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Premier Basketball League (PBL) has announced the first round of front office leadership team hires this week.

Since the 2011 season finals, the PBL administration has focused its efforts toward new initiatives, league development, and enhancing the PBL organizational structure to best suit the franchises, players and fans alike.

The first wave of the leadership team combines over 50 years of experience in all facets of local, minor league and major league athletics. “We brought on a team of seasoned league veterans from all parts of the sports franchise world. From former professional league administers all the way to seasoned referees that view the league structure from a different perspective,” commented Brij Desai, new league President and Chief Executive Officer.

The first tier of league management includes:

Brij M. Desai, President and Chief Executive Officer
John Guy, Chief Operating Officer
Carrie Ann May, Vice President/Operations
Shayne Donahue, Vice President/ Sales & Marketing
Paul Carter, Vice President/Team Development
Chris Foltz, Vice President/Development
Dominic Turcotte, Director of International Development
Kevan Robbins, Director of League Partnerships
Chuck Miller, League Photographer & Media Specialist
Bo Lamotte, President/@Sports Television Network
PBL League Counsel, The Law Offices of Robbins, Saloman, & Patt, LTD.

“We are excited about what the PBL has to offer franchise owners, players, fans and most importantly, our communities,” said new league COO John Guy.

League development director Chris Foltz added, “We are excited about all of the interest from new markets in addition to existing teams in other minor leagues who are considering a jump to the PBL.  We support the teams who have been part of the league and the new franchises to come.”

The PBL continues its partnership and international television contract with @Sports Television Network. This makes the PBL the first minor league team to regularly broadcast its games on cable television, in addition to online and mobile settings. “This is definitely a talking point amongst both new franchise owners and league sponsors. It gives the PBL a reach like no other minor league team has…in any sport,” Desai concluded.

The PBL will be launching a new interactive website this month. In addition, on June 15th, PBL league officials will join the @Sports TV Network executives at the 2011 National Cable & Telecommunications Association’s annual Cable Show in Chicago to announce the first full wave of teams in their new regional play model.

PBL Chairman Dr. Sev Hrywnak is dedicated to raising the bar for minor league basketball in America said “With the establishment of a true ‘front office’ for the PBL, we have the opportunity to be the first minor league sports league to function like a major league. This gives us the opportunity to offer solid support to our individual franchises like never before.”

Hrywnak added “As Chairman of the Board I’ve brought this executive leadership team together for 2012 and we will create a board of directors that is comprised of the franchise owners, representatives and our executives. This will give the league the opportunity to focus on bringing entertainment and athleticism to our communities.”

Clear Channel Radio’s Z100 named 2011 “Station of the Year” at the 2011 Worldwide Radio Summit. The Worldwide Radio Summit presented domestic and international awards to the radio industry, and highlighted the most important issues impacting radio today as well as the future of radio broadcasts.

Z100 prevailed in the “Station of the Year” category against 97.1 AMP Los Angeles, 106.1 Kiss FM Dallas, 99.7 Now FM San Francisco and 107.7 The End Seattle. Clear Channel’s Jon Zellner, Senior Vice President of Programming, won the award for Company Senior Programmer, and Clear Channel was also nominated for a number of additional awards, including Company of the Year, Company Exec, Company Online Exec, Station Exec, Station Programmer and Station Air Talent.

Fans can listen to Z100 on the station’s website, Z100.com, as well as on iHeartRadio.com and the iHeartRadio mobile app, Clear Channel’s industry-leading digital radio service that delivers more than 750 of America’s favorite radio stations from 150 cities as well as commercial-free digital only stations; specialized artist stations; non-music radio programming and national programming, including 24/7 Comedy Radio, White House Brief, The Elvis Duran Channel, Fox Sports Radio, AT40 with Ryan Seacrest; and more.

The first annual Worldwide Radio Summit took place in Hollywood, California and featured experts from radio, music, digital technology and social media platforms. The event shared knowledge and ideas for a better radio and music environment in the coming years. The awards had 33 different categories and were voted on by All Access and A&R Worldwide.

Sharon Dastur, Z100 Program Director said “It’s an honor to be named station of the year, and we couldn’t be more appreciative of the support of our millions of fans from across the country, who helped us achieve this level of recognition. I also want to thank the fantastic Z100 team, which made this milestone a reality. Congratulations to everyone!”

A new Dunkin’ Donuts, the first of 36 new Dunkin’ Donuts scheduled to open in southeastern Wisconsin, will celebrate its grand opening in Menomonee Falls at the intersection of Silver Spring and Pilgrim Roads, Saturday, May 14.  Milwaukee Brewers players Corey Hart and Manny Parra will be on site, along with Special Olympics Wisconsin athletes to help commemorate the event.

Hart and Parra will meet with fans, serve guests and raffle autographed items at the new Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m.  The players also will participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the local franchise owners and John Costello, Chief Global Marketing and Innovation Officer for Dunkin’ Brands; John Dawson, Chief Development Officer for Dunkin’ Brands; and other company officials at 9:30 a.m.  As part of its commitment to the people and communities in which it operates, Dunkin’ Donuts will donate $3,000 to Special Olympics Wisconsin.  Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Hart and Parra will each pull the name of one lucky winner, who will be awarded  Dunkin’ Donuts coffee for an entire  year.*

The new restaurant is owned by the Milwaukee Coffee Brewing Co., a partnership of six Dunkin’ Donuts franchisees who together operate more than 370 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants on the East Coast and which will open the 36 new Dunkin’ Donuts over the next five years.

During the grand opening celebration, sports bottles autographed by both Hart and Parra containing Free Medium Coffee coupons will be available for a $10 donation to Special Olympics Wisconsin beginning at 9 a.m., and continuing while supplies last.  All guests making a donation of any amount to Special Olympics Wisconsin will receive one Free Medium Coffee coupon.

The celebration also will include a morning performance by members of the Menomonee Falls High School Orchestra and raffle giveaways of autographed Brewers baseball caps.

The new Menomonee Falls location will be open from 5 a.m. – 10 p.m., seven days a week.  It employs approximately 45 crew members and features outdoor as well as indoor seating and a drive-thru for faster service.

MusclePharm Corporation will be bringing some top NFL stars to Paramus, New Jersey on May 5, 6 and 13 to help celebrate the opening of General Nutrition Centers’ (GNC) newest location at 688 Route 17 North.

Fans will be able to meet New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck on May 5 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., retired Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer on May 6 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and current New York Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes on May 13 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Attendees will also be able to try free samples of MusclePharm’s MuscleGel and Assault nutritional supplements.

Toomer and Tuck were both part of the 2007 New York Giants team that snatched a perfect season away from the New England Patriots, winning Super Bowl XLII with a final score of 17 to 14. Tuck recorded two sacks and a forced fumble during the game, while Toomer led the Giants in receptions during the game, racking up six receptions for 84 yards.

Holmes joined the New York Jets in 2010 after four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, including a game-winning catch in Super Bowl XLIII. During his first season with the Jets, Holmes developed a rhythm with quarterback Mark Sanchez that helped the team advance to the AFC Championship game.

For Pyatt, the relationship with these NFL standouts goes beyond product promotion. MusclePharm develops unique formulas for its nutritional supplements, based on scientific research and feedback from a variety of professional athletes.

Brad Pyatt, CEO of MusclePharm said “This is a great opportunity for New York and New Jersey NFL fans to meet the guys they cheer for and find out how hard they work to be a part of professional football. We’re also excited to share our MuscleGel and Assault products, which have been developed with the help of pro athletes.”

Pyatt added “As a former NFL player myself, I know the challenges that pro football players face. It’s important for anyone who wants to compete at a top level to find products that actually work, and that’s why we aggressively research our formulas. Our MuscleGel and Assault are built with the pros in mind, which is why they deliver excellent results for athletes and fitness enthusiasts at all levels.”

HDNet will present Live Coverage of the UFC 129 Weigh-Ins on Special edition on Friday, April 29.

“Inside MMA” sets the stage for a historic night in mixed martial arts with a special edition featuring LIVE coverage of the UFC 129 weigh-ins, and exclusive interviews with the event’s headliners. The UFC is set to make its long-awaited debut in Toronto before a record crowd of 55,000 fans this Saturday night.

In the main event of the evening, Georges St-Pierre will defend his UFC Welterweight Title against Jake Shields in one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year.

As part of our special coverage, Ron Kruck speaks exclusively with St-Pierre and Kenny Rice sits down with Shields as they prepare for the big fight. Plus, Bas Rutten breaks down the entire fight card.

A preview clip is available at:

http://www.hd.net/blogs/2011/04/inside-mma-preview-live-from-ufc-129-weigh-in/

This special edition of “Inside MMA” premieres at 4:00 p.m. ET.

HDNet will also air an encore presentation of this special “Inside MMA” in the program’s regularly scheduled time slot of 9:00 p.m. ET.  “Inside MMA” is just part of three hours of UFC 129 coverage on HDNet—Your Home for MMA!

#Countdown to UFC 129 @ 8:00pm ET

#Inside MMA @ 9:00pm ET

#UFC Primetime: St-Pierre vs. Shields @ 10:00pm ET

#UFC Primetime: St-Pierre vs. Shields @ 10:30pm ET

Shotzoom and Paul Azinger, PGA Pro and victorious Ryder Cup Captain announced an in-app purchase to Golfplan with Paul Azinger, the best-selling golf instructional app in the world. Available for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, the updated app now includes 28 new instructional videos by Azinger to help amateur golfers practice at home or in the office.

Golfplan integrates with the world’s largest active golf community, Golfshot.com, where members share, compare and chart their golf game statistics, generate customized training plans and receive detailed insight into their performance over time.

Amongst the 28 new tutorial videos, Azinger demonstrates proper swing path, ways to create lag and proper weight transfer drills. Based on the user’s handicap and Golfshot statistics, Golfplan provides personalized instruction plans to help every golfer improve their game – from shaving strokes off their short game to adding a few extra yards to their tee shot.

Features of Golfplan with Paul Azinger include:

* Instructional videos for categories including driving, greens in regulation, short game, bunkers and putting
* Statistics that identify strengths and weaknesses
* Ability to see and track progress over time
* Sharing and feedback tools tied to community members
* Exclusive instruction from Paul Azinger

Golfplan with Paul Azinger integrates with Shotzoom’s Golfshot community, the world’s largest active golf community with more than a half-million active members. Through Golfshot’s suite of products, members have the ability to score and store rounds, gain insight into their game performance, track improvement, share their statistics and compare with community members. Members have played over 50 million holes of golf on 37,000 courses in 152 countries in the 19 months since Golfshot: Golf GPS launched.

Azinger said “”I’ve spent thirty years touring and most golfers don’t have a good caddie, statistical charting and expert coaching. Golfplan, along with stats kept from Golfshot GPS, offers personalized tips, coaching and drills golfers need to take their game to the next level. And with this update, not getting to the course isn’t an excuse to not practice – rain or shine, anyone can practice with a purpose from their home or office with this app.”

Craig Prichard, president of Shotzoom said “Our apps provide instruction as well as performance statistics that let members track their progress over time and compare results with others. The integration with our Golfshot community brings members into a network of highly engaged users with similar interests.”

Crown Media Holdings, Inc. has announced the promotion of Tara Tzirlin to Vice President, Consumer Marketing, a newly created position.  She will continue to be based in the networks’ Los Angeles office and report to Susanne McAvoy, Executive Vice President Marketing.

In her expanded role, Tzirlin will oversee all consumer marketing efforts, a central function to the ongoing evolution, positioning, and communication of both the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel brands.  In addition to developing and executing a broad annual consumer marketing strategy for each network, she is responsible for directing brand, messaging, and creative initiatives on behalf of individual movies, specials, and series.  She will continue to manage all off-air media planning.

Tzirlin joined the company in 2006 as Senior Consumer Marketing Manager and was promoted through roles of increasing responsibility. Prior to joining Crown Media Networks, Tzirlin served in various marketing positions at Viacom-owned cable networks, Comedy Central and MTV Networks. She graduated from New York University with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies.

McAvoy said “Over the past five years, Tara has played an increasingly integral role in the evolution, growth and representation of our flagship brand Hallmark Channel and rapidly emerging sister network Hallmark Movie Channel. I know she will continue to be a great asset to the company and am so pleased to acknowledge her contributions with this well-deserved promotion.”

Crunch has launched its revolutionary X-Pert Pole Fitness professional training program. Crunch, an industry leader in innovative group fitness programming, launched pole fitness classes on its schedule in 2004.

Since that time, the demand and class attendance has continued to grow in unparalleled proportions, proving that pole fitness is not just a trend, but a mainstream phenomenon that is here to stay.

Crunch has joined forces with X-Pole, the world leader in the manufacturing of poles, including the X-Pert Pole and the X-Pole, and the official pole provider for Crunch and the X-Pert training program. Crunch’s X-Pert training program is the first and only of its kind, and accredited by AFAA and ACE, and endorsed by the Pole Fitness Association (PFA). This revolutionary training program ensures that participants at all fitness levels can experience the class in a fun, safe and effective way.

The X-Pert Pole Fitness training program is powered by Crunch and X-Pole, and co-developed and led by top professionals in the fitness industry and pole community, including Kyra Johannesen, Marlo Fisken, and Michelle Stanek. The 2-day, 16-hour training teaches a general standard of safety and technique by breaking down each section of a pole fitness class to deliver the best workout possible, from the most basic of concepts like how to properly setup a pole to dance choreography and exercise science.

“I am personally proud and excited to finally take my love and knowledge of pole fitness outside of the Crunch family and share it with fitness professionals around the globe,” says Kyra Johannesen, co-developer of X-Pert. “There are so many untapped communities that are looking to learn and experience the amazing benefits, both physically and mentally, that pole fitness can offer.”

Science Day at the Ballpark featuring the debut of PhillieBot, a robot custom-built for the Philadelphia Science Festival that will throw out the first pitch at 12:45 p.m. (prior to the 1:05 p.m. Phillies-Brewers game).

PhillieBot was engineered and built over the last two months with one specific purpose: to throw out the first pitch on April 20. It was a project of the GRASP lab at University of Pennsylvania, which is one of the core collaborators in the inaugural Philadelphia Science Festival. Festival organizers and the Phillies collaborated on developing a “Science Day at the Ballpark” to showcase the physics of baseball and other interesting bits of science and technology that are part of America’s favorite pastime.

WHERE:  Field at Citizens Bank Park

WHEN:  Wednesday, April 20 at 12:45 p.m. EDT

WHO:  PhillieBot (most likely not available before/after)

Phillie Phanatic (team mascot)

BBVA Compass has signed an agreement to become an official partner of the Dallas Mavericks.

BBVA Compass has 110 banking centers in the Metroplex and ranks as the fourth largest bank in the Dallas-Ft. Worth metropolitan area based on deposit market share. With operations throughout seven states in the Sunbelt Region, BBVA Compass ranks among the top 20 largest financial institutions in the United States and the fourth largest bank in Texas.

BBVA Compass is the U.S. subsidiary of BBVA (NYSE: BBVA) (MAD: BBVA), a global financial services group with approximately $740 billion in total assets, 47 million clients and operations in more than 30 countries. In October 2010, BBVA signed a multi-year marketing partnership whereby it is the Official Bank of the NBA, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the NBA Development League (NBA D-League) in the United States, Spain and Puerto Rico.

As the Dallas Mavericks tip-off their 11th straight year of making the NBA Playoffs, the excitement of the NBA and the banking world come together as the BBVA Compass NBA Team. Works. on Tour(SM) visits the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. Fans of all ages will have the opportunity to shoot, slam, dribble and drive on two different custom basketball courts. Adults can showcase their talents and compete against friends in skills challenges and shooting contests on the BBVA Compass Center Court. For the smaller ballers there will be a specially designed court complete with junior-sized hoops perfect for pint-sized slam dunks, three-pointers and jump shots.

“We are very pleased to be partnering with the Dallas Mavericks, an organization that epitomizes innovation, provides its fans with a customer-friendly experience and is committed to improving the local communities around the Metroplex,” said BBVA U.S. Country Manager and President and CEO of BBVA Compass Manolo Sanchez. “As the Mavs have shown, whether you’re on the basketball court or in the financial arena, teamwork plays a vital role in determining success. Our goal is to recreate that success by providing our customers with a championship caliber banking team that meets all of their financial needs.”