Lee Bailey/ Radio Mogul Who Took Extraordinary To Another Level

Before there were morning radio shows featuring Doug Banks, Tom Joyner or Russ Parr, all of America enjoyed the mild mannered and very professional voice of former Military man Lee Bailey, who lit the airways with a remarkable taste of creativity and style. The program was entitled “Radio Scope”, which was viewed by African American’s as one of the leading Independent radio productions on the air in 1980’s. The show filled in the blanks for America when it came to the real deal in information about African Americans in entertainment. At the time, Jet and Ebony Magazine were hot commodities, but “Radio Scope” was different, creating a vehicle and format that few radio stations were displaying. Lee identified with the void in the system, taking full advantage of the excitement by syndicating the show to Urban Radio stations around the country. Where other show formats failed, “Radio Scope” was making history as one that would go on to inspire and motivate future stars in radio. In the present day, the “Radio Scope” dream has sparked yet another venture of excitement and awareness as www.EURweb.com (Electronic Urban Report) was created to tackle the vast landscape of the Internet, with even more features, original ideas and past spotlights that many today continue to remember. Pioneers come and go, but the legacy of Lee Bailey will forever be the launch pad that paved the way for several well-known personalities in the world of entertainment.

For sure the way in which many of us receive our news and entertainment from day to day has changed in a major way. Fueling that change is the Internet, and today if you don’t have a website, perhaps you’re missing out on a host of services, clients and resources. “Like always, this business still takes a lot of work”, says Radio Scope founder Lee Bailey. “When we first started www.EURweb.com, it was just a one-sheet newsletter, which was published 3 times a week. As time would have it, we evolved into what you see now. I only have one full time person along with myself, but a host of contributors, whom are writers, and Independent contractors from around the country. Some people I call and ask to do assignments, while others call me looking for an opportunity to have their work showcased. Two major pluses for us is that we’re located in Los Angeles, and that we’ve been doing this for a long time, and we know a lot of people in the business. When being considered a pioneer, I’m appreciative because it makes me feel as if I’ve accomplished something. So I see it as a compliment”.

Back in the day, “Radio Scope”, produced and voiced by Bailey was the vehicle that many publicists used to get the word out about their clients new projects. “Radio Scope” came out of several things, “continues Bailey. “I was a big fan of the television news show “60 Minutes”, and I loved everything about it and I wanted to create something like it for radio. People were always asking about various artists. They always wanted to know what they (the artists) were doing so we made it our job to keep them informed. Once we got started, we worked and worked to make it what it is now. There was no dramatic shift, but it was very personality driven. The other thing is that back then, Radio DJ’s were like Rock Stars and everywhere you went you had your local heroes. Each city had their own and people gravitated to them. So it was a very big deal to be in radio back then”. When "Radio Scope" was introduced it provided content that many stations had very limited knowledge of. This variety of R&B, Hip-Hop Radio news was delivered in a timely fashion, sparking relationships with Hollywood bigwigs that would open many doors for Bailey.

Lee Bailey got his start in radio as an announcer in the 1970’s under the legendary Dr. Jerry Bolding. He’s been a radio DJ in several cities including Sacramento, California; Stockton, California; Los Angeles, California, and Flint, Michigan. After working in Los Angles, at KUTE-FM, he decided to try something, which was form Lee Bailey Communications, a voice over production company specializing in radio commercial spots (local and national) and corporate slide presentations (audio). Along with this success, the company began gravitating toward the radio of works and ideas. Then in 1983, Bailey introduced his flagship syndicated radio program, “Radio Scope: The Entertainment Magazine of the Air” in 35 US markets and primary division, Bailey Broadcasting Services (BBS) began it’s journey to become known world wide as the “Urban Infotainment Specialist.”

“The Challenges for me in doing all of this, “continues Bailey, “is that I didn’t have money to do all that I wanted to do, nor did I know business. I was actually baffled by the business. There was marketing, promotions, advertising, and a lot of stuff I was not familiar with. I had ideas. I was a creative guy and that’s what I wanted to do, create. When you look back at your artists, they are creative people and most of us are not business people. So as things began to really take off I enlisted others whom I felt comfortable with to work along with me so that we could get the business going in a positive direction”. And his comments about the future of radio, “ I see everything going down hill at this point”, continues Bailey. “ In my opinion there is not much of a future. It’s a paradigm shift because there are too many forces at work. The Internet is one major tool for the future. This new technology helps you get there faster, and it allows one person to do a lot, but there is nothing like having a actual person handle promotion, marketing and all those things”. And when it comes to music, Bailey speaks his mind, “I like the old school stuff. I’m really bored right now because there is no innovation, no real music happening. But I do like artists such as Reno Scott, a Detroit artists who’s been around since the 70’s. He’s got that old school kind of sound and feel. As much as I like Beyonce, I’m still bored there as well at times. Bruno Mars is good. Music is not like it use to be where you had really creative people. Today the artists are totally different.”

Bailey, an avid sports fanatic and work-a-holic has plans to at some point take a break from his entertainment empire, but not sure when, “ I’m consumed by this”, he says in closing. “I have no free time. I also love bowling, but I would love to take a month to travel, may watch a few movies and just get a way”. And his advice to young people, “ learn as much as you can. People devalue education. I love Goggle because it makes you well rounded. The power to think and knowledge from learning is a very powerful thing. You must be open to learning your entire life. We all make mistakes because no one is goof proof. You are going to make mistakes, but mistakes are vital to who you are, and your existence in whatever profession you choose”.

For more information about Lee Bailey and his new entertainment empire, visit

www.EURweb.com

Teen Vocalist Courtney Addresses Nation Wide “Bully” Epidemic

We’ve all had our experiences of being treated less than equal, or to some degree, a second rate citizen, but those who have been a victim to actions of a bully can tell you first hand just how it feels. When we think about the actions of bullies, we think about threatening, abusive, controlling, people who are often bigger than we may be, but for sure people who want to not only ruin our day, but anything that we do in and out of their presence. The attitudes of a bully have been around for as long as we humans have existed, but until recently, major media organizations such as CNN have began to publicize what it really means to be a bully due to a long list of teen suicides, and other in excusable behavior that creates fear that many of our children are exposed to on a daily basis. Perhaps solutions may be few, but 17 year old Vocalist Stephanie Courtney has released “Taken Over”, to address issues of bullying, which is taking America by storm.

“This is about showing encouragement”, says Courtney. “One of the reasons why I wrote this song was because one of he kids in my school committed suicide due to another kid bullying him. And then there were other things that happened that got my attention. People (kids) need to know that they have their mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, teachers, and whoever in their corner when they have people who try and bully them. It’s not fun; it doesn’t feel good and who likes to be afraid of people all the time? That is not what life is about. I wrote this song to address these issues because we’ve all been down this road one time of the other. And I am thankful to say that my mother and father, and family and friends came to my aid”. Since a young age, Courtney has suffered from a skin disorder where kids in her school would tease her endlessly, making her feel less than equal. “ Yea it made me cry often, and just mad, “as she continues. “First it’s important that regardless of who you are, you have to love yourself because kids have a tendency to believe whatever people say about them. What I also recommend is that kids find a support group or organization in their communities, locally, wherever they are and get the help they need".

“Taken Over”, was written by Courtney, accompanied by Jemelle Jones as co-writer and producer. Her other work includes single “I Need You”, from album, “Lord Just Me And You”, which was written as a Gospel project released when she was 15. Soon she’s looking forward to attending the Mt. St. Vincent College in the Bronx, NY to study Nursing. The single “Taken Over” has an accompanying video available on You Tube, with the song is available at various outlets online. For more information on Stephanie Courtney, visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephanie-Courtney/ http://www.myspace.com/stephaniecourtneymusic, www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tCR5FRXe6o, Twitter@stephaniesmusic and www.stephaniecourtneymusic.com

Prolific Literary Party Starter Dr. Peter John Releases “Search Me”.

Some call him the mix master of modern day social media, while others refer to Dr. Peter John as a seasoned communicator driving the political agenda to see how many people he can make happy while invading the inevitable. Fame and popularity has not come easy for Dr. John, aka P’Ta Mon, as he grew up in an environment of poverty, in St. Croix, in the US Virgin Islands. After moving to the United States, he just knew life was all up hill, but as reality would have it, his ideals of a rich and prosperous life was traded for yet another hot bed of ill stricken wants and needs that motivated him to pursue several degrees, a flamboyant life style and a bevy of materialistic possessions that many dream of, but find more than difficult to achieve. Today, after accepting his shortcomings and capitalizing on his mistakes, dreams to one day become the man whom people would love and respect has brought him full circle. “Search Me- The Art Of The Question”, his latest literary offering has the nation talking, and soon the world through websites such as www.talkcalm.com and tweets on Twitter.

In this highly technological age of tweeting, texting, messaging, and emailing, somehow, believe it or not, many of us have lost the ability to call our neighbor on the telephone and say, “how are you today?’, “can I borrow a cup of sugar?”, or ‘what are you doing this weekend?”. Well Dr. Peter John realized the break down in communication and wrote, “Search Me: The Art of The Question” to discuss and shed light on the many difficulties we, as a community and a people have as it pertains to everyday life. “ As a father, a family man, an educator, a business man, it’s very important to me to communicate to those around me like we use to do, “ says Dr. John. “ As Black men we have a lot of hurt and anger toward people. I’m learning to let go of the past. To let go of the problems and issues that hold us back in society. I am learning to let go as a man. I’m learning more every day about being a good father, and we all have wants needs and desires for the basics, food, shelter, clothing and love. Television exploits a lot of this for us. So in bringing back communication I’m trying to preserve some of what we’ve lost in generations past. There is a hurt everywhere you go. When I moved with my family here from St. Croix, all I saw was good things in America. We were poor, living around drug infested areas, and all that, and when we got here, we got put right back in it. So through working hard I’ve been able to change a lot of that to give my kids something great to look forward to.”

And working hard he has, as Dr. John took education very serious, creating a gamut of careers that have catapulted him to stardom. Moving from St. Croix, the family settled in Harvey, Louisiana, where the surroundings were colorful and deadly at the same time, but this didn’t stop a young ambitious John from pursing his ideas of originality. He began writing poetry, which became infused with Rap and soon came his real voice. His mother also gave good advice about going to school, so he enrolled into LA Tech University for a brief period before joining the Marine Corps. While in the Marines, his father died, which resulted in him hitting his lowest emotional state. This sparked him to begin reaching out by writing music to reconnect to reality. There after he received a BS in Professional Aviation, to later receive a JD from LSU Law School followed by an MBA from the University of New Orleans. “Going to school was my way of climbing out of poverty, “ continues Sr. John. “We have a lot of violence and a lot of problems with our people and kids because we lack opportunity. Lack of communication in some cases is also a cause of failure in our communities”. And he goes further to educate on the differences in his careers. “When I went to business school, it was very competitive. Law School was a lot of pressure. When I got there, my idea was that I knew that the law was not fair and I had this plan that I was going to get all of my people out of jail, but after being there for a while, I had to see the other side of this. Some of our people were bad people and deserved to be in prison. So law School was an eye opener for me. I wanted to be there for everyone, and be able to change the world. My first dream was to fly. I love being an aviator. This represents freedom for me. Beyond that, my passion has always been about helping others.”

Beyond his expertise as a licensed Commercial Pilot, a talk show host, and Criminal and Civil Defense Attorney, Dr. Peter John is an author who wrote his first book, “ Watch Your Step! A Law Book for Teens”. “Before writing this book, I was seeing how many of our young people were getting in trouble, “as he continues. “ A lot of them were missing fathers at home, no role models, plainly stated, mothers were single parents. The media glorifys entertainment; sex, athletes, money and all these things, and therefore the kids are getting mixed messages. There is no value system. So I put this book together to show kids that going to jail was not the way to go. And I’ve gotten a lot of good reviews from it and a lot of people like it. With my latest “Search Me- The Art Of The Question”, I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but it’s simple this book teaches you to talk and listen. It’s about communicating. We as a people have to get rid of words that judge people, and cross-examine people. Communication is the key, we have to be willing today to sit with our young people and have a conversation. They have to take the time to talk to us. No tweeting, text messages, My Space, Face book or any of that. The Internet is a great tool that allows us to make people aware and educated, but we have to limit ourselves. With hosting a radio show, I get the opportunity to not only find out about others lives, but it gives me a chance to look at my own life, and then help people”. In review, “Search Me- The Art of The Question” is a coffee table stylebook chunked full of thought provoking ideas that will keep you entertained.

For those of you who feel the urge to talk, Dr. Peter John is always open for a good conversation. His radio talk show airs on the Gulf Coast’s Power 102.9FM radio. There’s also the website www.talkcalm.com (Communicate And Learn Through Mediation). For the future he leaves these words with the youth, “look in the mirror, and identify what you do well, believe in it, have faith and work at it to be the best that you can be. Foremost in all the things that I do, I’m conquering my demons thru conversation and communication”. Dr. Peter John’s books are available in bookstores nationwide.