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).

French Montana stops by The Power 105.1 Breakfast Club and talked about his debut album “Excuse My French” and more…

Pew Research says teens are sharing more information about themselves on social media sites than they have in the past, but they are also taking a variety of technical and non-technical steps to manage the privacy of that information. Despite taking these privacy-protective actions, teen social media users do not express a high level of concern about third-parties (such as businesses or advertisers) accessing their data; just 9% say they are “very” concerned.

Watch the Sylky Slide Instrustional video!

Birmingham | Greenville-Spartanburg | Richmond

K. Michelle drops by Power 105.1 The Breakfast Club to debut her new single V.S.O.P and to dish on Love & Hip Hop and more…

Sam Sylk afternoons at 93.1 WZAK Clevaland on air having fun with Earth Quake!

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.

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! 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.

Baton Rouge | New Orleans

“By now you may have heard, that President Obama has asked me to serve as Acting Chair of the FCC, pending the confirmation of Tom Wheeler. I wish to express my deep appreciation for this incredible opportunity, and commend President Obama, for his excellent choice of Tom Wheeler as our next Chairman.

“Because we don’t know how long I will be in this position, with my tenure directly linked to the efficiency of the U.S. Senate, I thought it would be a good idea for us to get together to assure each other that we’re on the same page. “Allow me to get straight to the point. I love the FCC, and to lead this agency is one of the greatest honors of my life. For in my view, there are two things that set this agency apart.

“The first is its people – all of you. Obviously, this agency is filled with world-class talent, but the staff at the FCC is not just smart and talented, you are caring and committed to public service. “The last two attributes were immediately made clear to me when I entered the building nearly four years ago. So many of you have made my transition from South Carolina less traumatic, with words of support, kind gestures, and yes, warm hugs just when I needed them. I also want to thank my fellow Commissioners for their support over the years: more recently Commissioners Rosenworcel and Pai, and of course, Julius Genachowski, Rob McDowell, Mike Copps, and Meredith Baker.

“The second thing that sets this agency apart from the rest is its mission. I was raised to believe in the value of public service, by a support system, which through hard work and volunteerism, reinforced the importance and rewards of that motto ‘service above self’.

And for us, there is no more exciting or critical mission in government than working to accelerate the communications revolution that’s transforming our economy and the way we live. “We have an important mission and this is an important time. “I assume the role of Acting Chair with a great sense of responsibility, but also great humility. And as we await the confirmation of Tom Wheeler, I see myself as a member of a relay team, running one of the middle legs. My job is to build on forward momentum, give the next teammate a running start, an improved position, and no matter what, my goal is not to drop the baton.

“I consider my friend Mike Copps a model for an outstanding Acting Chair. He approached this job with seriousness and humility, and led this agency through the completion of the DTV transition – a major accomplishment.

“So if asked about my goals as I take this new position, I would answer without hesitation – its hallmarks will be continuity and progress. 

“At 12:01am on Saturday I actually became the Acting Chair of the Federal Communications Commission. This time gave me an opportunity to reflect a bit over the weekend. “I thought of my swearing-in in the summer of 2009. It took place in South Carolina because until then, that was the only place I could ever think about calling home. “Today, however, I see the FCC as home, and you, my regulatory family. Like every other family, we may disagree at times, and yes, frustrate each other. But at the end of the day, we’ve got each other’s back. We’ve got America’s back.

“So while we may face many challenges in the days and weeks ahead, by working together, we will continue to do great things. Continuity and progress: the hallmarks, the building blocks, of a great time, great people and a great agency. Thank you for all that you’ve done, and what you will continue to do, to make this nation proud.

“Thank you, and Godspeed.”

UB Rodriguez

WGCI-FM Chicago, iHeartRadio, Sirius XM 241

Afternoons, 2-6p

ubonair@gmail.com

Listen to Foxie 105’s Divine Martino on-air with Latocha Scott of Xscape & R&B Diva’s. She talks about why Xscape broke up, how she stays slim and what to expect on this Season of R&B Diva’s.

Divine Martino

Foxie 105fm

Midday’s 10-3pm

Facebook.com/D.J.DivineMartino

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DivineMartino@Gmail.com

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