Target Market News

THE LATEST NEWS
Chicago’s WVON debuts new talk show hosted by Roland Martin

By Karen E. Pride
Chicago Defender
(Sept. 30, 2005) Beginning Monday, a new, challenging and thought-provoking talk show will take to the airwaves and help diversify the influence of the Chicago Defender, which is celebrating 100 years of publication all this year.

Roland S. Martin (above), the newspaper's executive editor, will hold down a three-hour time slot on WVON-AM/1450 formerly allotted for the "Matt & Perri Show" from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday. It can also be heard over the Internet at www.wvon.com.

"I've really given Roland the reins to do whatever he wants," Melody Spann-Cooper, president of WVON Radio and chairman of its parent company, Midway Broadcasting, told the Defender. "He's such a dynamic personality I think he'll be a breath of fresh air to 'VON. He will help take the station to another level."

Calling him "the heir apparent to veteran morning drive talk host and politician Cliff Kelley," Spann-Cooper said it "was awesome" to have them both at the same place.

"I think Roland will branch out. I'm sure the show will have it's local flavor but he's so knowledgeable on a national level," Spann-Cooper said. "I know he'll deal with a broad range of issues that pertain to the African American community. It'll be a contemporary talk show in the way that only Roland can do it."

Martin said he's excited about the new endeavor. "One of my dreams was always to have my own talk show, and I'm thankful that Melody is giving me the opportunity," said Martin, whose commentaries can been seen weekly on TV One Cable Network.

"When someone asked me why I wanted to host my own show, I said, 'What would you rather do, drive a Ferrari or ride in it?'"

Martin said the "Roland S. Martin Show" will be a blend of political, social and entertainment topics. "Listeners can expect us to speak truth to power," Martin said. "I've never been afraid to challenge Black folks, and most certainly whites. As a journalist since I was 13, I also know the power of the medium. Our goal is to raise the conscience of African Americans, but do so in an entertaining way that keeps them coming back for more.

"This is also a great opportunity to combine the resources of the Defender and WVON, the two most powerful and influential Black media brands serving Black Chicago."

Spann-Cooper said she had a hard decision to make about placing someone else in the time slot that Matt McGill and Perri Small occupied for some time.

"I had a great duo in Matt and Perri and they're wonderful people to work with," said Spann-Cooper. "But every hour has to be optimized since we're not a 24-hour station."

McGill and Small have done a great job, she said, "but Roland will give us the opportunity to reach a larger and broader audience."

Spann-Cooper said McGill would probably be re-assigned at the station but she and Small are parting amicably.

"I'm a relationship builder. You never know when you'll be able to call someone back in," she said.

Martin joined the Chicago Defender in July 2004 as an editorial consultant and assumed the role of executive editor in August 2004. Martin is a nationally award-winning journalist and a nationally syndicated columnist with Creators Syndicate.

He is the former news editor for Savoy Magazine; founding editor of BlackAmericaWeb.com; news director/morning anchor at KKDA-AM in Dallas; and has served as managing editor of the Houston Defender and the Dallas Weekly.

A frequent commentator on CNN, MSNBC, Fox and BET, Martin is also the author of "Speak, Brother! A Black Man's View of America" - a collection of his news columns and essays - and will soon release "Listening to the Spirit Within," a compilation of his faith-based works.

"We have some other things in the works with Roland which I can't talk about right now," said Spann-Cooper. "I'm just very excited about this deal originating at 'VON."

Go to Target Market News homepage


Saturday, September 10, 2005 HOME \| STATS \| PUBLICATIONS \| REGISTER \| CONTACT US
Departments Advertising & PR News Marketing News TV & Cable News Radio News Magazine News Newspaper News Internet News Retailing News Consumer Research Expenditure Data People in the News Industry News Company Bios and Background Register Here STAY IN-THE-KNOW! Are you getting the latest industry news when it happens via e-mail? Click here for free delivery of the Target Market News Bulletin You'll receive news of breaking stories, exclusives, updates and headlines on the latest developments in African American marketing and media Black Stats Frequently requested data on African American consumers Black Buying Power: $656 Billion (2003) Black U.S. Population: 38.3 million Top Five Black Cities - New York - Chicago - Detroit - Philadelphia - Houston Top Five Black Metros: - New York-New Jersey - Washington-Baltimore - Chicago-Gary - Los Angeles - Philadelphia Top Five Expenditures: - Housing 145.2 bil. - Food 56.5 bil. - Cars/Trucks 32.6 bil. - Clothing 23.0 bil. - Health Care 18.0 bil. Click here for more stats from "The Buying Power of Black America." ______________________ Get quick access to key U.S. Census Bureau Data Click here to go to African-American Census Bureau data _____________________ Copyright `© 2005 by Target Market News Inc.` All rights reserved Business address: 228 S. Wabash Ave. Suite 210 Chicago, IL 60604 t. 312-408-1881 f. 312-408-1867 info@targetmarketnews.com	THE LATEST NEWS Chicago’s WVON debuts new talk show hosted by Roland Martin By Karen E. Pride Chicago Defender (Sept. 30, 2005) Beginning Monday, a new, challenging and thought-provoking talk show will take to the airwaves and help diversify the influence of the Chicago Defender, which is celebrating 100 years of publication all this year. Roland S. Martin (above), the newspaper's executive editor, will hold down a three-hour time slot on WVON-AM/1450 formerly allotted for the "Matt & Perri Show" from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday. It can also be heard over the Internet at www.wvon.com. "I've really given Roland the reins to do whatever he wants," Melody Spann-Cooper, president of WVON Radio and chairman of its parent company, Midway Broadcasting, told the Defender. "He's such a dynamic personality I think he'll be a breath of fresh air to 'VON. He will help take the station to another level." Calling him "the heir apparent to veteran morning drive talk host and politician Cliff Kelley," Spann-Cooper said it "was awesome" to have them both at the same place. "I think Roland will branch out. I'm sure the show will have it's local flavor but he's so knowledgeable on a national level," Spann-Cooper said. "I know he'll deal with a broad range of issues that pertain to the African American community. It'll be a contemporary talk show in the way that only Roland can do it." Martin said he's excited about the new endeavor. "One of my dreams was always to have my own talk show, and I'm thankful that Melody is giving me the opportunity," said Martin, whose commentaries can been seen weekly on TV One Cable Network. "When someone asked me why I wanted to host my own show, I said, 'What would you rather do, drive a Ferrari or ride in it?'" Martin said the "Roland S. Martin Show" will be a blend of political, social and entertainment topics. "Listeners can expect us to speak truth to power," Martin said. "I've never been afraid to challenge Black folks, and most certainly whites. As a journalist since I was 13, I also know the power of the medium. Our goal is to raise the conscience of African Americans, but do so in an entertaining way that keeps them coming back for more. "This is also a great opportunity to combine the resources of the Defender and WVON, the two most powerful and influential Black media brands serving Black Chicago." Spann-Cooper said she had a hard decision to make about placing someone else in the time slot that Matt McGill and Perri Small occupied for some time. "I had a great duo in Matt and Perri and they're wonderful people to work with," said Spann-Cooper. "But every hour has to be optimized since we're not a 24-hour station." McGill and Small have done a great job, she said, "but Roland will give us the opportunity to reach a larger and broader audience." Spann-Cooper said McGill would probably be re-assigned at the station but she and Small are parting amicably. "I'm a relationship builder. You never know when you'll be able to call someone back in," she said. Martin joined the Chicago Defender in July 2004 as an editorial consultant and assumed the role of executive editor in August 2004. Martin is a nationally award-winning journalist and a nationally syndicated columnist with Creators Syndicate. He is the former news editor for Savoy Magazine; founding editor of BlackAmericaWeb.com; news director/morning anchor at KKDA-AM in Dallas; and has served as managing editor of the Houston Defender and the Dallas Weekly. A frequent commentator on CNN, MSNBC, Fox and BET, Martin is also the author of "Speak, Brother! A Black Man's View of America" - a collection of his news columns and essays - and will soon release "Listening to the Spirit Within," a compilation of his faith-based works. "We have some other things in the works with Roland which I can't talk about right now," said Spann-Cooper. "I'm just very excited about this deal originating at 'VON." Go to Target Market News homepage	11th Annual Edition Available 'Buying Power' report reveals surge by black households for consumer electronics Despite tighter economic times, African-American households are significantly increasing their expenditures on consumer electronics for the home, according to the newest edition of The Buying Power of Black America report. In many categories such as video games, televisions, CD players, cable TV service and sound equipment, black households are spending more on average than their white counterparts. According to the 103-page report, black households had $656 billion in earned income in 2003, an increase of 3.9% over the $631 earned in 2002. Read more and see the latest expenditure figures for black consumers SUBSCRIBE TODAY! The trade publication for in-depth coverage of Black Consumer Marketing and Media news ORDER THE WORKBOOK NOW! The sixth annual event examining the latest trends, findings and practices in marketing to African-American consumers Presentations from: America Online Arbitron Inc. Burrell Carol H. Williams Advertising E. Morris Communications Ethnic Print Media Group GlobalHue Hunter-Miller Group Images USA Nia Online NSights Worldwide LLC On Wheels Inc. R.J. Dale Advertising & P.R. Target Market News U.S. Census Bureau ...and more!