Beyonce is one of the big winners at the 51st annual NAACP Image Awards.  “Homecoming: The Live Album” won for Outstanding Album and Beyonce won for Outstanding Female Artist, while “Before I Let Go,” won for Outstanding Contemporary Song. Lizzo took home the Entertainer of the Year award, while other big winners  actors Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong’o, and the TV shows Greenleaf, Black-ish and When They See Us.  Georgia Congressman and longtime civil rights activist John Lewis accepted the prestigious Chairman’s Award for his exemplary public service, while Rihanna received the President’s Award. The awards honor what organizers say are the “accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film.” Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were also honored during the program. [Read more]

The estate of Rick James is being sued for 50 million dollars for the supposed rape of a minor in the 70s.  According to the Buffalo news, the unidentified plaintiff alleges that the late R&B star raped her in 1979 at the group home for troubled youth where she lived. The victim was just 15 at the time.  She alleges in an affidavit, “Almost immediately, Rick James was very suggestive and inappropriate towards me. He made me feel very uncomfortable.”  She says he also told her to “Shut up and quit moving or I’ll cut you.”  The victim told someone about the incident, but did not report it to police at the time.  James, who had drug problems throughout his life, was arrested in 1991, accused of holding a 24-year-old woman hostage for days, forcing her to perform sexual acts, died in 2004. [Read more]

An actress in “Boyz n the Hood” has died.  TMZ reports Esther Scott died on Valentine’s Day after an apparent heart attack at her home in Southern California last Tuesday.  Esther was also in films such as “You Got Served” and “The Pursuit of Happiness.”  She was 66-years-old.

Actress Ja’net Dubois is dead at the age of 74.  Dubois was found dead in her Glendale, California home on Tuesday.  She starred in the T.V. show “Good Times” and also came up with the theme song for “The Jeffersons.”  She also has two Emmy awards to her name for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for her work on “The PJs.”  Dubois is survived by her three children.

AP Photo

By Ray Richardson

It started out as a casual conversation after a KMOJ-FM staff meeting last November. Three months later, that conversation turned into an unprecedented celebration for an icon in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey proclaimed Monday, Feb. 17 as “Walter Q-Bear Banks Jr. Day,” a tribute that extended to the capital city of St. Paul. After learning of the special tribute to Banks, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter called in to the studio Monday afternoon to offer his congratulations live on air to Banks during his Afternoon Drive show. [Read more]

The Vikings are headed west to battle the San Francisco 49ers tomorrow in the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs in Santa Clara.  The Vikes stunned the Saints last weekend to advance.  The top-seeded Niners had a first-round bye after finishing 13-and-3.  Seattle visits Green Bay in the other NFC divisional game.

KMOJ is announcing the selection of Zannie Glover to the position of Program Director for KMOJ FM. He will be responsible for giving direction to the sound of KMOJ FM, The Peoples Station, and The Ice as well as management of the station’s online presence.

In making the announcement, Freddie Bell, KMOJ General Manager says Glover’s selection follows an exhaustive search. “We were looking for an individual capable of handling the rigors of managing and growing our multifaceted communication platforms which are designed to train broadcasters and give the community a voice,” Bell says.  [Read more]

by Freddie Bell

With only two days left in the KMOJ Building Our Future Radiothon, I am happy to see how you are responding with your gifts and well wishes. They all help to build the foundation for growth and give voice to the concerns we face as a community. They also set the table to bring on interns and those interested in our business, who aspire to be the next generation of broadcasters. That’s the first part of our mission. Secondly, your help also allows us the space to give voice to the conditions impacting you, our community. [Read more]

The Center for Communication and Development Board of Directors announces the addition of Retired Major General David Hamlar, Jr., and Mr. Eric Harris to the CCD/KMOJ  Board of Directors.   The Retired Major General David Hamlar, Jr. is an Air Force Veteran. A fellowship in Facial Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery brought him to the University of Minnesota to train, where he eventually settled and transferred to the Minnesota Air National Guard. He deployed numerous times in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom and has earned multiple commendations for his efforts. He was promoted as the first African-American Brigadier General in the Minnesota National Guard and held the position of Assistant Adjutant-General. He was promoted to Major General, and retired 1n 2017. His medical practice is out of several locations to include Regions Hospital, the VA Medical Center, and the University of Minnesota where he is an assistant professor in the Department of Otolaryngology.  As faculty, he trains medical students, residents, and fellows, holds numerous leadership positions and has provided mentorship to those under-represented aspiring applicants and students. General Hamlar has been recognized as a “Top Doc” by Mpls/St Paul Magazine, and “Best Doc” by Minnesota Monthly Magazine. General Hamlar holds a membership with the St Paul branch of the NAACP and remains active with the Omega Psi Phi and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternities, where their missions include supporting our local neighborhoods, and communities through mentorship and partnership programs. [Read more]

By Jim Walsh | 08/22/2019

Monday morning was a quiet hive of urgent activity at the studios of KMOJ-FM on Penn and Broadway in north Minneapolis. The station’s weekly board meeting had just ended, and employees and volunteers were gearing up for the business week of running one of the nation’s oldest and most successful community radio stations.

There was legendary KMOJ deejay Walter “Q Bear” Banks, Jr., heading over to his memorabilia-festooned cubicle while planning his next drive-time show. There was the one and only Nikki Love, arguably the most respected hip-hop deejay in the Twin Cities. There was Ray Seville, the station’s underwriting manager and founder of the dance party stalwart Ray Seville Productions, who was heading off to the State Fairgrounds to set up KMOJ’s booth — this year with a “dancing with the deejays” theme. [Read more]