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Charles Ramsey Cleveland Hero

Friday, May 24th, 2013



Charles Ramsey who famously put down his Big Mac to help rescue three women held captive in a Cleveland house is getting complimentary McDonald’s for the next year. The McDonald’s Corp. said Thursday that local franchisees in Charles Ramsey’s neighborhood have offered him free food at their restaurants.

Ramsey had noted in a TV interview that he was eating McDonald’s when he heard one woman screaming for help. He also mentioned it in a 911 call. McDonald’s had tweeted it would be in touch with Ramsey.

He was called a hero after helping the women break out of the house May 6.


“Be Ready”: NOAA Warns Of Busy Hurricane Season

Friday, May 24th, 2013



President Obama Addresses Drone Strikes

Friday, May 24th, 2013



Eminem’s Publisher Sues Facebook Over Ad

Thursday, May 23rd, 2013



The Detroit Free Press says Eminem’s song publisher is suing Facebook and its ad agency, claiming they infringed the Detroit rapper’s copyright.

In the 12-page complaint, filed Monday evening in Detroit federal court, Ferndale, Mich.-based Eight Mile Style contends that a Facebook ad that was broadcast online April 4 copied music from Eminem’s 2000 song Under the Influence.

The 30-second ad, dubbed Airplane, was featured in a webcast by Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg to announce Facebook Home, an interface for Android phones. Some viewers at the time noted a similarity between the ad’s music and Eminem’s song.


Memorial Holiday Travel Will Decrease This Weekend

Thursday, May 23rd, 2013



AAA Travel projects 34.8 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, a 0.9 percent decrease from the 35.1 million people who traveled last year. The anticipated decline in holiday travel is predominately due to a decline in air travel of eight percent, fee fatigue among travelers and a waffling economy. The Memorial Day holiday travel period is defined as Thursday, May 23 to Monday, May 27.

“AAA is forecasting Memorial Day travel to be slightly lower this year due to an up and down economy, the impact of the end of the payroll tax holiday on working families and a 30-year low in the percentage of working age people in the workforce,” said AAA President and CEO Robert L. Darbelnet . “Additionally, economic growth in the first quarter was strong, but the impact of the sequester is now beginning to be felt resulting in reduced economic growth expectations. These and other variables are expected to result in few travelers this holiday. “

Highlights from 2013 Memorial Day Travel Forecast include:

  • Memorial Day holiday travelers to total 34.8 million, a decrease of 0.9 percent from the 35.1 million who traveled last year
  • Eighty-nine percent of travelers (31.2 million) to travel by automobile, an increase from 31.1 million last year
  • Holiday air travel expected to decrease eight percent to 2.3 million from 2.5 million in 2012
  • Memorial Day holiday travel volume is expected to remain above the 12-year historical average of 34.7 million
  • Median spending is expected to decrease more than six percent to $659, compared to $702 in 2012 with transportation costs consuming about 28 cents of every travel dollar.
  • Travelers intend to journey an average of 690 miles which is higher than last year’s average of 642 miles

“The primary driver of the decline in holiday travelers is an eight percent decrease in the number of people expected to take to the skies this holiday,” Darbelnet said. “American travelers are experiencing fee fatigue and frustration with everything from higher fares to airport security. As a result, many are choosing road travel in higher numbers due to the lower cost and convenience it offers.”


Tiger Woods Says The “Fried Chicken” Comment Was Inappropriate And Hurtful

Thursday, May 23rd, 2013



Oklahoma Teen Captures Tornado On Cellphone

Thursday, May 23rd, 2013



SiriusXM’s Praise Channel To Become Kirk Franklin’s Praise

Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013



Kirk Franklin to celebrate the channel launch with exclusive performance and interview in front of a live audience for SiriusXM’s “Artist Confidential” series

Sirius XM Radio says that its gospel music channel, Praise, will become Kirk Franklin’s Praise, a commercial-free music channel executive produced by multi-Grammy® Award-winning, multi-platinum selling, crossover gospel artist Kirk Franklin.

Kirk Franklin’s Praise channel will give SiriusXM listeners the opportunity to hear contemporary and classic gospel music from artists such as Shirley Caesar, Fred Hammond, Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin, Marvin Sapp, Isaac Carree, LeAndria, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Mali Music and Lecrae.

Kirk Franklin’s Praise will be available via satellite on channel 64, and through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App on smartphones and other connected devices, as well as online at siriusxm.com. The 24/7 commercial-free gospel music channel will launch on Friday, May 24, at 12:00 pm ET.

Kirk Franklin will celebrate the launch of Kirk Franklin’s Praise with a live performance and an intimate Q&A in front of an audience of SiriusXM listeners for SiriusXM’s “Artist Confidential” series. The performance will air on Kirk Franklin’s Praise channel, on Monday, May 27 at 8:00 am ET and throughout the following week.  SiriusXM’s “Artist Confidential” with Kirk Franklin will also be available on SiriusXM On Demand for listeners listening via the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for smartphones and other mobile devices or online at siriusxm.com. Visit www.siriusxm.com/ondemand for more information on SiriusXM On Demand.

“I am so honored and excited to be able to have this platform to bring music fans the biggest stars and the freshest new talents in Gospel music,” said Mr. Franklin. “Over the years, SiriusXM has shown a real commitment to Gospel music and I am proud to be working alongside their staff to build this new channel.”

“We are thrilled to have Kirk Franklin bring his passion and enthusiasm to SiriusXM and help change how gospel music is heard”, said Steve Blatter, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Music Programming, SiriusXM.

SiriusXM listeners will also continue hearing Houston-based Pastor Rudy Rasmus sharing his unique style of applying love to real-life, spiritually uplifting and motivational situations on his weekly Love Revolution show, airing Sundays at 12:00 pm ET, with an encore broadcast on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm ET.  Popular hosts Gina Rogers, Meta Washington, and Fred Mills will also continue presenting gospel music to SiriusXM listeners.

For nearly two decades, Franklin has been a multi-platinum-selling pioneer in gap-bridging musicianship, uniting audiences across gospel, hip hop, pop and R&B. His irresistible rhythms and rhapsodies have resulted in albums that consistently top both Billboard’s Gospel and Christian charts, as well as ascend triumphantly into the Top 10 of the R&B/Hip Hop chart. His unprecedented penetration into the mainstream has fortified him to also become a New York Times bestselling author for The Blueprint: A Plan for Living Above Life’s Storms (Gotham/Penguin). Franklin is also the host and executive producer of the gospel talent show “Sunday Best,” the highest-rated gospel program in BET network history now heading into its sixth season. To date, the trendsetter has garnered nine Grammy Awards, 39 Stellar Awards, 16 Dove Awards (CCM), eight NAACP Image Awards, two BET Awards, an American Music Award, a Soul Train Award and numerous others.

More recently, Mr. Franklin has been hard at work alongside the House of Blues creating a brand new Gospel brunch experience.  Kirk Franklin’s Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues debuted this month at all of the HOB locations around the country and will continue each and every Sunday (check local clubs for times).


The Sam Sylky Slide Instrustional

Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013



Watch the Sylky Slide Instrustional video!


Spring ‘13 Birmingham, Greenville-Spartanburg, Richmond

Tuesday, May 21st, 2013



Birmingham | Greenville-Spartanburg | Richmond


DeDe McGuire To Be Honored By IBBA

Tuesday, May 21st, 2013



Rob Neal, President of The International Black Broadcasters Association says Ms. De De McGuire of K 104, Dallas will be receiving the IBBA’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the 14th Annual IBBA Summer Conference and Icon Awards in Atlanta, Georgia on June 20 - 23, 2013 at the W Hotel Atlanta, Buckhead. Past winners have been Hurricane Dave, Sherman Kizart and Harry Lyles.


Mina SayWhat Presents Power 99 Dance Team

Tuesday, May 21st, 2013



Power 99 FM, Philadelphia’s Hip Hop and R&B, announced today that Mina SayWhat from the “Rise & Grind Morning Show” is building a youth dance team to mentor girls.  Power 99 FM’s Dance Team: The Power Squad will focus on empowering young women through the art of dance by mentoring girls from middle school to college who have an interest in dance. The Power Squad will perform at various Power 99 events throughout the year.

The Power Squad is holding auditions on Friday, May 24, from 4-6 p.m. at Kingsessing Recreation Center located at 4901 Kingsessing Avenue in Philadelphia.  Participants must maintain a GPA average of 2.3 and above.

“It’s important for these young ladies to have positive guidance and influence in this stage of their lives. With schools closing and afterschool programs shutting down across the tri-state due to budget cuts, it’s more important than ever to offer a positive outlet for young women,” said Mina SayWhat.  “When I was in school there were many sports teams, dance teams and programs after school with good role models leading these organizations – I learned from being a part of those groups. I want to help these ladies grow, learn, mature and stay focused on what’s important – one dance practice at a time.”

Fans can listen to Power 99 FM on the station’s website, power99.com, as well as on iHeartRadio.com and the iHeartRadio mobile app, Clear Channel’s all-in-one free digital listening service. iHeartRadio delivers everything listeners want in one free, fully-integrated service: instant access to more than 1,500 of the nation’s most popular live broadcast and digital-only radio stations from 150 cities, plus user-created custom stations inspired by favorite artists and songs. iHeartRadio also offers listeners a new “Perfect For” feature which allows users to choose from thousands of curated stations based on a range of moods and activities.


Yahoo! To Acquire Tumblr

Tuesday, May 21st, 2013



Yahoo! Inc. and Tumblr announced that they have reached a definitive agreement for Yahoo! to acquire Tumblr.

Per the agreement and our promise not to screw it up, Tumblr will be independently operated as a separate business. David Karp will remain CEO. The product, service and brand will continue to be defined and developed separately with the same Tumblr irreverence, wit, and commitment to empower creators.

With more than 300 million monthly unique visitors and 120,000 signups every day, Tumblr is one of the fastest-growing media networks in the world. Tumblr sees 900 posts per second (!) and 24 billion minutes spent on site each month. On mobile, more than half of Tumblr’s users are using the mobile app and do an average of 7 sessions per day. Its tremendous popularity and engagement among creators, curators and audiences of all ages brings a significant new community of users to the Yahoo! network. The combination of Tumblr+Yahoo! is expected to grow Yahoo!’s audience by 50 percent to more than a billion monthly visitors, and to grow traffic by approximately 20 percent.

The deal offers unique opportunities for both companies. Tumblr can deploy Yahoo!’s personalization technology and search infrastructure to help its users discover creators, bloggers, and content they’ll love. In turn, Tumblr brings 50 billion blog posts (and 75 million more arriving each day) to Yahoo!’s media network and search experiences. The two companies will also work together to create advertising opportunities that are seamless and enhance the user experience.

Total consideration is approximately $1.1 billion, substantially all of which is payable in cash.

“Tumblr is redefining creative expression online,” said Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer. “On many levels, Tumblr and Yahoo! couldn’t be more different, but, at the same time, they couldn’t be more complementary. Yahoo is the Internet’s original media network. Tumblr is the Internet’s fastest-growing media frenzy. Both companies are homes for brands - established and emerging. And, fundamentally, Tumblr and Yahoo! are both all about users, design, and finding surprise and inspiration amidst the everyday.”

“I’ve long held the view that in all things art and design, you can feel the spirit and demeanor of the creator. That’s why it was no surprise to me that David Karp is one of the nicest, most empathetic people I’ve ever met. He’s also one of the most perceptive, capable entrepreneurs I’ve ever worked with,” continued Mayer. “David’s respect for Tumblr’s community of creators is awesome. I’m absolutely delighted to have him join our team.”

David Karp, CEO of Tumblr, addressed the Tumblr community, “Our team isn’t changing. Our roadmap isn’t changing. And our mission – to empower creators to make their best work and get it in front of the audience they deserve – certainly isn’t changing. But we’re elated to have the support of Yahoo! and their team who share our dream to make the Internet the ultimate creative canvas. Tumblr gets better faster with more resources to draw from.”

The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the second half of the year.


Massive Tornado Over Moore, OK

Tuesday, May 21st, 2013




Spring ‘13 Baton Rouge, New Orleans

Monday, May 20th, 2013



Baton Rouge | New Orleans


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