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New Edition has literally been around for more than 35 years and they have been able to sustain a legacy that most groups never could. They have taken breaks, come back together, split up in different directions and even had success without each other but they always knew the value of what they started in Boston as kids. I was thinking, there are a lot of things that this group has done that would be a great lesson to black entrepreneurs when it comes to success and sustaining. Here it is. Hit “Next” below each post for the next segment.

Start with your passion

Any good business starts with passion. It is when you’re most hungry are you going to put your best foot forward. It is also when you often least understood. But the benefits will pay off. Click NEXT to see the next NEW EDITION business Tip

Run the course

  As you become more successful, Always keep in mind why you started. There’s a good chance you may not be prepared for all the things that come with success. The discipline, self-motivation, the bad business deals, and surrounding yourself with the wrong people don’t have to be completely disastrous. Especially, if you learn the lessons behind it.

Reinvent Yourself

When you see that there’re problems the worst thing that you can do is ignore them. Eventually, they will destroy the self-esteem of the business and infect all people involved with the negativity. It’s better to cut your losses and move in another direction than to lose your entire business. You must make the necessary changes in order to continue to grow.

When it’s no longer fun stop doing it

When it gets to a point that it’s no longer fun, use your options to either change course, and do something else, or take a break. But keep in mind the reason you started. If the passion is gone and you no longer enjoy doing it. It’s going to show in your work.

Take Advantage of Your Leverage

After being in business for a while, and satisfying your target, there is no reason why you can’t use your leverage to reinvent yourself. The benefit of having a target is that you will know right away if it’s not working or if it is. Chances are, once your target gets to know you and believe in you, they’ll also take chances with you and let you know how they feel about what you are doing.

Always Remember the Target

Contrary to popular belief, there are three sides to most businesses. The owner, the client, AND the target. Situations are not win-win, They are win-win-win. In order for this to occur all three sides must benefit equally in order for dedication and success to remain steadfast. Nobody should feel cheated. As a business owner, you are the leader and have the option to just say no to whatever doesn’t work for you and your target. And you must understand, that all money is not good money or equal money. There are certain things that you can do to satisfy your own need that can destroy your brand altogether so beware.

Create New Value

What else can you do with what you have created? Are there any ancillary products that you can sell? Books, seminars, conferences, new services? Success creates leverage, and leverage creates value. One thing is for sure, you will get bored, the market will change and trends can change in an instant, so what are your options? Be prepared to exercise them.

Increase Your Value

To prevent boredom, change it up a bit. You can always bring things back together the long run but test out of the concepts. This can open the door to grow your business can your brand don’t be afraid to take chances, but always keep your target of mind.

Balance

Make SURE you have a life outside of work, you must know how and when to stop. Work hard but make sure you ask for help where needed and put the right people in place, otherwise, you will never stop working but you WILL stop growing. Taking time away allows for a fresh perspective and new ideas. Running a business can be a hardcore addition so make sure you make a list of what you want to accomplish each day and (as I do) set the timer on your phone for 4 to 8 hours and when it goes off STOP working! (unless you get a sales call, there are exceptions)

Accolades and Awards May Come Late, Who Cares?

As an black entrepreneur, You’ll come to realize that most people are most comfortable being associated with a major brand or corporation. Not everyone is qualified to be an black entrepreneur or understand the concept of business. The wonderful thing about being an black entrepreneur is that most of us would never have it any other way. You will see other people who are attached to major corporations with large job titles get the accolades and awards because the organizations honoring them make money off of the honoree’s affiliation to the corporation. That’s business in itself. But the beauty of it is, when you get an award for YOUR business, it is permanently attached to you. It’s your work, your name, and your company. It’s because they are affiliated with the respected brand. Aim to grow your business and also have a respected brand and in the process reward yourself. Take vacations, Take breaks, and invest in yourself. there is no greater reward.

Enjoy the ride

As long as it’s fun, keep doing it. Keep in mind when it stops being fun change, take a break, take a vacation, or reinvent yourself. Success will allow you to do all of the above. But I will say, once again, when it is no longer fun, it is time to look for something else to do. If it’s something completely different than what you have been doing, you have a great advantage, You know how to run a business. At that 90% of the battle, at that point has been won. Thanks to the legacy of New Edition

Endemol Shine North America Signs Development Deal With Angie Martinez January 19, 2017 –

Endemol Shine North America has signed a development deal with multimedia personality and bestselling author Angie Martinez, it was announced today by Cris Abrego, CEO, Endemol Shine North America. As part of the agreement, Endemol Shine North America, the production company behind such hit series as “Big Brother” (CBS), “MasterChef” (FOX), “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” (Bravo) and upcoming “Hunted” (CBS), along with Major TV, will develop unscripted and scripted content with Martinez for both traditional and digital platforms. Martinez is a prolific voice in media with more than 20 years of on-air hosting experience across a variety of platforms.

Her years of experience shedding light on today’s pop culture moments and icons give her a unique perspective and creative eye. The partnership will allow Martinez an opportunity to expand upon her natural knack for telling compelling stories. “Angie is undeniably one of the most influential personalities in pop culture,” said Endemol Shine North America’s Abrego. “We’re thrilled to be in business with her and we’re already developing a handful of original, ground-breaking, projects with Angie and the team at Major TV.” “Working with Endemol Shine is an exciting first step for me in defining the next phase of my career,” Martinez says, “I’m looking forward to using my voice and platform to develop content that authentically speaks to the culture.” Martinez is recognized as one of the most influential personalities in popular culture and multi-media. Angie’s 20 years of on-air hosting experience has led her to become the media trailblazer she is today: multimedia host, spokeswoman, actress, recording artist, entertainment personality, author and philanthropist.

“Her weekday radio show, “The Angie Martinez Show,” airs on New York’s Power 105.1 and on Miami’s The Beat 103.5, and is also available through iHeartMedia.com and the iHeartMedia app. In May 2016, Martinez released her first memoir, My Voice (Celebra-Penguin Random House), where she detailed her climb to becoming a multimedia icon in the world of entertainment. The book quickly became a New York Times bestseller. Major TV is led by Raymond Garcia, formerly publisher and founder of Celebra at Penguin Random House, where he published numerous best-sellers with top authors such as Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, and Chris Perez, author of To Selena With Love. In November, Endemol Shine North America and Major TV announced they had optioned the television rights to Perez’s To Selena With Love.

Top Milwaukee chefs and 88Nine DJs at SoundBites event blend gourmet creations with the perfect songs Newest Milwaukee restaurants included in 88Nine Radio Milwaukee SoundBites fundraiser Feb. 9 at the Iron Horse Hotel

Milwaukee’s hottest chefs, some from the city’s newest restaurants, and 88Nine Radio Milwaukee DJs will serve up one-of-a-kind music-and-food pairings at the station’s sixth annual SoundBites fundraiser at 5:30 p.m. Thursday Feb. 9 at the Iron Horse Hotel. SoundBites lets food and music lovers savor unique pairings at 13 tasting and listening stations. Attendees will meet the chefs and DJs while enjoying unparalleled flavors from Milwaukee’s diverse food scene and creatively matched tunes playing on earbuds.

Taking inspiration from the ingredients of their food and music, the paired chefs and DJs have collaborated to combine superb small plates with the perfect songs, harmonizing them to create unique dining and listening experiences. Participating chefs and their 88Nine music counterparts are: Karen Bell, chef/owner at Bavette, and Dori Zori, morning show host and promotions manager Nick Boyd at Company Brewing, and Program Director Jordan Lee Caitlin Cullen, chef/owner at The Tandem, and Marcus Doucette, midday host, imaging manager and host of “Sound Travels” Yollande Deacon, owner and chef of Irie Zulu, and DJ Kenny Perez Jonna Froelich, executive chef at I.d. Delafield, and Sarah Fierek, director of underwriting partnerships and weekend host Dan Jacobs, chef/owner at DanDan, and Tarik Moody, digital director, evening music host and Rhythm Lab Radio host Greg Leon, chef/owner at Amilinda, and Amelinda Burich, digital content coordinator and musician Kevin Marx, executive chef at Parkside 23, and Makenzie Boettcher, community stories producer and weekend host

 Add One 88Nine SoundBites Fundraiser Feb. 9 Joe Muench, executive chef at Story Hill BKC, and award-winning musician Trapper Schoepp Nathan Radar, executive chef of Kindred on KK, and Justin Barney, music director, host of “Five Songs” and weekend host Joshua Roberts, executive chef of Smyth, and Nate Imig, managing producer, community stories, community partnership manager and evening host Adam Siegel, executive chef at Lake Park Bistro, and Laura Kezman, video producer Kevin Sloan, executive chef at The Pabst Theater Group, and Ken Sumka, afternoon host and assistant program director One example of a pairing comes from I.d. Delafield’s Froelich and 88Nine’s Fierek, who have joined the song “Spill Your Colours” by Milwaukee-based alternative band REYNA, and a unique dish of beet and goat cheese agnolotti pasta squares with fennel, poppy seeds and citrus. Recently opened restaurants with chefs at SoundBites include DanDan, The Tandem, I.d. Delafield and Kindred on KK. “When DJ Tarik Moody, our resident foodie, first suggested this idea, we knew it’d be a hit,” Program Director Jordan Lee said.

“The event has become one of our staff’s favorites, and our fan’s most popular. The artistic challenge of pairing a great song with a great dish is one that our team is always excited to step up to.” In addition to tasting food and music pairings, guests will enjoy a champagne welcome reception and a sampling of Wisconsin cheese and craft beverages. Several Milwaukee DJs will spin tunes all night. Guests can bid on unique food, music and Milwaukee experiences, including an exclusive 88Nine rooftop reception package, in the SoundBites Silent Auction. Tickets for the event are $125, and corporate tables are available. Tickets are limited in quantity. All proceeds directly benefit 88Nine Radio Milwaukee.

They say you should always start your business based on passion first, this is inevitable if you want to succeed. Nobody knows what you do LIKE you do nor will they have the motivation, drive and skill set to make it happen.

Jay Z was brilliant when he did the press conference for TIDAL, reassembling a company that did something no other streaming service did, it made the artists part owners of their own music and returned a greater profit to them than other streaming services. Amidst many reports that Tidal was not making money, creating artist exclusives was a brilliant idea and obviously one that paid off today. Wireless carrier Sprint stated today that they are buying a 33% of Tidal. This move has to be largely related to the artist exclusives that no other streaming services have. They paid 200 million to Jay-Z and each of the company’s other artist owners who remain and just made a nice profit.

Sprint shares rose 3.4% after the announcement. Exclusive content from Tidal will now be available to Sprint’s 45 million retail customers, in addition, Sprint chief executive Marcello Claur we’ll joint Tidal’s board. Apple was in talks to buy Tidal but was slow to move. This new deal, however, makes the company more appealing. Jay-Z paid 56 million for Tidal in 2015.

Congrats to Rick Party is ESPN’s official voice for the Stephen A. Smith syndicated radio show. The show is broadcast at 1pm est on 710 ESPN in LA, 98.7 in NYC and more. Party told Radio Facts “My friend & VO business partner Jason Garte set up the play, threw the ally-oop and my team; THE MIX GROUP & CESD Talent Agency made it happen.” Party also does the afternoon drive show at Miami’s Hot 105. 

“I ain’t been laughing that much over the past few days,” Harvey said. “They’re kinda beating me up on the internet right now for no reason. But, you know, that’s life, ain’t it?” Steve Harvey 

It’s interesting that Steve Harvey is dealing with the current backlash in both instances that have to do with racism towards the Asian community and the other questioning his commitment to the black community. Ironically, most of the people who are pissed at him have no idea about the company that handles his show at Premiere Networks as we do. We have never had a problem with Steve per say as we have never considered him radio brethren. He’s a comedian with a successful radio show. In addition, he should be commended for helping young black men at risk via some of his community efforts.  His show is not promoted by anyone of color from Premiere Networks to Urban Radio and we have been made aware of it by urban programmers, even though we already knew. Our only gripe with Harvey, after displacing dozens of black men and women from their jobs when The Steve Harvey Morning show took the airwaves, was not even ONE of those displaced black men or women worthy of promoting your show per your recommendation for Premiere Networks? 

We have the greatest respect for Shirley Strawberry and Carla Ferrell but we were insulted when Julie Talbot, President of Premiere Networks, didn’t return our calls or emails for a quote or support for them when we were considering honoring them for the Women of Color in radio issue this past Sept. I’ve been in the industry for 32 years. Am I not worthy of a phone call or a returned email? Does Premiere have a problem with the industry (except for making money)? Does Premiere Networks have ANY black men or women or Asian men or women promoting radio shows to radio formats? For a network that promotes Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity it’s really no surprise. 

Steve is not making a lot of friends in the Asian community and the backlash continues across the media and online even after his apology. Author Eddie Huang Responds to Steve Harvey’s “Upsetting” Jokes About Asian Men in The Hollywood Reporter

“The one joke that still hurts, the sore spot that even my closest friends will press, the one stereotype that I still mistakenly believe at the most inopportune bedroom moments … is that women don’t want Asian men,” he writes in an essay for The New York Times.

Harvey is also still taking heat for his meeting with Donald Trump a move several black people saw as a photo op or as an opportunity for Harvey to expand his own business ventures according to social media posts but in all fairness, the greater concern is why Trump invited him in the first place. More experienced organizations like the Congressional Caucus are available.  Everyone from Harvey’s former Kings of Comedy partner DL Hughely to T.I. have expressed dismay over Harvey’s visit.  Finally, a petition to remove Harvey’s radio show has started let’s hope the organizers don’t find out what we know about Premiere Networks.  

“I’m miserable and unmotivated doing something that doesn’t speak to me. It’s a waste of my limited time on this planet.”

Thanks to the many Podcasters who have expressed an interest in submitting to Podcast Port. Please take a minute to check out some of our great shows we have added and watch for video to premier starting next week. We are still accepting submissions. Check out one of Podcast Port’s podcasts below. See more at www.podcastport.com

KUDOS to a former radio jock for using his radio leverage to create an amazing opportunity for himself. Stephon Ferguson, 48, discovered his amazing ability to emulate one of the greatest leaders of our time Dr. Martin Luther King by chance in the late 90s.

Ferguson was mixing a vinyl recording of Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech on Motown records with a beat and he was overheard by a friend who came into the room asking if that was him.” Ferguson told ABC News. “I told him that it was and he said, ‘You should really learn King’s work. Imagine the people that you can bless by being able to reinvigorate Dr. King’s dream.’” See the amazing places that journey has taken him since then, Ferguson has made it his life’s work to impersonate the civil rights leader and study King’s words. See the video below.

Technology trend: Digital audio advertising dollars on the rise ‘The more targeted, the better ROI’

(New York) Radio reaches 91 percent of Americans and more of these listeners are choosing digital audio options to curate their own music news and entertainment, creating niche markets for advertisers to invest their ad dollars.

The number of digital radio listeners will grow about 12 percent by 2019 with nearly 200 million listeners digitally tuning in to radio, according to the marketing research firm, eMarketer.

Additional data from eMarketer shows that advertisers are following listeners into the digital market. Digital market spending is expected to grow nearly 41 percent by 2019 with an estimated $96.1 billion forecast in ad spending, which is predicted to outpace TV ad spending by nearly 28 percent. Traditional radio ad spending is expected to remain constant over the same time period at about $15.2 billion.

The average podcast listener indicated in an Edison Research survey that they spend about six hours a day listening to audio, including terrestrial radio. This time is filtered by advertising that is growing more tailored to audiences with programmatic ads that allow advertisers to drop in at the right time to relay the right message to the right audience.

As the country’s largest audio advertising agency around, Oink Ink Radio recognizes the high stakes in the audio advertising game. Oink has been a leader in the creation of audio advertising for the past 25 years.

“While it’s still pretty early in ‘the game’ and brands are trying to determine their place in it all, we are already seeing programmatic ad options change the way advertisers target consumers. We’re being asked to deliver autonomous messaging specific to various regions or markets. That’s clearly where all of this is headed: the more targeted, the better the ROI,” said Dan Price, Oink Ink co-founder.

About 65 percent of podcast listeners say they’re more likely to consider purchasing products and services they hear about during a podcast, according to a survey by the Interactive Advertising Bureau in partnership with Edison Research. Further, an ad delivered by that podcast’s host increases the chances of the listener seeking out the service or product being pitched.

“Host-read ads on podcasts make perfect sense, which of course works against a creative provider like us; but it’s true. The format is so intimate and the audience so connected that there is built-in credibility. Having said that, however, it’s a brand new space. Once podcasts attract, for example, multiple advertisers — as opposed to a single sponsor, as we most often see now, brands will look for differentiation as they do now on traditional radio,” said Jim Price, Oink Ink co-founder and creative director.

With the growing popularity of mobile and digital options, ways to capture real time data on consumers’ listening habits are also being developed. Earlier this year, Nielsen, one of the industry’s leading metrics companies, launched a digital audio arm to capture data on consumers’ listening habits across digital platforms. Some online audio companies, such as Pandora, are already collecting this data.

“Metrics for radio listenership had always been fairly broad in my estimation. We’re all about information-gathering — the more the better,” said Jim Price. “Our clients spend an awful lot of money to have us do what we do, and without properly documented data, we can’t fully do that job. The more we know, the more insight we have, the better our creative can connect.”

The digital market is expected to capture even more listeners with the help of major automotive manufacturers who are phasing out AM/FM dials on their dashboards and replacing them with digital products.

“The fact that we’ve been around for 25 years and all of a sudden, now is the busiest we’ve ever been tells me that creative might be starting to inch up on technology,” said Dan Price. “It seems that every other week there has been some new development in the world of digital, but the creative use of it all just wasn’t keeping up. We think that maybe we’re seeing all these new clients reaching out to us because they now want their content to work harder for them. They were making the investment — we’re here to make sure they get their money’s worth.”