Kenny Smith has become a familiar face in sports broadcasting, and he’s being fairly compensated for his contributions. His background in sports can be traced back to his playing days on the basketball courts of the University of North Carolina, according to the National Urban League. Upon graduating with a degree in Industrial Relations, he would be drafted to the Sacramento Kings as a sixth overall draft pick in 1987, ESPN reports. On Oct. 14, 1987, Smith signed a multi-year contract with the team, RealGM mentions. He would go on to play for several teams, including the Houston Rockets, for six seasons. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kenny Smith (@kennysmith) They would earn two National Championships in 1994 and 1995 during his tenure. “I was one of the perfect pieces that fit into that championship mix,” Smith told Houstonia Magazine. Smith played for a total of ten seasons in the NBA and also attached his name to the Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic,...

For over a decade, Stephen A. Smith has been recognized as one of the faces of ESPN. Before becoming a host on “First Take,” the veteran sports broadcaster hosted “The Stephen A. Smith Show” on ESPN Radio from 2005 to 2008, per ESPN Press Room. By 2011, Smith returned to host a weekday local show on ESPN Radio 98.7FM in New York, NY, and a local show on ESPN LA 710AM in Los Angeles, CA. In an interview with “Earn Your Leisure” podcast, Smith recounted being fired from ESPN in 2009. He explained that the reason for his departure was that his contract at the time did not align with what he believed he should earn. “I thought that I deserved more than they offered,” Smith shared on “Earn Your Leisure. “I was appalled at the offer they made me. I did not like it. I did not appreciate it. I felt disrespected. And I said ‘No.’” Smith admitted that his disapproval with the offer he received was based on the acclaim and accolades that were pouring in for him. However, he says when he...

In light of Women’s History Month, it’s important we uplift and amplify women in media who are acting as today’s leaders of innovation and change. For Sirius XM radio host Sienna Garraway — better known as Swaggy Sie — she’s used her expertise as a media personality and content creator to propel herself into being a tastemaker for our culture. With the help of both technology and her skills in broadcasting, she’s been able to build a successful brand around herself. Swaggy Sie — a native of Brooklyn, NY — got her start in the media world as a college student interning at Sirius XM under entities such as Shade 45, Ed Lover, Sway Calloway and more. “Those entities really molded me into a person that could understand radio – the background of it, the programming side, and really gave me my foundation of media and broadcasting at such a young age,” she tells AfroTech.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Swaggy Sie (@swaggysie) “One of my first mentors DJ S Whit was very...

The endless downtime thanks to the pandemic has given Kofi Siriboe time to realize a new business venture, We’re Not Kids Anymore. According to Shadow & Act, the “Queen Sugar” star will soon launch the media and lifestyle platform that will illuminate and reflect on the cultural resets that helped shaped Black culture and the world. “I was sitting home like we all were and all of the ideas and all of the things that crossed my heart and mind in the last five years came to the surface and We’re Not Kids Anymore really stood out,” he said. “We’re always looking ahead and creating new things as we move, but I just think it’s important to reflect and actually appreciate and find value in the experiences that shaped us to this moment.” Siriboe describes We’re Not Kids Anymore as a “network of nostalgia.” Alongside tech partner Julian Lane, he’s creating a space to celebrate time. More specifically, the time between being a kid and an adult.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared...

Tom Joyner, the host of the show that bears his name, put down his microphone Friday. After 25 years on-air, the veteran radio host of the “The Tom Joyner Morning Show” began his retirement from a job he never imagined leaving. In a recent CBS News interview conducted by Jericka Duncan , the Alabama native described his auspicious start at a local radio station. After protesting that the station failed to play Black music, despite being situated in an all-Black community, the station owner relented. Joyner took the mic, and he never looked back. In 1994, he began hosting “The Tom Joyner Morning Show” on ABC Radio Networks with a focus on empowerment. Setting that unique tone paved the way for transparency on the program, giving rise to discussions about real-life topics, such as voter advocacy and health awareness, peppered with humor and social commentary. His direct, down-to-earth approach is associated with galvanizing Blacks to vote . Ten years later, with a greater following,...

Emma Bowen, a Harlem-native and community activist, cared about the images of people of color in the news. So she came to Midtown, met with broadcast executives and struck a deal to create opportunity. “They said, ‘You know what? We want to put talented people of color in positions so they can become the future of media,’” says Rahsaan Harris, PHD, President & CEO of The Emma Bowen Foundation, a program that continues her legacy by providing internships for nearly 1,000 students of color and career opportunities for its graduates during its almost 30-year history. According to Harris, the partner companies are big broadcasters, cable operators, computer companies, PR companies and more. Today, the foundation prioritizes connecting leading media companies with promising students of color to create a pipeline of emerging leaders, which leads to diverse hiring, retention and advancement. Some of the current partners working with the foundation include Bloomberg Media, C-Span, CBS...