NobleMag

Sneak peek of DeBarge Family episode airs Thanksgiving night (Nov. 27) at 7 PM, with the series airing on four consecutive nights starting Sunday, Nov. 30 at 10 PM ET --
 
 Aretha, Whitney, Diana, Stevie, Marvin, The Winans - Everyone knows the name of black music’s biggest stars. But the full picture of black music in America is much larger than the acknowledged superstars, and many of the greatest have failed to achieve superstar status. Beginning with a sneak peek of one episode Thanksgiving night and airing on four consecutive nights starting Sunday, Nov. 30, TV One will premiere Unsung, a series of four, one-hour biography specials that celebrate the lives and careers of four of those accomplished artists or groups who deserved – but didn’t make – the transition to superstardom.
 
Narrated by singer, songwriter and radio personality Al B. Sure ! Unsung will chronicle the careers of:
 
·          Donny Hathaway – the musical genius who hit chart highs with Roberta Flack and influenced countless vocalists, but whose personal demons resulted in a tragic end; (airs 12/2)
·          The Debarge Family – this sweet-voiced family group composed their own songs and were thought to be the answer to the Jackson 5 , before changing musical trends, family squabbles, and deadly addictions led to their demise; (airs 11/27, 12/3)
·          The Clark Sisters – these second generation gospel stars broke down gospel/secular barriers for artists such as the Winans and Kirk Franklin , but their own personal struggles and backlash from the most traditional in the church community kept them from becoming the crossover gospel household names they were destined to become; (airs 12/1) and
·          Phyllis Hyman – sultry, statuesque and glamorous, with a smooth voice to match, Phyllis Hyman should have been a record executive’s crossover dream. But her jazzier musical inclinations ultimately limited her career, while her stormy temper and personal battles with weight and depression cut her life short (airs 11/30).
 
In a special Thanksgiving night sneak peek, TV One will offer The DeBarge Family episode Thursday, Nov. 27 at 7 PM. The entire series will then air on four consecutive nights beginning Sunday, Nov. 30, with each episode airing at 10 PM, 11 PM and 2 AM (all times ET). 
 
Unsung will reveal the multiple factors that kept these artists from achieving the iconic commercial status they deserved.  And, in the process, these specials will “sing” the praises and celebrate the artistry that has kept fellow artists and fans talking about them for years.  Featuring exclusive interviews, musical clips and archival footage, each episode will investigate the stories of these pivotal artists, their journey through music and their perhaps unexpected influence on the music of today.
 
“We wanted to celebrate the music of these artists that you remember fondly from your own or your parents’ collection of vinyl LPs and your classic editions of Ebony and Jet magazines…some of the most influential and talented R&B and Gospel artists of the 1970’s ‘80’s and ‘90’s,” said TV One Senior Vice President of Programming Strategy and Acquisitions Jeff Meier. "Though many of these artists managed to build a dedicated Black fan base, they were not able to make the often musically deserved transition to superstardom.  In these specials, we want to answer, ‘Why did these artists remain mostly ‘unsung’ to the world at large?’”

bet, al b sure,

The Lanham-based radio broadcasting company reported a loss of $266.1 million, or a $2.81 per basic share, compared to a net income of $4.7 million, or 5 cents per basic share, for the same period last year.
The company recorded a massive non-cash impairment charge against the company’s Federal Communication Commission licenses of $337.9 million -- which lead to a net operating loss of about $315.6 million.
Net revenue at Radio One (NASDAQ: ROIAK, ROIA) fell 2 percent to $86.2 million for the third quarter. Station operating income totaled $34.7 million, a 17 percent decrease from the same period in 2007.

“Clearly all advertising based companies, including radio are experiencing extremely challenging times given the slowdown in consumer spending, and I expect this to continue through all of 2009,” said Alfred Liggins, head of Radio One. “Our focus remains on increasing our radio market share, cutting costs and diversifying into TV and online revenues. We continue to make progress on each of these goals, by outperforming our radio markets by 170 bps year to date, restructuring our radio workforce, and generating solid revenue growth in TV One and Interactive One.”

Radio One (NASDAQ: ROIA) owns and operates 53 radio stations in 16 markets, including four Baltimore stations: WERQ-FM 92Q Jams, WOLB-AM 1010, WWIN-AM 1440 and WWIN-FM Magic 95.9. Its stations primarily target African-American and urban listeners. The company successfully integrated the online social networking company, Community Connect Inc. , giving the company access to eight million monthly unique visitors to its online properties. Radio One also owns Magazine One Inc., and has interests in TV One LLC, and Reach Media Inc.

Radio One

BET Keeps it all in the Family with the Return of ' Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is ' and the New Original Series 'Brothers To Brutha'

The Third Season of the #1 BET Original Series " Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is " Premieres Tuesday, November 11 at 10:00 PM and New Series "Brothers ToBrutha" Premieres Tuesday, November 18 at 10:30 PM* One-hour "Brothers To Brutha" Special Will Air After The Premiere Of " KeyshiaCole: The Way It Is " on Tuesday, November 11

R&B means "reality and BET" every Tuesday with the return of KEYSHIA COLE : THE WAY IT IS and the debut of BROTHERS TO BRUTHA, BET's latest unscripted family drama that follows the music career of five brothers from South Central Los Angeles. Both series explore the dual battle of surviving and thriving in the music industry while maintaining and creating family bonds. KEYSHIA COLE: THE WAY IT IS season three and BROTHERS TO BRUTHA will take reality to new heights and re-define the meaning of family and success.

KEYSHIA COLE: THE WAY IT IS

Premiering Tuesday, November 11 at 10:00 p.m.*, season three of KEYSHIA COLE: THE WAY IT IS finds the family making progress and discovering their own personal paths. Frankie, Neffie and Keyshia attempt to truly step above their past hurts.  During the process, Keyshia finds herself on the path to becoming the woman she is destined to be, leading her family and her business down the road to success. This new path also opens Keyshia's heart and she is finally ready to allow herself to find love once again.

Keyshia Cole's third album, A Different Me, is set for release on December 16, 2008 via Universal & Geffen with the lead single, "Playa Cardz Right," featuring rapper Tupac. A Different Me focuses less on heartache than Keyshia's two previous albums and showcases a more mature side to her vocals and lyrics. With such producers as Kwame, Toxic, Drummer Boy and Polow, A Different Me marks a new phase in Keyshia's growth as she writes every track on the album.

BROTHERS TO BRUTHA

From the moment they could walk and talk down the streets of South Central Los Angeles, the Harrell boys were singing, dancing and determined to make it to the top. Jacob, Poppa, Jared, Anthony and Grady come from a long line of artists and musicians who never broke through to the "big time."  Now that their R&B group Brutha is signed to the Island Def Jam Music Group, the chance to truly put the family name in the spotlight has finally arrived.

Premiering Tuesday, November 18 at 10:30 p.m.*, the emotional new series  BROTHERS TO BRUTHA follows the lives of the Harrell brothers as they attempt to find the balance between family and fame. Under the management of their uncle, music veteran Donny "Drano" Harrell, and under the tutelage of the late Shakir Stewart, Executive Vice President of Island Def Jam , Brutha hopes to realize the entire Harrell clan's lifelong dream of success. Under pressure to be perfect at every turn, the lines between blood and business become
blurred and the brothers are put to the test.  Will this industry wound thefamily even more, or will it keep them brother to brother ?  Brutha's debut self- titled album is set for release on December 23, 2008.  (BROTHERS TO BRUTHA is dedicated to the memory of Shakir Stewart).

KEYSHIA COLE: THE WAY IT IS is executive produced by James DuBose of DuBose Entertainment.  BROTHERS TO BRUTHA is executive produced by DuBose, Donny"Drano" Harrell and Shakir Stewart and co-executive produced by Antonio "LA" Reid and Adriane Hopper.  Reginald Hudlin (former head of Entertainment), and Sitarah Pendelton (current Vice President of Development) are the executives for BET Networks .

Viewers can visit http://www.bet.com/OnTV/BETShows for more about KEYSHIA COLE: THE WAY IT IS and BROTHERS TO BRUTHA, including biographies, upcoming episodes and exclusive interviews.

Keytshia Cole

 The Tom Joyner Morning Show(TJMS), the nation’s No. 1 nationally syndicated urban radio show, will bring its listeners unparalleled Election Day coverage through a special radio broadcast and an exclusive Tom Joyner Election Day Blog Party on BlackAmericaWeb.com .  The TJMS will air a historic extended broadcast from 5am CST – 12pm CST today from the Obama Presidential Campaign Headquarters.  Black America is invited to stay with Joyner and the crew all day long through their local affiliate or online at BlackAmericaWeb.com.
 
As always, the Tom Joyner Morning Show plans to deliver unprecedented content throughout Election Day.  Tom Joyner along with co-hosts Sybil Wilkes and J. Anthony Brown will continue broadcasting exclusive continuous coverage LIVE from the heart of Chicago to help drive listeners to the polls, provide complete up-to-the-minute information on the day’s election process, and give 1-866-MYVOTE1 Election Trickery Reports .  TJMS regular contributors including Roland Martin , Ken Smuckler, Jacque Reid , DL Hughley , Rev. Al Sharpton , Sheryl Underwood , and Huggy Lowdown the Celebrity Snitch are al l appearing during the broadcast as well as exclusive interviews with Rev. Jesse Jackson , Donna Brazille , Al Gore , and the man of the hour, presidential hopeful Barack Obama .  The broadcast from today will be available all day on the “If You Missed It” page of BlackAmericaWeb.com. 
 
Additionally, as part of the special evening coverage, Sybil Wilkes will anchor BlackAmericaWeb.com Headlines Election Night Updates offering listener’s real time updates as the polls close across the country.  The reports will be a fusion of the latest return results mingled with timely commentary/reports from well known political pundits and election observers.  The :90 second segments will be available to listeners via their local Tom Joyner Morning Show affiliate.   The special evening coverage begins at 6pm CST with feeds to local TJMS affiliates at the top and bottom of the hour until 10pm CST. 
 
Also, during the evening from 6pm CST until midnight, Joyner will be a featured panelist on TVOne’s special Nov. 4 th broadcast LIVE from Grant Park in Chicago .  Michael Eric Dyson will join Joyner in providing commentary and perspective as well as TJMS’ senior analyst, Roland Martin, who will be reporting live from CNN’s election headquarters in New York .  During the TVOne broadcast Joyner will continue to provide 1-866-MYVOTE1 Election Trickery Reports , making sure that there will be few, if any, voters being systematically disenfranchised.