to success tools the Steve Harvey Foundation had developed to further empower the young men. Harvey plans to host regional Steve Harvey Mentoring Weekends in Chicago, New York, Atlanta and Charlotte later this year.

Chris Paul Charges New Orleans Youth

Photos courtesy of Derick Hingle/PictureGroup

Appointed as a member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition last year, NBA Hornets all-star Chris Paul is committed to enriching the lives of young people and recently focused on Hornets hometown New Orleans with his first CP3K Walk for Kids. Partnering with Coca Cola, Paul led more than 300 kids on the walk. Ingrid Saunders Jones, Sr. VP of Global Community Connections for the Coca-Cola Company and Chairperson of the coca-Cola Foundation, commented, “This walk provides a structured environment for our youth to learn the importance of being active and making healthy choices.

Chuck Berry Bronzed

An eight-foot bronze statue of Chuck Berry, considered to be the ‘father of rock and roll,” was erected in Universal City, Missouri, in a plaza across the street from the Blueberry Hill where Berry still plays monthly. Berry, a Kennedy Center honoree, will attend the official dedication with his family on July 29 in a ceremony saluting his legacy. His son Charles Berry Jr. told University City Patch after the installation, “I’m going to brag. They got a statue of my dad in U City. My dad, he’s the coolest dude on the planet to me.”

Tom Joyner Added To NYC’s KISS

Starting on February 7, Emmis urban AC WRKS-FM (Kiss 98.7) welcomed a new morning crew to the New York airwaves, welcoming The Tom Joyner Morning Show back to the #1 rated market. To kick off his return to the Big Apple, Joyner led by giving a “Trip A Day” away to listeners to his annual Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage Cruise that sets sail this year from Galveston, March 20-27. Bob Slade joins the team locally.

Says KISS PD Jill Strada, “Tom’s a radio veteran whose work ethic and dedication to empowering the Black community is a perfect fit with Kiss-FM’s culture. Together we are going to do some big things in the big apple.”

Added Alex Cameron, Emmis Communications SVP/Market Manager: “2011 marks 30 years for KISS FM as a dominant and trusted voice reflecting the tri-state’s African American adult community. In celebrating that, we are happy to welcome Tom Joyner to KISS FM with a show that shares the values of family and community.”

Kelly Mac Relocates to Philly CC Cluster

The 2010 Marconi Radio Award-winning midday air personality at WJMZ-FM (107.3) in Greenville, South Carolina as well as its APD/MD, Kelly Mac, has accepted the APD/MD position in Philadelphia at Clear Channel’s Hip Hop WUSL-FM (Power 99) and heritage urban AC WDAS-FM (105.3), according to Ken Johnson, Clear Channel Philadelphia Director of Urban Programming. She replaces Kashon Powell, who moved to Virginia to cover Clear Channel’s urban programming there last November.

NABOB To Honor Dr. Bobby Jones

The 27^th Annual NABOB Communications Awards Dinner is scheduled for March 4^th at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. this year with performances from Fantasia, Regina Belle and Chrisette Michelle. This year’s honorees include Dr. Bobby Jones with the Pioneer in Gospel Music, Buddy Guy and Slinger “Mighty Sparrow” Francisco with Pioneer in Music and Soledad O’Brien with the Mickey Leland Public Service Award.

D.C. Welcomes UNCF Relocation

Ground was officially broken for the new United Negro College Fund headquarters in the Shaw area of Washington, D.C. on February 7, beginning construction on a 50,000 square-foot office at Progression Place, located at 1805 7th Street, NW that is expected to open in 2012. Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D., UNCF president and CEO, explained the organization’s move from Fairfax, Virginia to D.C. as expanding its advocacy and service to students. “UNCF has become one of the country’s most prominent advocates for the importance of students getting the preschool-through-high school education they need to succeed in college, and Washington is the hub of the national conversation about how to make sure they get that preparation for college,” he said, adding that the “UNCF also wants to be able to provide college-focused information and services directly to DC-area students and the hundreds of thousands of students who visit DC each year. To be an effective advocate for education reform, and to help children of color prepare for college UNCF has to be in D.C.”

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes-Norton, Council Chair Kwame Brown, Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham and other leaders joined UNCF representatives for the groundbreaking ceremony of the $23 million building that will also house mixed office space and more than 200 apartments and retail space. Additionally, there will be a career center offering students standardized test preparation, college application help, financial assistance, interview training and job placement assistance as the UNCF envisions the site becoming a hub in the Shaw neighborhood for other advocates of minority education.

WKYS Remembers William Walker (1976-2011)

WKYS-FM (93.9), D.C.’s source for the Hip Hop community, sadly reports the loss of its young 35-year old air personality William “Ill Will” Walker who died on February 9 while recuperating in the hospital from recent surgery and suffering two heart attacks. Funeral services are scheduled for February 14 at Reid Temple AME Church in Glenn Dale, Maryland. WKYS has set up a tribute page posted on their website with videos and messages and posted its own message: “It is with great pain that we inform you that William Walker, affectionately known as Ill Will, has passed away suddenly midday today after a brief illness. All of us here will miss his energy and “can-do” spirit. We know everyone will keep him and his entire family in their thoughts and prayers.”

« Previous Page — Next Page »