LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 31: The Los Angeles Lakers honor Kobe Bryant and daughter Gigi by covering the courtside seats they occupied with flowers, Gigi’s #2 Mamba jersey and Kobe’s #24 jersey before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center on January 31, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Today’s the day, 2-24-2020, the Celebration of Life for Lakers legend Kobe #24 & his 13-year old daughter Gianna Bryant #2 who tragically lost their life with seven others in a helicopter crash late last month. Fans, friends and family will pack the Staples Center, the home that Kobe built to pay tribute to Mamba and Mambacita Gigi. The doors will open at 8am PT. Network coverage begins at 9am PT and the service begins at 10am PT. Ellen K has been given the honor to voice the memorial this morning.
Officials are reminding the public to avoid the Staples Center if you don’t have a ticket. They will not be showing the memorial on the screens at LA Live. We do know that the Lakers are expected to arrive in a large group, including management, coaches and players.
The Grammys were blessed to have such an intuitive, caring person like Alicia Keys to host “Music’s Biggest Night” on the saddest night in LA.She was right, music heals and brings us together. Who else cried when they heard her sing “It’s so hard to say goodbye” with the boys from Philly (same place Kobe came from) Boys II Men. 😔 #ripmamba
💜🙏💛Our hearts go out to the Altobelli, Bryant, Chester, Mauser & Zobayan families🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️Rest in peace.
Sunday morning, January 26, 2020 our week started off with some really sad news. The Black Mamba, Laker Legend, Kobe Bean Bryant passed away in a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. However you knew him, he was known to be a wonderful family man, Oscar winner and Laker GOAT. Kobe Bryant and 8 other passengers, including his own daughter Gianna Maria Onore (aka Gigi) were on board to The Mamba Academy in Newbury Park, California. All 9 passengers on the helicopter died at the scene and have been identified as:
Kobe Bryant
Gianna Bryant
John Altobelli
Keri Altobelli
Alyssa Altobelli
Sarah Chester
Payton Chester
Christina Mauser
Ara Zobayan (the pilot)
The cause of the crash is still being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board. Kobe Bryant’s known to fly to and from places in his Sikorsky S-76B helicopter since he played for the Lakers. Audio reports reveal the helicopter pilot, Ara Zobayan was given clearance to fly under worse-than-normal conditions. The Sikorsky S-76B costs approximately $13-million and can seat up to 12 people. Sikorsky tweeted this (see above):
Prayers going out to all the family’s involved. May they all rest in peace.
The entire sports world is in mourning. Read some of the reactions on social media, click here.
Watch the Grammy awards this Sunday, January 26, 2020 at 5pm on CBS.
The Grammy Awards is music’s biggest night honoring achievements in the music industry. Alicia Keys is returning as the host of the 62nd Grammy Awards and takes place this Sunday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Ken Ehrlich returns as the Executive Producer of the Grammys, making this his 40th year producing the show! As for Ellen K, this will be her 11th consecutive year voicing the the Grammy awards!
Watch the Grammy awards this Sunday, January 26, 2020 at 5pm on CBS.
Fun fact: Did you know the Grammy award used to be called the Gramaphone award?
This is really INSIDE HOLLYWOOD, Ellen K hosted Kevin Hart’s ceremony at TCL Chinese Theatre. Watch the video above to see the Emcee of the TCL Chinese Theatre Levi Tinker introduce Ellen K, who than introduces Will Ferrell, who than introduces Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who than introduces Kevin Hart! Alongside his wife, family, friends and colleagues Kevin Hart thanked the crowd with a grateful heart and went on to step on some cement! Congratulations Kevin Hart on ending the year in a pretty fantastic way!
Ellen K had a blast this morning with her friends at KTLA 5 Morning News sharing all of the holiday events coming up!
In case you haven’t heard, Christmas music on KOST 103.5 is returning this Friday afternoon with Mark Wallengren at 5:00pm PT. Following the big music switch, Gwen Stefani is joining us this Friday night to kick off the holidays at the iHeart Radio Theater in Los Angeles! Giveaways for that private show are happening now throughout the day. You can only win your way in for the biggest holiday flip party we’ve ever thrown!
Last but definitely not least, the annual KOST 103.5 Private Holiday Party at Disney California Adventure Park is happening on Thursday, December 5, 2019 from 9:00pm-1:00am PT. **Major disclaimer: This year our guests will get earlier access to the park starting at 5:00pm! The tickets for the Disney party started this morning at 6:20am on the Ellen K Morning Show and will continue everyday until 9:20pm PT. You have 15 chances a day to win your way in! Also, our street team will be doing giveaways at select Smart & Final locations. See below for more info!
Ellen K, IHeart Media, KOST 103.5, Ellen K Morning Show , Ellen K Weekend Show, Photographed by Michael Becker
TV’s biggest night and no, it’s not the Super Bowl, it’s the Emmys! The award show celebrating and honoring television shows (including streaming shows) will not have a host this year for the first time ever, but they will have the glorious voice ofEllen Kleading! The leader of our morning show at KOST 103.5’s, the Ellen K Morning Show knows a thing or two about voicing award shows, she’s been the voice of the Grammys for the past decade, the Oscar awards and now the Emmys! All she needs is to voice the Tony Awards so she can be an EGOT Voice! Tune in to the 71st Emmy Awards on Sunday, September 22, 2019 at 5pm broadcasting live from Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, on FOX. “All Ellen needs to do now is add the TONY AWARDS to her resume to be an EGOT voice.”
Thank you All Access for all of the support! Read the full post, here!
It’s been another interesting chapter in the saga of women in radio. Like every industry, broadcast radio has diversity challenges — and we saw that up close and personal at Morning Show Boot Camp 31 this month in Chicago, as well as in the charts and graphs in AQ2, our talent on talent survey we’ve now conducted for the second consecutive year.
On the surface, the environment appears to be improving for women in radio. But when you start digging a little deeper, you can’t help but encounter some of the same congenital issues. As our AQ study shows, men outnumber women on the air by a 3:1 ratio — same as last year. And that starts an important conversation about the state of the medium, whether it’s in morning radio or even when it comes to voiceover work.
To be sure, some women are hitting it out of the park. Those seeking a shining success story should look no further than the trajectory and accomplishment of KOST/Los Angeles morning star, Ellen K. As most people in radio know, Ellen was the sidekick for two morning show superstars — Rick Dees and Ryan Seacrest — before striking out on her own.
While those partnerships were no doubt an important part of Ellen’s learning curve, she sought to go solo in 2015 — and hasn’t looked back.
Like many in radio, Ellen got her start while at college, and interned at WXUS in Lafayette, Indiana. While the beginnings of her career were in a small market, she makes no bones about the need for women to think big — the majors:
“The biggest payday should always be in the biggest markets simply because the ad revenue is so large, but the biggest payday isn’t always the path to happiness. I’ve been happy in the smallest market I’ve worked in because I love the radio business.”
But whether in L.A. or small towns, Ellen K has always relished the personal connection, whether it’s on the studio lines or out in public, connecting with her audience.
Kudos to Ellen for carving out a great career in a tough business. But then there’s the rest of the radio world.
And judging by the “Women’s Forum” at Morning Show Boot Camp, the radio industry has a long way to go.
Led by the solid and steady moderation of Elizabeth Kay (WMYX/Milwaukee mornings), the panel was comprised of outspoken women in radio who discussed how they navigate the many speed bumps they’ve encountered over the years — and today.
And of course, there’s the gap between how men behind the mic think about women’s chances to advance are — and how women approach the same question. As you can clearly see below, they see two very different industries and disparate realities:
Not surprisingly, that gap we saw in 2018 continues today, underscoring the challenges radio has to provide not just diversity, but opportunity.
Much of the way in which women perceive their chances has to do with support — and where it comes from. In AQ2, we asked the entire sample about where they derive the most support across the spectrum of people, co-workers, and managers in which they have contact. While the answers don’t deviate greatly among the genders, it is clear that women feel their co-hosts and other women at the station are most likely to have their backs.
On the opposite end, they point to upper management, corporate, and sales as least likely to be supportive. That’s not a great set of circumstances.
Interestingly, Ellen K provides advice for fledgling broadcasters;
“Find a top seller to give you tips on ways to keep a long-term advertiser or land a new one. Finding creative ways to bring revenue is always a top priority.”
Connecting with revenue and how it is generated came up at Boot Camp, too. As the radio industry struggles to reach its financial goals, women — and all on-air personalities — have a chance to prove their ROI and become even more valuable to the enterprise.
That’s all well and good, but this issue of a lack of support among management may, in fact, be the central theme behind women’s frustration. And while it came through loud in this year’s AQ2 study, it may be one that air personalities in general — and women specifically — have felt for eons.
But at this important junction in the country’s trajectory — and the ways in which people are presented and represented in the media — support needs to come from the entire organization, especially those in influential and power positions.
I felt that sting in my AQ opening session at Morning Show Boot Camp. Elizabeth Kay asked a question about the fate of aging female on-air personalities and whether they have a fair shot at continued success. While I provided a truthful answer, I did so hastily, moving to get to the next questioner and to stay on time.
After having a post-MSBC conversation with Elizabeth, I realize that like so many others in positions of power in radio, I have to be a better listener, especially when it comes to hearing from those who are striving to advance but often are unheard or ignored.
To be sure, some women are hitting it out of the park. Those seeking a shining success story should look no further than the trajectory and accomplishment of KOST/Los Angeles morning star, Ellen K. As most people in radio know, Ellen was the sidekick for two morning show superstars — Rick Dees and Ryan Seacrest — before striking out on her own.
But at this important junction in the country’s trajectory — and the ways in which people are presented and represented in the media — support needs to come from the entire organization, especially those in influential and power positions.