For African-Americans Interested In The Online Space, This Is Your Urban New Media Wrap-Up For January 2011

The Game’ Is a Winner, Helped by BET Loyalists

“The Game,” a sitcom about pro football players’ relationships with women, puttered along in obscurity for three years on the CW network. The season it was canceled, it attracted only 1.9 million viewers an episode. Then it was resurrected with two new episodes last Tuesday on the cable channel BET, which picked up the program and resumed production as part of an effort to add scripted shows to its schedule. The response from BET viewers was “jaw-dropping.” The first two episodes of the new season averaged 7.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched sitcom ever on cable television.

The 30-year-old channel had never had such high ratings for a series. “Just over the moon” is how Debra L. Lee, the chief executive and chairwoman of BET Networks, described her reaction. “It proves that cable is competitive,” she said. How does a show quadruple its audience? Ms. Lee credits a smart marketing plan, fan bases on Facebook and Twitter, and frequent showings on BET of repeat episodes in the past year, which ginned up interest in the new episodes.

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For Minorities, New 'Digital Divide' Seen

When the personal computer revolution began decades ago, Latinos and blacks were much less likely to use one of the marvelous new machines. Then, when the Internet began to change life as we know it, these groups had less access to the Web and slower online connections — placing them on the wrong side of the "digital divide."

Today, as mobile technology puts computers in our pockets, Latinos and blacks are more likely than the general population to access the Web by cellular phones, and they use their phones more often to do more things.

But now some see a new "digital divide" emerging — with Latinos and blacks being challenged by more, not less, access to technology. It's tough to fill out a job application on a cellphone, for example. Researchers have noticed signs of segregation online that perpetuate divisions in the physical world. And blacks and Latinos may be using their increased Web access more for entertainment than empowerment.

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Dr. King's Facebook Page Vandalized With Racist Images

A Facebook page that appears to be run by the Martin Luther King Center has been vandalized by individuals or a group of people who are determined to populate the page with disturbing racial imagery. Images using the N-word are displayed all over the page, along with other hurtful pictures, including a black man having sex with a bucket of chicken.

It is not clear who is responsible for maintaining the page or moderating the images, but the KingCenter.org website is listed as the group that owns the page.

Details...

Will The Strings Attached To Comcast/NBC Deal Be Effective?

Both the FCC and the Justice Department have effectively cleared the way for Comcast (aka, that cable company from Philadelphia) to own a majority of NBC Universal, but the regulators did so with several strings attached to the deal. Among the regulations outlined by the FCC and the Justice Dept., are:

*Comcast/NBC must license its programming to online distributors that have obtained distribution agreements with one of NBCU's peers.

*Comcast can't do anything that would unduly limit content owners' abilities to freely negotiate creative arrangements with Comcast competitors.

*The Comcast/NBC Voltron is not allowed to "retaliate against any broadcast network, affiliate, cable programmer, production studio or content provider for licensing content to Comcast competitors."

*Comcast must relinquish its management rights in Hulu, which is a joint venture of NBC, Fox and ABC, "so Comcast cannot use NBCU's partial ownership of Hulu to diminish its competitive significance."

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If You’re Not Networking, You’re Not Social

Social media isn't isolating us as we tap on our laptops, smartphones and tablets; rather, we're becoming "hypersocial" in our virtual, avatar-populated environment, suggests researcher and author S. Craig Watkins. Rather than gathering in, say, the bowling alleys that were social hubs in the 1950s, we Wii-bowl with companions nearly anywhere on the globe.

Author of "The Young and The Digital," a book about today's so-called digital natives, Watkins rejects some researchers' laments that technology isolates us, noting that multiplayer online games cultivate friendships across long distances, and Facebook helps childhood friends keep in content when they move geographically. "There's nowhere we can't connect to our friends and our network," he says.

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Black People And The Internet - What's Up?

African Americans are more likely than whites to access the Internet by mobile phone, and they are twice as likely to use Twitter. Mobile devices have expanded access to the Internet, but they also limit the experience. NPR's Renee Montagne talks with IT consultant Anjuan Simmons about Internet trends among blacks.

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Isidra Person-Lynn Relaunches 'Sunday Morning Live' On Blogtalkradio

Media expert Isidra Person-Lynn has taken to the Internet to provide news, information and entertainment from a African American perspective on her new online Blogtalkradio show 'Sunday Morning Live'. Person-Lynn, a University of Southern California graduate who went on to become a celebrated public affairs radio personality on Los Angeles station 103.9 FM KACE, has also created a frequently updated blog for the weekly program.

Person-Lynn is clearly filling a void in the talk arena, as traditional black radio broadcast stations are opting to play more music and reducing their focus on spotlighting local issues in African American populated communities.

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President Obama Gets Deeper Into The Health Care Debate, Embraces Internet Talk With Blogtalkradio Appearance

This Guy Gets It... New Media That Is!

You know that 3BAAS Media Group has been using Blogtalkradio for almost two years now. We've produced The Content Black Woman, and the ongoing Current Events program The Kevin Ross Show. So while this incredible platform is not new to us, when Barack Obama decides to get on board, it's a whole new ballgame.

President Obama will be making an appearance on a special program called “40 Minutes For Health Reform” which will stream live exclusively on Blogtalkradio. Specifically, the Commander-in-Chief's part will be the last 10 minutes of the show after he listens in on the first 30 minutes during which there will be a roundtable discussion about the topic with the leaders of the non-profit group, Faithful America

“I’ve been impressed by how President Obama has adopted innovative social-media technology during his campaign and into his administration,” says Alan Levy, CEO of Blogtalkradio. “We’re honored that he has selected BlogTalkRadio as his newest requisite platform for communicating directly with the American people.”

Tech Crunch has all the details.

VOTE NOW FOR KEVIN ROSS ON THE FOX NEWS RADIO BATTLE OF THE BLOGTALKRADIO HOSTS

My fellow Blogtalkradio host Chad Everson and I had a great time today on Fox. Most importantly, I learned about Skype and I am forever changed. The system is amazing and I'm looking forward to talking with you tomorrow on the show when we discuss the debate between Barack Obama and John McCain. In the meantime, make sure we get your vote and thank you in advance.

Fox News Radio and BlogTalkRadio Partner for National Blogging Competition

Starting October 6th, Fox News Radio’s Fox Across America will hold a weeklong American Idol-style competition featuring bloggers from BlogTalkRadio.

Our 3BAAS Media Group CEO Kevin Ross is one of the eight featured hosts. He's also the only African American.

Under the hood, meet the conservative guy on the left who Boss will be going up against.

BlogTalkRadio is a free, web-based talk radio platform that allows users to hold live internet radio talk shows that are then archived as podcasts. The competition starts with four liberal and four conservative bloggers. Ross will be representing the right on Tuesday October 7, 2008 and will be up against Chad Everson, aka the Teddy Bear of the Grizzly Groundswell's own Socialist Squirrel!

In each round, two bloggers will compete one-on-one, with each being given five minutes to respond to the same topic. Listeners will then vote, either through an online poll or text message, and the winner will advance to the next round. Friday, October 10th, the winning liberal will compete against the winning conservative.

The two winners, along with host Spencer Hughes, will co-host a weeklong election special live on Fox News Radio at 8 a.m. the week of October 20th. “In the four short years since the last presidential election, bloggers have gone from a mere curiosity to a significant force in shaping our nation’s political opinions,” said Alan Levy, CEO of BlogTalkRadio in a statement.

Fox Across America airs on Sirius XM Radio and FoxNewsRadio.com.

Valencia Roner, Our Sister Here at 3BAAS, Is Featured In Washington Post Article About Blog Talk Radio

"The Content Black Woman Show" Garners More Attention

A year and a half after New Jersey businessman Alan Levy launched the venture, BlogTalkRadio is averaging 2.4 million listeners each month for programs that range from politics to the paranormal, along with sports, finance, food, religion and romance. Even the Pentagon recently started two shows on the network, not to mention our own Valencia Roner and Kevin Ross.

The question is whether this is a flash in the pan that appeals mainly to geeks and those with a need to talk to someone -- anyone -- or whether, like blogs, online radio could explode in popularity.

With BlogTalkRadio, the Commentary Universe Expands

The press wasn't paying much attention to John McCain last fall when he called Ed Morrissey from the campaign trail and spent 38 minutes fielding questions.

"You sound pretty chipper for a dead guy," the radio host told McCain, whose presidential campaign had been all but buried by mainstream journalists. The Arizona senator joked that his wife had performed "mouth-to-mouth resuscitation."

The radio show McCain was calling isn't heard on the air, and averages perhaps 1,000 listeners. Morrissey's program is one of 3,400 carried on the Internet through an outfit called BlogTalkRadio, which has quietly emerged as a populist force in cyberspace.

"I wouldn't say I'm a national name, but it's a great way to connect with blog readers," says Morrissey, a conservative who has interviewed other GOP candidates. "There's an immediacy to it, a connection greater than when you're just putting words up on a Web site."

Most shows are hosted from home by bloggers who need no special equipment and pay no fee. The only requirement is that they put a link to the program on their Web site. On BlogTalkRadio's site, visitors can search for programs by name or category.

The process is nearly idiot-proof. The host logs on to a Web page with a password, types in when he wants the show to air, and then -- using a garden-variety phone -- calls a special number. The computer screen lists the phone numbers of guests or listeners calling in, and the host can put as many as six on the air at once by clicking a mouse. Listeners can download a podcast version later.

"It's a great tool," says James Boyce, who blogs at the Huffington Post and recently took a break from his online show to work for Bill Richardson's presidential campaign. "There's no barrier to entry. You set up your own show with simple-to-use technology." Boyce helped BlogTalkRadio launch a liberal channel but says conservative shows have become more popular: "The left is kind of behind a little bit right now."

Valencia Roner, a Los Angeles freelancer who writes a blog (Diary of A Content Black Woman) on the views of black women, was wary when she started a weekly show in January. "I was a little intimidated because I didn't want to get on and sound crazy," she says. But after being a guest on other blog radio shows, she decided to give it a shot. Her program is now drawing about 20,000 listeners each week.

Recently, Roner's show was #1 of all the shows on Blog Talk Radio. This week she is at the number 7 slot, and number 2 on the Current Events list. The Kevin Ross show is now number 6 on BlogTalkRadio's most popular, and number 1 for current events. Both shows are produced by 3BAAS Media Group, the creators of this blog, with Ross serving as Roner's on-air sidekick.

"There are a lot of beautiful, well-read, articulate African American women who are not angry, and I want to be their face," the former corporate marketer says. "Why should political pundits, who are mostly white men, talk about the black community's perspective? You're not black; how do you know?" Roner, who attributes her early popularity to her enthusiastic backing of Barack Obama's candidacy, has had nibbles from local and satellite radio stations.

Some better-known people are also gravitating toward the outlet; former CNN correspondent Bob Franken recently started a show.

By Washington Post Staff Writer Howard Kurtz