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February 2021 Programming Highlights for Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior
Posted on January 19, 2021 by Danielle Langer
February 2021 Programming Highlights
– All programming subject to change –
Monday, Feb. 1
Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney XD
Big Hero 6 The Series "The MiSFIT/Return to Sycorax"
(7:30-8:00 p.m. EST)
"The MiSFIT" – In order to recruit child prodigy Rishi Patel, Professor Granville enlists Hiro to give him a tour of SFIT.
"Return to Sycorax" – When Krei is lost in the old Sycorax building, the heroes must search the abandoned monster factory to find him.
Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel
BUNK'D "Tentacle Difficulties"
Ava volunteers Noah for a field trip to the Moose Rump Aquarium, but it turns out Noah's terrified of the ocean's creatures. Parker and Destiny debate the importance of a majestic tree.
Secrets of Sulphur Springs "Time Warped"
Griffin and Harper observe as young Ben and Savannah sit around the post-dance campfire when, suddenly, Savannah is spooked by a counselor dressed as the legendary Moss Man.
Saturday, Feb. 6
Big City Greens "Mages & Mazes/Okay Karaoke"
(9:00-9:30 a.m. EST)
"Mages & Mazes" – When the kids play a role-playing game at Remy's, his rules lead to conflict.
"Okay Karaoke" – When the Greens go out for karaoke, Tilly struggles to decide what genre of music will best express her true self.
*Singer-songwriter Macy Gray and Aaron Barrett ("Reel Big Fish") guest star as Kara Karaoke and Ska Guy, respectively.
Friday, Feb. 12
BUNK'D "Luck of the Chuck"
Ava and Noah work together to put on a puppet show for the PeeWeeWaka campers while Destiny helps Lou prepare for an important camp inspection.
Secrets of Sulphur Springs "Long Time Gone"
Griffin and Harper are grounded after they are caught together outside of The Tremont. Soon after, they sneak back through the portal with the hope of still finding Savannah.
Saturday, Feb. 13
Big City Greens "Date Night/The Room"
"Date Night" – Bill chaperones Cricket and Gabriella's first date.
"The Room" – Tilly closes up Cricket's secret escape hole in their room, sparking a conflict that leads to them splitting the room down the middle.
Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Junior
Mira, Royal Detective "A Royal Detective Mystery/The Mystery of the Missing Crown"
"A Royal Detective Mystery" – When the former royal detective comes to town, Mira asks for his help with a cold case.
*Iqbal Theba ("Glee") guest stars as Detective Gupta.
"The Mystery of the Missing Crown" –Mira must find the royal crown when it goes missing.
BUNK'D "Look Who's Squawking"
Ava insists that she wants to take on more responsibility this summer, so Lou assigns her the task of resurrecting the "Camper of the Week" program.
Secrets of Sulphur Springs "If I Could Turn Back Time"
Harper and Griffin escape after being detained by the police and find young Jess, who reveals new details about her relationship with Savannah.
Monday, Feb. 22
DuckTales "Beaks in the Shell!"
(7:00–7:30 p.m. EST)
Huey struggles to keep Fenton and Gandra's top-secret experiment (and their relationship) hidden from the world. But, Mark Beaks is desperate for one last gizmo to steal.
*Lin-Manuel Miranda (Broadway's "Hamilton") returns as Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera/Gizmoduck, Jameela Jamil ("The Good Place") returns as Gandra, Selenis Leyva ("Orange Is the New Black") returns as Officer Cabrera/M'Ma, and Josh Brener ("Silicon Valley") returns Mark Beaks.
Puppy Dog Pals "Pups of the Dance/Fantastic Pet Force Gems"
(10:00-10:30 a.m. EST)
"Pups of the Dance" – Bob wants to take a traditional Irish dance class while visiting Ireland, but when the instructor goes missing, Bingo and Rolly set out on a mission to find him.
"Fantastic Pet Force Gem" – Bob and Ana enter a costume contest as a superhero duo, but when they realize they're missing special gems to complete their costumes, Bingo and Rolly go on a mission to find them.
BUNK'D "Raucous Science"
Lou signs up for a chemistry class to finish her college degree and is surprised to discover that Matteo is her professor. Meanwhile, Finn learns he has a new little sister on the way.
Secrets of Sulphur Springs "As Time Goes By"
Once Griffin and Harper learn they can't reopen the hatch to let Savannah in, they quickly go back through the portal.
Posted in Disney ChannelTagged Big City Greens, Big Hero 6, BUNK'D, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, DuckTales, Mira Royal Detective, Puppy Dog Pals, Secrets of Sulphur SpringsLeave a Comment on February 2021 Programming Highlights for Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior
Dino Ranchers Ride! Action-Packed Preschool Series "Dino Ranch" Saddles Up for Disney Junior
Posted on January 13, 2021 January 13, 2021 by Danielle Langer
Dino Ranchers Ride! Action-Packed Preschool Series "Dino Ranch" Saddles Up for Disney Junior Debut on January 18
The animated series, produced by Industrial Brothers and Boat Rocker Studios, follows the Cassidy family as they tackle life in a fantastical, "pre-westoric" setting where dinosaurs roam.
[via press release from Boat Rocker Media]
DINO RANCHERS RIDE!
ACTION-PACKED PRESCHOOL SERIES "DINO RANCH" SADDLES UP FOR DISNEY JUNIOR DEBUT ON JANUARY 18
Animated "Pre-Westoric" Series from Industrial Brothers and Boat Rocker Studios Celebrates Family, Teamwork, Community and Outdoor Fun
Toronto, ON – Filled with adventure and life-long friendships, the new preschool series "Dino Ranch" will make its U.S. debut January 18, 2021, on Disney Junior and in DisneyNOW. The animated series, produced by Industrial Brothers and Boat Rocker Studios, follows the Cassidy family as they tackle life in a fantastical, "pre-westoric" setting where dinosaurs roam. As the young explorers learn the ropes, they discover the thrill of ranch life while navigating the great outdoors through unpredictable challenges.
In addition to an irresistible blend of dinosaurs and ranchers, the series has four key themes at its core and celebrates outdoor fun, embraces nurturing and friendship, demonstrates the strength of teamwork and personal growth, and promotes the importance of family and community.
The sun rises. A Pterodactyl crows. Dinosaurs roar … and a dedicated family of dinosaur-riding Dino Ranchers hits the saddles to race off for another day of fun-filled, free-range roping 'n' riding, dinosaur-driven fun!
"We Come From Different Places, But We Are Family…"
Dino Ranch – the ultimate playground – is a working farm and dinosaur sanctuary. It is home to the tight-knit Cassidy family which includes adopted siblings Jon, 10, the eldest and the leader, he is a fast-talking, wide-eyed young cowboy who fancies himself the fastest lasso in the west; super-caring Min, 8, a young dino doctor-in-training; and Miguel, 6, a super-smart, deep thinking, soft-spoken inventor with big ideas. All are training to be ranchers under the sure and steady guidance of their Pa and Ma, Bo and Jane.
Accompanied by their own distinctive dinosaurs, Jon's speedy raptor Blitz; Min's big-hearted Brontosaurus Clover; and Miguel's tiny but mighty triceratops Tango – all also very much part of the family – they discover the thrill of ranch life while navigating the great outdoors through unforeseen challenges. As the three little Dino Ranchers learn the ropes, every day is filled with unpredictable adventures – because at Dino Ranch, trouble can loom like a T-Rex on a moonless night!
"There's Always Adventure, So Lend A Helping Hand… "
"I grew up in ranch country as a boy and saw that the adults depended on the children to handle big important jobs, just as much as each other, so I had always been interested in doing a story about kids on a family ranch," explained Matt Fernandes, Creative Director and Co-founder of Industrial Brothers and the creator of "Dino Ranch." "I have always had a love of dinosaurs too and the idea of mixing them with ranchers felt really fresh and unique for this age group. Watching our Dino Ranchers interact and bond with their dinosaurs as if they were puppy dogs is what makes the show so appealing and is what drives all our stories."
Jon Rutherford, President Boat Rockers Studios Kids & Family and President, Boat Rocker Studios, Rights said: "Just like the dino hatchlings we've been incubating "Dino Ranch" for a while now, and a ton of passion, time, creativity and resources have been spent on producing a top-notch series and building a new franchise. We are really excited that our show is going to finally air on Disney Jr. and we can't wait to see children's reactions to the first few episodes. We're all confident it will be a huge success!"
Packed with comedy and adventure, "Dino Ranch" introduces kids to problem-solving, the foundations of forging life-long friendships, strengthening family and community bonds, and taking care of animals.
The first two episodes, each featuring two 11-minute stories, will debut Monday, January 18 at 12:30 p.m. ET/PT on Disney Junior and in DisneyNOW. Following the premiere, new episodes will debut Mondays at 12:30 p.m. ET/PT on Disney Junior and in DisneyNOW.
"Dino Ranch" is created by Matt Fernandes (of Industrial Brothers) and produced by Industrial Brothers and Boat Rocker Studios, in association with CBC Kids and Radio-Canada. Boat Rocker Studios manage the global franchise development including content distribution and consumer products.
ABOUT BOAT ROCKER MEDIA
Boat Rocker Media (Boat Rocker) is an independent, integrated global entertainment company that harnesses the power of creativity and commerce to tell stories and build iconic brands for audiences around the world. Boat Rocker Studios, the company's main creative engine, creates, produces and distributes award-winning content and franchises across all major genres via its Scripted, Unscripted, and Kids & Family divisions. The Studio also distributes and licenses thousands of hours of its own and third-party content worldwide. Boat Rocker also owns or invests in companies in the entertainment industry that bolster the company's strategic and operational goals, including Insight Productions (Unscripted), Jam Filled Entertainment (2D and 3D Animation), Industrial Brothers (Kids & Family Animation) and Untitled Entertainment, a leading global talent management company that represent leading on-screen talent and celebrities. Finally, Boat Rocker Ventures acquires, invests and builds consumer-facing entertainment intellectual property and technology. It has investments in Serial Box, MarcoPolo Learning, CAA Creative Labs and Bustle. A selection of Boat Rocker's projects include: "Orphan Black" (BBC AMERICA, Space), "Dear… " (Apple TV+), "Lip Sync Battle" (Paramount Network), "The Amazing Race Canada" (CTV), "MasterChef Canada" (CTV), "The Next Step" (Family Channel, CBC), "The Loud House" (Nickelodeon) and "Remy & Boo" (Universal Kids, CBC) For more information, please visit www.boatrocker.com.
ABOUT INDUSTRIAL BROTHERS
Industrial Brothers, co-founded by Matt Fernandes and Arthur Spanos, is a creative studio focused exclusively on developing and producing premium, original IP that tells unique stories for kids of all ages. Based in Toronto, Industrial Brothers works closely with broadcast, production and distribution partners, creating high quality shows such as "Top Wing" (produced by 9 Story Media Group for Nickelodeon), "Remy & Boo" (with Boat Rocker Studios for Universal Kids), "Kingdom Force" (with Boat Rocker Studios for CBC), "Dot!" (with The Jim Henson Company for CBC, Universal Kids and Hulu), "Yup Yups" (Disney Jr.) and the YouTube exclusive boys' action series "Gummandos." For more information on Industrial Brothers, please visit www.industrialbrothers.com or connect with them on Facebook.
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Disney Channel Orders Third Season of Hit Animated Comedy Series "Big City Greens"
The series creators and executive producers, brothers Chris and Shane Houghton, have also expanded their roles and entered into an overall deal at Disney Television Animation.
[via press release from Disney Channel]
DISNEY CHANNEL ORDERS THIRD SEASON OF HIT ANIMATED COMEDY SERIES 'BIG CITY GREENS'
— Show Creators, Brothers Chris and Shane Houghton, Enter Into Overall Development Deal With Disney Television Animation —
Disney Channel has ordered a third season of its hit Emmy(R) Award-nominated animated comedy "Big City Greens." The series creators and executive producers, brothers Chris and Shane Houghton ("Harvey Beaks"), have also expanded their roles and entered into an overall deal at Disney Television Animation. Under the agreement, the duo will continue their work on "Big City Greens" and develop new animated series, shorts and movies for Disney Channel and Disney+.
Meredith Roberts, senior vice president/general manager, Television Animation, Disney Channels, said, "Chris and Shane have a wonderfully unique vision for characters and stories with both humor and heart, and we're especially pleased to continue working with them on more 'Big City Greens' and other creative ventures."
In a joint statement, the Houghton brothers said, "We are excited to be deepening our relationship with Disney. They have been very supportive of us and our crazy ideas, and we are looking forward to continuing to grow 'Big City Greens' as well as develop new and exciting projects together."
Best known for creating, writing and illustrating their comic book series "Reed Gunther," about a bear riding cowboy, the duo has written and illustrated comics for "The Simpsons," "Adventure Time" and "Peanuts," among others. For television, Chris worked as a storyboard artist on Disney's hit series "Gravity Falls," and Shane as an editor for the reality series "Tattoo School." The two worked together on "Harvey Beaks," Chris as storyboard director and Shane as staff writer.
"Big City Greens" follows mischievous and optimistic 10-year-old Cricket Green, who moves from the country to the big city with his wildly out of place family – older sister Tilly, father Bill and Gramma Alice. The series is influenced by the Houghton brothers' childhood growing up in the small rural town of St. Johns, Michigan, with many of the locations and characters inspired by their real-life family members and townsfolk.
Currently in its second season, new episodes will roll out Saturdays beginning Jan. 16 (9:00 a.m. EST/PST) on Disney Channel and in DisneyNOW and will include a special music-filled episode featuring five original songs. Season one of "Big City Greens" is available to stream on Disney+.
Since its premiere in June 2018, "Big City Greens" has garnered nearly 300 million views across all social media and digital viewing platforms and currently ranks among the top five animated series across all Cable with Kids and Girls 6-11 for two quarters straight. The series' "Broken Karaoke" short titled "Stuck at Home" has over 16 million views and has become the most-watched video on Disney Channel YouTube Summer to date.
"Big City Greens" stars Chris Houghton as Cricket Green, Artemis Pebdani ("Scandal") as sweet-and-sour Gramma Alice, Marieve Herington ("How I Met Your Mother") as quirky older sister Tilly Green and Bob Joles ("Puss in Boots") as hard-working father Bill Green. The series is a production of Disney Television Animation and carries a TV-Y7 parental guideline.
The Houghtons are represented by Julie Kane-Ritsch of The Gotham Group and attorney Matthew Saver.
Source: [Social Media Views]: Sprinklr (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), YouTube Analytics. Reporting period: 6/1/18 – 12/31/20. Videos Views.[DisneyNOW APP]: Omniture. Reporting period: Lifetime – 11/30/20. [VOD]: ComScore. Reporting period: Lifetime – 9/30/20. [Linear]: Nielsen Media Research Live+7 data; 3Q20: 6/29/20-9/27/20; Reach from NPower based on 6 min qualifier for airings on both Disney Channel and Disney XD; Premiere ranks based on 000s.
Series ranks based on 000s for cable series only with 13+ telecasts across the quarter.
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January 2021 Programming Highlights for Disney Channel
Posted on December 18, 2020 by Danielle Langer
January 2021 Programming Highlights
Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures "There Goes Our Fun!/Don't Wake the Baby!"
"There Goes Our Fun!" – Mickey invites everyone to join him for Mickey Day at the amusement park.
"Don't Wake the Baby!" – The Happy Helpers babysit the Matisses' new baby boy, Ollie.
Mira, Royal Detective "The Case of the Missing Library Book/A Double Dosa Mystery"
"The Case of the Missing Library Book" – Mira must find the missing library book that everyone wants to read.
"A Double Dosa Mystery" – When Sandeep's dosa goes missing, Mira goes on a stakeout to discover who took it.
Original Series – Series Premiere on Disney Junior
Dino Ranch "Big Jon Big Trouble/Min's Quest"
(12:30-12:55 p.m. EST)
"Big Jon Big Trouble" – Jon's enthusiasm gets the best of him when he tries to tame a rambunctious little dinosaur by himself.
"Min's Quest" – When Min overcomes adversity to find an elusive flower, she helps cure an ailing mother brontosaurus.
Dino Ranch "Stop that Spinosaurus!/The Spookasaurus"
(12:55-1:20 p.m. EST)
"Stop that Spinosaurus!" – A rampaging dinosaur threatens to cause havoc.
"The Spookasaurus" – When Jon gets spooked by a campfire story about a legendary dinosaur, he doesn't want to admit it to Miguel and Min.
Puppy Dog Pals "New Year, New Bob/All for Show"
"New Year, New Bob" – While in Hong Kong for the Chinese New Year, Bob's homemade lantern for the Lantern Festival accidentally floats out his hotel window.
"All for Show" – Lollie is eager to win the top prize in the local dog show, so Bingo and Rolly go on a mission to help her complete her obstacle course training.
Original Series – Season 5 Premiere on Disney Channel
BUNK'D "Lou's Still the Boss, but Now There's a Ross"
Camp director Lou, counselors Ava and Noah and campers Destiny, Matteo and Finn are delighted when Emma, fresh from her glamorous career as a fashion designer in Milan, pays a surprise visit to Camp Kikiwaka.
*Guest-starring Peyton List (original cast member from seasons 1-3) as Emma.
Original Series – One-Hour Series Premiere Programming Event on Disney Channel
Secrets of Sulphur Springs "Secrets of Sulphur Springs"
Griffin Campbell and his family have just uprooted their lives to move to a new town and take ownership of an abandoned hotel in hopes of restoring it to the lively vacation destination it once was. Not long after Griffin begins his first day at a new school, he learns that the hotel he just moved into is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a girl who disappeared decades ago.
Original Series – Tentpole Episode Premiere on Disney Channel
Big City Greens "Chipocalypse Now"
Chip Whistler tears down the buildings around the Greens' house to build a new Wholesome Foods store.
*Paul Scheer ("Star Trek: Lower Decks ") and Andy Richter ("Conan") guest star as Chip Whistler and Mayor Hansock, respectively.
Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures "Donald's Dilemma/The Royal-ympics!"
"Donald's Dilemma" – Donald's day of doing chores is derailed when his Uncle Manny pays him a surprise visit.
*Richard Kind ("Curb Your Enthusiasm") guest stars as Uncle Manny.
"The Royal-ympics!" – Princess Olivia of Royalandia asks the Happy Helpers for help with the Royal-ympics.
*Madison Pettis ("Five Points") guest stars as Princess Olivia.
BUNK'D "Rise of the Machine"
Noah and Ava face a new challenge when they take over the "PeeWeeWaka" day camp program for younger campers. Meanwhile, Destiny and Finn express very different styles when they co-host the camp radio news show.
Secrets of Sulphur Springs "Time To Face The Music"
Harper asks Griffin to meet her at the portal after school, but, when Griffin gets home, he discovers his Grandfather has arrived for a visit.
Big City Greens "'Rent Control/Pool's Gold"
"'Rent Control" – When Gloria's parents visit, she ropes the Greens into escalating lies about her success.
*Amy Hill ("Magnum P.I.") and Keone Young ("Star Wars Rebels") guest star as Mr. and Mrs. Sato.
"Pool's Gold" – Cricket goes on a quest to find the best pool in Big City.
Puppy Dog Pals "My Bobby Valentine/Musical Mission Mishap"
"My Bobby Valentine" – Ana is excited to give Bob his favorite candy for Valentine's Day, but when every store is sold out, Bingo and Rolly must track down the special holiday treat.
"Musical Mission Mishap" – Bob surprises Ana by winning a walk-on role in "Pups: The Musical!"
Mira, Royal Detective "Mira's Birthday Mystery/The Great Art Mystery"
"Mira's Birthday Mystery" – On Mira's birthday, Queen Shanti asks her to solve a strange mystery.
"The Great Art Mystery" – When an anonymous painting appears, Mira searches for the artist so it can be entered in Priya's art show.
*Brian George ("The Big Bang Theory") guest stars as the art shop owner, Mr. Burman.
BUNK'D "R.V. Having Fun Yet?"
Much to Lou's surprise, Parker Preston (Trevor Tordjman, Disney's "ZOMBIES") arrives at Camp Kikiwaka to stake his claim to part ownership of the camp.
Secrets of Sulphur Springs "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Time"
Ben is upset by the flurry of news reports marking the thirtieth anniversary of Savannah's disappearance, while Zoey and Wyatt see it as the perfect opportunity to finally capture her ghost on tape.
Big City Greens "Big Resolution/Winter Greens"
"Big Resolution" – On New Year's Eve, Cricket insists on helping Gloria complete her resolution of approaching her longtime crush, Kevin.
*Booboo Stewart ("Descendants" franchise) guest stars as Kevin.
"Winter Greens" – Cricket and Remy challenge Vasquez to a snowball fight, while Tilly creates a snowperson.
Posted in Disney ChannelTagged Big City Greens, BUNK'D, Dino Ranch, Disney Channel, Mickey Mouse: Mixed-Up Adventures, Mira Royal Detective, Puppy Dog Pals, Secrets of Sulphur SpringsLeave a Comment on January 2021 Programming Highlights for Disney Channel
Season Three of Disney Junior's Emmy® Award-Nominated Series 'Muppet Babies' Debuts Monday, Jan. 4
SEASON THREE OF DISNEY JUNIOR'S eMMY® AWARD-NOMINATED SERIES 'MUPPET BABIES'
DEBUTS MONDAY, JAN. 4
— Rozzie, Fozzie Bear's Newly Adopted Sister to be Introduced —
Season three of Disney Junior's Emmy Award®-nominated series "Muppet Babies" will debut FRIDAY, JAN. 4 (5:00 p.m. EST), on Disney Junior and in DisneyNOW, and will introduce a new Muppet named Rozzie, the newly adopted sister of Fozzie Bear. The reimagined, CG-animated "Muppet Babies," which chronicles the hilarious playroom antics of a young Kermit the Frog, Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal and Summer Penguin, is Disney Channel's #1 series with kids 2-5 and has garnered a total of 255 million views on Disney Junior YouTube since its March 2018 premiere.
In the season three premiere, Fozzie shares the news that his family is adopting a little sister, and he's worried that he doesn't have what it takes to be a big brother. Fozzie's "Muppet Babies" friends use their imaginations to enroll him into "Rizzo's Big Bruddah School."
Based on the original Emmy Award-winning series, "Muppet Babies" is executive produced by Tom Warburton ("Codename: Kids Next Door"). Matt Danner ("Gravity Falls") serves as co-executive producer and supervising director for season three. This year, Danner won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Preschool Animated Program for voicing Kermit, Rowlf, Mr. Waldorf, Beaker and Chef. Chris Moreno ("Xiaolin Chronicles") is co-producer and art director, and Robyn Brown ("WellieWishers") is co-producer and story editor.
In addition to Danner, the series voice cast includes Jenny Slate (Disney's Academy Award®-winning "Zootopia") as Miss Nanny, Melanie Harrison ("Fish Hooks") as Piggy, Dee Bradley Baker ("Milo Murphy's Law") as Animal, Eric Bauza ("The Adventures of Puss in Boots") as Fozzie, Jessica DiCicco ("Puppy Dog Pals") as Summer and 2019 Emmy Award® winner for Outstanding Performer in a Preschool Animated Program, Ben Diskin ("The Spectacular Spider-Man"), as Gonzo. Rozzie is voiced by Charlie Townsend ("T.O.T.S."). The series is a production of OddBot Inc. in association with Disney Junior and The Muppets Studio.
Source: NMR Live+7 ratings. 12/30/19-11/21/20. 47+ telecast limit, excluding movies, news, specials, and shorts.
*Source: YouTube Analytics. Reporting period: Lifetime – 11/30/20 (% change: 1/1/20-11/30/20 vs 1/1/19-11/30/19). Videos Views. Muppet Babies content posted on Disney Junior YouTube channel.
*COPYRIGHT ©2020 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All photography is copyrighted material and is for editorial use only. Images are not to be archived, altered, duplicated, resold, retransmitted or used for any other purposes without written permission of Disney Junior. Images are distributed to the press in order to publicize current programming. Any other usage must be licensed. Photos posted for Web use must be at the low resolution of 72dpi, no larger than 2×3 in size.
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Bruce W. Smith and Ralph Farquhar Have Entered Into a Broad Overall Deal to Produce Programming for Disney Branded Television
Bruce W. Smith and Ralph Farquhar Have Entered Into a Broad Overall Deal to Produce Programming for Disney Branded Television, and to Identify and Develop Other Disney Projects From Emerging and Diverse Talent
Bruce W. Smith and Ralph Farquhar have entered into a wide-ranging, multiyear overall deal with Disney that calls for them to produce animated and live-action series and movies for Disney Branded Television. They will work closely with Meredith Roberts, senior vice president/general manager, Television Animation, Disney Channels, and Ayo Davis, executive vice president, Creative Development and Strategy, Disney Branded Television, to bring their inspired storytelling to Disney audiences. The agreement provides separate funding for Farquhar and Smith to find and develop emerging talent as well as leverage their combined experience to bring unique projects and voices to Disney.
The influential producers' track record includes the groundbreaking animated series "The Proud Family," which, 18 years after its Disney Channel premiere, is still beloved for its characters, stories, multilayered humor and messages about inclusion and cultural diversity in a smart, modern way. All episodes are currently available on Disney+, home to the upcoming revival series "The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder."
Photos are available here.
Gary Marsh, president and chief creative officer, Disney Branded Television, said, "With virtually every studio and platform reaching out to them, it speaks volumes that talented storytellers Ralph and Bruce have chosen Disney as the home for their boundless creativity and inspired social commentary, not to mention their commitment to identifying emerging talent. We are proud to have them as members of our family."
In a joint statement, Smith and Farquhar said, "We are very happy to be continuing our relationship with Disney and look forward to creating even more truly authentic and diverse stories and characters for audiences worldwide. We are also excited to have the opportunity to bring along a new wave of talented voices that will deepen the connection to Disney storytelling for years to come."
In addition to creating and executive producing "The Proud Family," Smith served as one of three directors of the Academy Award®-winning short "Hair Love." A Walt Disney Animation Studios alumnus, Smith supervised animation on feature films including "The Princess and the Frog," "Winnie the Pooh," "Tarzan" and "The Emperor's New Groove," and worked on visual development for "Frozen" and "Wreck-It-Ralph."
Renowned for creating and executive producing the popular sitcom "Moesha," Farquhar also created and executive produced "South Central" and "The Parkers," and executive produced "Real Husbands of Hollywood." His work also includes writing the cult classic, hip-hop feature film "Krush Groove," supervising producer on "Married… with Children," and writing for the ABC series "Happy Days."
Smith is represented by Nancy Newhouse of Newhouse Porter Hubbard. Farquhar is represented by James Kellem of JKA Talent Agency and Gordon M. Bobb of Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein & Lezcano.
*COPYRIGHT ©2020 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All photography is copyrighted material and is for editorial use only. Images are not to be archived, altered, duplicated, resold, retransmitted or used for any other purposes without written permission of Disney Channel. Images are distributed to the press in order to publicize current programming. Any other usage must be licensed. Photos posted for Web use must be at the low resolution of 72dpi, no larger than 2×3 in size.
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Secrets of Sulphur Springs: Season 1 Lead Sheet & Fact Sheet
Secrets of Sulphur Springs: Season 1 Lead Sheet
"SECRETS OF SULPHUR SPRINGS"
Disney Channel's "Secrets of Sulphur Springs" is a live-action, time-travel mystery series for kids ages 6-11 and their families. Set in the fictional Lousiana town of Sulphur Springs, the series follows adventurous 12-year-old Griffin Campbell and his bright-eyed, thrill-seeking friend Harper as they come across a secret portal that allows them to travel back in time and uncover clues related to an unsolved town mystery.
Griffin's world is upended when his father, Ben Campbell, moves the family from Chicago to Sulphur Springs to take ownership of The Tremont Hotel, an abandoned property that has been vacant for decades. The Campbell family, which also includes Griffin's loving mother Sarah and his younger twin siblings, Wyatt and Zoey, moves into The Tremont in hopes of restoring the dim, cobweb- and dust-filled hotel back to the lively vacation destination it once was—a cheery bed and breakfast complete with an onsite summer camp and nearby bubbling-water springs.
Not long after Griffin begins his first day at a new school, he learns that the hotel he just moved into is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a girl named Savannah who, without a trace, disappeared decades ago. There he meets Harper, an artistic and mystery-obsessed classmate that he soon befriends. She is fixated on the legend of Savannah and is eager to visit The Tremont to dig into the hotel's past.
Upon visiting the hotel and meeting Griffin's family, the two sneakily explore The Tremont and soon stumble upon a secret portal that transports them back in time to a previous era. The portal gives Griffin and Harper a glimpse into The Tremont Hotel during its heyday and, most importantly, Savannah. Committed to solving the mystery of how she went missing, Griffin and Harper embark on a time-travel adventure that puts them face-to-face with a sequence of thrilling escapades and run-ins with younger versions of people they have come to know in the present day. Soon, they wonder if the key to solving the mystery may, in fact, lay with those around them.
Starring are Preston Oliver ("Chicago Fire") as Griffin, Kyliegh Curran ("Doctor Sleep") as Harper, Elle Graham ("Swamp Thing") as Savannah, Kelly Frye ("Criminal Minds") as Sarah, Josh Braaten ("American Horror Story") as Ben, Landon Gordon (Disney Channel's "Coop & Cami Ask the World") as Wyatt and Madeleine McGraw ("Outcast") as Zoey.
Tracey Thomson is writer and executive producer ("The Young and the Restless"), and Charles Pratt Jr. ("STAR") serves as showrunner and executive producer. "Sulphur Springs" is a production of Gwave Productions, LLC, and carries a TV-PG parental guideline.
Secrets of Sulphur Springs: Season 1 Fact Sheet
Title: "Secrets of Sulphur Springs"
Premiere: Friday, Jan. 15, on Disney Channel.
Synopsis: The 11-episode series follows 12-year-old Griffin Campbell, whose family has just uprooted their lives to move to the small town of Sulphur Springs and take ownership of The Tremont, an abandoned hotel, in hopes of restoring it into the lively vacation destination it once was. As Griffin begins his first day at a new school, he learns the hotel he just moved into is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a girl who disappeared decades ago. Along the way, Griffin befriends Harper, a bright-eyed, mystery-obsessed classmate. Together, they uncover a secret portal that allows them to travel back in time. In the past, they'll attempt to uncover the key to solving this unsolved mystery, a mystery that affects everyone close to them.
Cast: Preston Oliver as Griffin Campbell
Kyliegh Curran as Harper
Elle Graham as Savannah
Kelly Frye as Sarah Campbell
Josh Braaten as Ben Campbell
Landon Gordon as Wyatt Campbell
Madeleine McGraw as Zoey Campbell
Created by: Tracey Thomson
Executive Producers: Tracey Thomson and Charles Pratt Jr.
Production Company: Gwave Productions, LLC
Parental Guideline: TV-PG
Press Contacts: Alex Liakos Keim
Alexandra.Liakos@Disney.com
Sheena Jafari
Sheena.Jafari@Disney.com
Social Media Info: Instagram/Twitter: @DisneyChannelPR
Instagram/Twitter: @DisneyChannel
Hashtags: #SecretsofSulphurSprings, #DisneyChannel, #DisneyNOW
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Disney Channel's First-Ever Mystery Series, 'Secrets of Sulphur Springs,' Debuts With One-Hour Programming Event
Disney Channel's First-Ever Mystery Series, 'Secrets of Sulphur Springs,' Debuts With One-Hour Programming Event on Friday, Jan. 15
DISNEY CHANNEL'S FIRST-EVER MYSTERY SERIES,
'SECRETS OF SULPHUR SPRINGS,' DEBUTS
WITH ONE-HOUR PROGRAMMING EVENT ON FRIDAY, JAN. 15
– Season Five Premiere of 'BUNK'D,' With Guest Star Peyton List,
Kicks-Off the Evening –
"Secrets of Sulphur Springs," a time-travel mystery series for kids and families, premieres FRIDAY, JAN. 15 (8:00-9:00 p.m. EST/PST), with a special one-hour uninterrupted programming event on Disney Channel. Leading into the series debut is the season five premiere of "BUNK'D" (7:30-8:00 p.m. EST/PST), guest starring popular actress Peyton List, an original cast member from seasons 1-3, reprising her role of Emma Ross. New episodes of "Secrets of Sulphur Springs" will be presented Fridays (8:00-8:30 p.m. EST/PST) on Disney Channel, beginning Jan. 22.
Set in the fictional Louisiana town of Sulphur Springs, the series follows 12-year-old Griffin Campbell (Preston Oliver, "Chicago Fire") whose world has been upended by his father, Ben (Josh Braaten, "American Horror Story"). Ben has moved the family from Chicago to take ownership of an abandoned hotel property, The Tremont. The Campbell family, which also includes Griffin's mother, Sarah (Kelly Frye, "Criminal Minds"), and his younger twin siblings, Wyatt (Landon Gordon, "Coop & Cami Ask the World") and Zoey (Madeleine McGraw, "Outcast"), moves into The Tremont in hopes of restoring it to the lively vacation destination it once was. On his first day at his new school, Griffin hears rumors that the hotel is haunted by the ghost of Savannah (Elle Graham, "Swamp Thing"), a girl who disappeared decades ago. He soon meets and befriends Harper (Kyliegh Curran, "Doctor Sleep"), a thrill-seeking classmate, and soon they discover a secret portal that allows them to travel back in time and uncover clues about the town mystery.
Coinciding with the series premiere, the DisneyNOW app will launch a casual game, "Mystery at The Tremont," in which users can explore Sulphur Springs in an interactive adventure full of hidden objects, puzzles and mini-games.
"Secrets of Sulphur Springs" is from writer and executive producer Tracey Thomson ("The Young and the Restless"). Charles Pratt Jr. ("STAR") is the executive producer. The series is produced by Gwave Productions, LLC, and carries a TV-G parental guideline.
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BUNK'D: Season 5 Lead Sheet & Fact Sheet
BUNK'D: Season 5 Lead Sheet
Disney Channel's family comedy "BUNK'D" returns for a fifth season of fun and friendship at Camp Kikiwaka. Back for another exciting summer at the camp in rural Maine are the enthusiastic camp owner/director Lou, counselors Ava and Noah, and returning campers Destiny, Matteo and Finn, who are all ready to tackle new and hilarious adventures.
As the new season begins, they are thrilled to welcome former counselor-turned-fashion-designer Emma Ross (guest star Peyton List), who pays a surprise visit to her old stomping grounds. Season five also features the arrival of charming newcomer Parker Preston, played by Disney Channel favorite Trevor Tordjman, who claims part-ownership of the camp and is determined to implement his own over-the-top ideas, much to Lou's consternation.
Meanwhile, Destiny takes on more responsibilities while she pursues her newly discovered passion for protecting the environment. Matteo impresses his fellow campers with his professor-level scientific expertise and Finn continues to charge fearlessly into adventures. Although Ava and Noah have gained confidence in their second year as counselors, Lou soon presents them with a daunting challenge: supervising the new "PeeWeeWaka" day campers, a fast-moving pack of energetic eight-year-olds who always keep them on their toes.
"BUNK'D" stars Miranda May ("The Heartbreak Kid," "Samantha Who?") as Lou, Raphael Alejandro ("Once Upon a Time") as Matteo, Will Buie Jr. ("Daytime Divas") as Finn, Mallory James Mahoney (Disney Channel Original Movie "Adventures in Babysitting") as Destiny, Shelby Simmons ("Andi Mack") as Ava, Israel Johnson ("Schooled") as Noah and Trevor Tordjman (Disney's "ZOMBIES" movies) as Parker.
Erin Dunlap ("Andi Mack," "Jessie") is executive producer of the live-action comedy series, which was created by Pamela Eells O'Connell ("Jessie," "Family Matters," "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody," "The Suite Life on Deck"). "BUNK'D" is from It's a Laugh Productions, Inc., and carries a TV-G parental guideline.
BUNK'D: Season 5 Fact Sheet
Title: "BUNK'D"
Season Five Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 15 (7:30 p.m. EST/PST)
New Episodes Available: Fridays (7:30 p.m. EST/PST)
Synopsis: Back for another exciting summer at the sometimes struggling Camp Kikiwaka in rural Maine are the enthusiastic camp owner/director Lou, counselors Ava and Noah, and returning campers Destiny, Matteo and Finn, who are all ready to tackle new and hilarious adventures. They also welcome witty and charming Parker Preston, who arrives to stake his 15% claim to the camp and brings his own over-the-top ideas that don't necessarily mesh with Lou's.
Starring: Miranda May as Lou Hockhauser
Mallory James Mahoney as Destiny Baker
Raphael Alejandro as Matteo Silva
Will Buie, Jr. as Finn Sawyer
Shelby Simmons as Ava King
Israel Johnson as Noah Lambert
Trevor Tordjman as Parker Preston
Executive Producer: Erin Dunlap
Created by: Pamela Eells O'Connell
Production Company: It's a Laugh Productions
Parental Guideline: TV-G
Posted in Disney ChannelTagged BUNK'D, comedy, Disney Channel, kidsLeave a Comment on BUNK'D: Season 5 Lead Sheet & Fact Sheet
Daveed Diggs Brings His Trademark Flow to Disney Channel in a New and Totally Lit Hanukkah Song
Posted on December 4, 2020 by Danielle Langer
Daveed Diggs Brings His Trademark Flow to Disney Channel in a New and Totally Lit Hanukkah Song, "Puppy for Hanukkah"
Multitalented Daveed Diggs (Broadway's "Hamilton," "Snowpiercer") brings his trademark flow to the original new song "Puppy for Hanukkah" premiering today, FRIDAY, DEC. 4 (9:00 p.m. EST/PST), on Disney Channel. The holiday hip-hop song, performed by Diggs and marked by his distinctive vocal style, dense verses with a memorable hook, was written and produced by Diggs with his longtime friends and creative partners William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes (also of the experimental hip-hop trio Clipping.). The song includes clarinet, tsimbl and percussion to make its innovative attention-grabbing sound.
The music video will also be presented on DisneyMusicVEVO and will rotate on Disney Channel and in Disney Stores nationwide this month.
"Daveed, William and Jonathan created a Hanukkah song for the ages that's inventive, humorous and relevant as it celebrates the Miracle of Lights, the diverse world we live in, and the universal joy when a family adopts a pet into a child's life," said Steven Vincent, vice president, Music and Soundtracks, Disney Branded Television.
"I was honored when Disney Channel approached me to come up with a fresh Hanukkah tune and embraced the opportunity to share my love of music and a little piece of my culture," said Diggs.
The song was written and produced by Grammy® and Tony® Award-winning Daveed Diggs with William Huston and Jonathan Snipes. The song is performed by Daveed Diggs. It was mixed by Steve Kaplan. Musicians featured are Max Kaplan on the clarinet and Hal Rosenfeld on the tsimbl and percussion. It is published by Wonderland Music Company, Inc. (BMI).
The lyrics to "Puppy for Hanukkah" are the following:
You know what I want
Whatchu want whatchu want whatchu want whatchu want
I want a puppy for Hanukkah
Wanna puppy wanna puppy wanna puppy wanna puppy
And Imma get Just what I wanted yup
Gon get it gon get it gon get it gon get it
Imma get puppy for Hanukkah
Get a puppy get a puppy get a puppy get a puppy
Some kids write lists for they Christmas gifts and send em' all off to they Santa's
But I don't trip off a list for my gift
Imma get it cause I got 8 chances
That's right 8 nights Festival of Lights go hard for a week with a plus one
So y'all keep stressing be good learn lessons
But Hanukkah is the best fun
And you can laugh if you wanna
Laugh at 'em laugh at 'em laugh at 'em laugh at 'em
But Imma get a puppy for Hanukkah
Clarinet no harmonica
Play the clarinet play the clarinet play the clarinet
When I get my puppy for Hanukkah
Okay first night an' I'm feeling right
Momma came with a gift wrapped box
It don't bark don't bite don't cry when I shake it so I'm pretty sure that it's just socks
But you never know miracles happen
I tap in and start to rip the paper.
Oh please let it be
The puppy that I wanted I don't wanna wait till (oh yep that's just socks)
Imma get what I wanted to
Imma get a puppy for Hanukkah
I ain't even trippin' on it bruh
I ain't even trip I ain't even trip I ain't even trip
Cause Imma get my puppy for Hanukkah
Night two what it do candles get lit it's lit!
Latkes sour cream is the best dip best dip!
Apple sauce on the side I might just get
(Say the Brucha first)
Adonai ain't gonna trip
Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav, v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Hanukkah
That blessing is a bop now I've said it
Not sure what it means but I learned in phonetic
By the way you gat a present for me is it what I wanted?
Pass that shamash let's get the flame started.
Ooooh. For me? Oh, you shouldn't have well. Guess I'll just (ripping sounds)
Oh that's a sweater! Did somebody knit this? It's really … It's really great.
This isn't going how I saw It huh
Ain't goin well it ain't going well
I really hope I get this puppy for Hanukkah
It's all I ever really wanted for
It's all I want it's all I want it's all I want
Just a puppy for Hanukkah
Gimme that dog
Lights keep burning and nights just pass
Menorah is now covered up with wax
I thought it would be obvious I didn't want to ask
but will tonight be the night I get my puppy at last?
My feet are warm and my body is cozy
The hats and the mittens an umbrella? Totally
Great love it all I'm the king of style.
There's one thing I've been wanting all this while I….
(yip) wait… is that?… could it be? Oh my gosh
You're everything I ever wanted for
You the one I want you the one I want you the one I want
You're my puppy for Hanukkah.
Got my puppy got my puppy got my puppy got my puppy
Imma name you Monica
(Nah probably not that's a weird name for a dog)
But it rhymes with Hanukkah
I got my Hanukkah puppy
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REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER January 22 Lineup
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Today in TV History 1/20
HISTORY MADE! Jan 20, 2021 is FINALLY HERE! (TBS)


First up today is a quick recap of the performances of the three sets of contracts we tagged for observation in yesterday morning's premarket report, the MCD Weekly $160-165 Calls.
Regardless of the strike point chosen, there were formidable moves in each of our highlighted ideas.
Our most recent mention of EBIO came just a week ago on April 23rd, and we felt it was time this morning to come back to this play and comment on the excellent performance we've seen from it since then.
Last but not least, we have SGSI, which we slated for observation on April 25th, and from thoe low we observed that day of .0055, we've seen a solid double-bagger from the stock as it has run to a high of .012, for a 118% rise.
SGSI reached that high yesterday on over 10X the average volume, in addition to there being quite a bit of From-4 activity in the company's disclosure feed. We'll continue to keep our eye on it.
Our premarket report on Friday focused on two sets of options ideas from companies which had just posted earnings beats that morning. As it turns out, there was a big time opportunity in each of them.
HoneyWell International, Inc. HON – We also highlighted our interest in tracking the HON Weekly $150 & $152.50 Calls for possible day-trades, and while the 152.50′s didnt see a lot of action, the $150′s were a perfect idea, trading in a mind boggling range from .01 to .52, a 5100% single session gain! Big cheers to anyone who caught a piece of that action!
Hasbro came out with their quarterly earning report which disappointed, according to the company, because of the Toys 'R Us shutdown. The stock had already registered a new 52 week low on Friday after nearly two months of backsliding, and we're still thinking it has a ways to fall.
That's why we're going to adopt a bearish stance and signal the HAS Weekly $78-76 Puts to start of this new trading week.
It isn't just bullish activity that draws us to a stock. Any type of increase in volatility generally causes us to take note, and the rapid fashion in which VSAR is crashing this morning is about as volatile as it gets. The company failed to meet primary endpoints on its HGH study, and the stock fell through the floor, losing over 80% of its value thus far.
Regardless of the catalyst, whenever such a huge selloff occurs in such a hurried way, we go into bottom-watch mode, and wait for the eventual bounce. So we'll have VSAR on our radars moving forward, watching for signs of solid support and subsequent rebound.
The announcement of an enormous 10% share reduction via buyback program had exactly the effect we suspected it would yesterday, after we signaled a range of calls to observe in our premarket report.
*We never discuss weekly options on a Friday without going out of our way to warn our readers that trading contracts with a weekly expiration on a Friday is exceedingly risky and should only ever be attempted by expert traders!!!


1. Fry the semolina or sooji until light brown and fragrant . Cool down . Now Blend sooji , egg , milk , powder milk, sugar, food color together until all are incorporated .
2. Heat ghee and fry the cardamoms , cinnamon for a while . Add the mixture and stir continuously . Keep stirring until the halwa comes together , or it comes from the coming pan . Sprinkle little rose or keora water . If you wish , you can add some chopped and dried fruits . Take out the garam masalas before serving !!
1. Don't forget to fry the sooji without ghee or oil before you blend it with egg , milk and sugar . Don't make it to brown , just light brown and fragrant . It helps to enhance the taste of semolina or sooji .
This entry was posted in Desserts, Glossary / Notes and tagged Dim-soohir halwa, dim-soojir halua, dimer halua recipe, egg halua recipe, egg halva recipe, egg halwa recipe, Egg-Semolina Halwa, Halva recipe, Halwa recipe, shooji-dim er halua, sooji halwa recipe. Bookmark the permalink.
more for the efforts made when compared to old techniques.
IADT provides a bachelor's degree in Internet marketing.


text:
Gearbox grid penalty for Bianchi
Monaco Jules Bianchi
Jules Bianchi will drop five places on the grid for the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2014 after his Marussia team confirmed on Sunday morning that they have had to change to the gearbox on his car due to a technical problem.
Sebastian Vettel (GER) Red Bull Racing RB10. Formula One World Championship, Rd6, Monaco Grand Prix, Qualifying, Monte-Carlo, Monaco, Saturday, 24 May 2014. © Sutton Images
Bianchi had qualified 19th for the Monte Carlo race, immediately ahead of team mate Max Chilton. The gearbox change penalty means the Frenchman will now line up 21st, with Caterham's Marcus Ericcson starting from the pit lane after causing a collision with Williams' Felipe Massa on Saturday.
Formula One regulations require gearboxes to last six consecutive events.
In other car changes ahead of the race, the MGU-K and related control electronics on Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull were replaced in accordance with the regulations following his ERS problems during qualifying.

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The Democratic Party with the corporate media in tow has been consistently promulgating the idea that Russia meddled in the 2016 election in favor of Trump. This effort is part of a larger scheme. Even before the election powerful factions within the US were agitating for a new Cold War against Russia.
And now Congress is getting into the act, with the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passing a bill giving Congress the power to block any effort by the White House to weaken sanctions on Russia, following the lead of the Senate that passed a sanctions bill 97-3.
A New York Times interview with Noam Chomsky provided a small sample of just how unhinged our discourse has become.
There is a method to the madness of a new Cold War.
The ideology of the US ruling class–the cold war kids— mandates endless conflict with Russia, and is seen as essential to the US grand strategy of empire. The stability of the NATO alliance, and the entire U.S. strategy of permanently subordinating Europe to its rule, is founded on the New Cold War with Russia.
Then there's the MIC, Military/Industrial/Complex, that rakes in billions from the sale of advanced weapons systems that would be threatened by Trump's intention to normalize relations with Russia.
The overweening power of finance and Wall Street over the US economy and their corresponding need to maintain the US dollar as the worlds reserve currency, also mandates US global primacy, which increasingly relies on raw military power to get its way.
The permanent war party that controls Washington D.C. may not be good at fighting and winning wars but since Vietnam has become superbly talented at coopting liberal critics by describing these conflicts as "liberal interventions." President Trump has made their job easier. Now, with the ongoing investigation into Russian interference, erstwhile liberals, who used to look askance at the MIC and the deep state intelligence agencies, excitedly point to these institutions as validation that Trump should be deposed.
The first Cold War did immeasurable damage to American values. From the McCarthy witch hunts and charges of sedition leveled against labor unions, to support for murderous right-wing juntas as a bulwark against indigenous nationalism that US planners depicted as a world-wide communist revolution, the US tarnished itself and its ideals.
With all of our domestic problems, including "the massive effects of interference by corporate power and private wealth," the last thing we need is another Cold War.
Update: This describes the cold war kids to a t.
This entry was posted in neoconservatives and tagged Democratic Party, military industrial complex, new Cold War, Noam Chomsky, permanent war party, Republican Party, Russia, US Congress, Washington consensus. Bookmark the permalink.


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Stephen Ministers are trained to provide one-to-one confidential Christian care-giving to individuals who are going through difficult times. People sometimes feel more comfortable discussing their lives with a peer rather than a pastor at the church. Stephen Ministers can be best described as compassionate companions.
The name comes from Stephen Ministries, a Christian nonprofit that shows lay people how to care for others in the church. Grantham Church has been offering Stephen Ministry for years. We believe it is an excellent way to "Love one another as I have loved you" (John 15:12).
All of Stephen Ministers' consultations are kept confidential. Men are matched up with men, and women talk to women. We work hard to look out for both the care giver and receiver in these relationships. Please let us know if you are interested in becoming a Stephen Minister or want to be connected with a Stephen Minister. You can contact us at office@granthamchurch.org.


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Avaya Rings Opening Bell and Begins Trading on the New York Stock Exchange
Avaya Holdings Corp. ("Avaya" or the "Company"), a leading global business communications company, announced its listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). "This is the beginning of an important new chapter for Avaya," said Jim Chirico, Avaya's president and CEO. "In less than a year since the commencement of our chapter 11 restructuring, Avaya has emerged as a publicly traded company with a significantly strengthened balance sheet. Overall, we reduced our prior debt load by approximately $3 billion, and we exit today with more than $300 million in cash on our balance sheet. The reduction of our debt and certain other long-term obligations will also improve annual cash flow by approximately $300 million compared to fiscal 2016."
Avaya Holdings Corp. (NYSE:AVYA) rang the Opening Bell® on January 17th to celebrate the company's listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). "On behalf of our entire team, our customers and partners, it is an honor to mark the first day of trading on the NYSE for the new Avaya, which is more focused than ever on leading the industry's digital transformation," said Jim Chirico, president and chief executive officer of Avaya. "Building upon our history of innovation and expertise in deploying globally scalable solutions, Avaya sits today at the strategic nexus of connectivity for the enterprise—with more than 130,000 customers in 220,000 locations worldwide, 90% plus of the Fortune 100, and more than 100 million users. "
Chirico added, "With a new Board and leadership team firmly in place, Avaya is now well-positioned to execute on its growth plan and deliver the returns and value expected by our stakeholders. We are passionate about providing the flexibility, open architectures, and deployment options that our customers need to exceed expectations, move ahead of the competition, and quickly take advantage of such new technologies as artificial intelligence, blockchain and the Internet of Things."
Avaya is trading on the NYSE under the ticker symbol AVYA. See the livestream ringing of the Opening Bell from the NYSE: https://livestream.com/NYSE/avayaopeningbell2018/videos/168692437
"This is a great start to fiscal year 2018 as we emerge a stronger company with an enhanced capital structure that positions us well for the growth opportunities in front of us." said Jim Chirico, president and CEO.
Avatel Technolgies Achieves Diamond Status in Avaya Edge Partner Program
Brandon FL — November 2016 – Avatel Technologies has been awarded Avaya Diamond status in the highly respected Avaya Edge Partner Program. This is the highest level that can be achieved in the program and demonstrates excellence in customer centricity whilst providing exceptional value-added services around the Avaya solutions portfolio.
Avaya revamped its partner certification program to recognize the changes in the marketplace and better reflect the abilities of those companies marketing Avaya solutions and products. The new Avaya Edge is designed to give partners the flexibility to meet their customers' needs in today's fast-paced digital marketplace, while providing greater rewards for those partners that deliver exceptional value.
The new Diamond level partner status, is the highest ranking available. Reaching Diamond level with Avaya speaks to the standard of excellence, and is reserved only for partners that have demonstrated commitment and results.
Jamie Wood, Executive Vice President for Avatel Technologies said, "The entire Avatel Team is extremely proud to be recognized as an AVAYA 'Diamond' partner in the Avaya Edge Partner Program. This achievement is a testament to our commitment to our customers and solidifies our partnership with Avaya, both now and in the future".
Avatel Technologies has built a reputation for technical and service excellence, winning the Avaya 2009 Channel Partner of the Year and the 2011 Catalyst Telecom SME Partner of the Year, in recognition of its consistently high standards and outstanding business results. Avaya has also awarded Avatel Technologies with the "Partner in Customer Excellence" designation in 2013,2014,2015,2016 and 2017 for Avatel's high level of customer satisfaction.
New Avaya Partner Program Gives Resellers the "Edge" to Succeed
New Avaya Edge Partner Program Expands Rewards, Streamlines Requirements, Aligns to the Digital Business Imperatives
Santa Clara, Calif. – Nov. 1, 2016 – Avaya today announced a new streamlined channel program that better equips partners to thrive in a software and services industry and provides greater rewards for demonstrating customer centricity by delivering exceptional value. This new program—Avaya EdgeSM— will help drive mutual profitability and help ensure partners possess the expertise required to provide the transformative solutions customers need in the digital marketplace.
Key elements of the program include:
Simplified Structure: Streamlined requirements and new gem designation levels—Diamond, Sapphire and Emerald—reduce complexity and the resources needed for partners to manage the program. For example, the Avaya Edge reduces the amount of time partners previously required to complete credentials by up to 50%, and partner co-delivery performance metrics have been reduced 56%.
Greater Benefits: Partners are now compensated for a broader scope of revenue, including not only hardware/product sales as well as recurring services and software. In addition, new incentives will reward partners for strategic areas of achievement, such as customer value, growth and new product adoption.
Flexibility: The new program is better structured to accommodate and adapt to ever-changing industry, customer and partner dynamics. The introduction of five partner tracks aligns with their go-to-market model, and maps partner revenue targets and rewards based on track and geographic region.
The new program is in effect as of October 1, 2016. To support the transition, existing authorized partners are evaluated under both the previous and new programs and awarded at the higher level for the first six months.
"The strength of a channel program is the degree to which it enables the success of its partners, recognizes and applauds their unique capabilities as they apply them to serve our customers. This means the program needs the flexibility within a supportive structure that reduces requirements to only those that are most essential. I believe the new Avaya Edge program accomplishes this and enables our channel partners to capture share through the transition of the market and Avaya."
Steve Biondi, Vice President and Global Channel Chief, Avaya
"The communications industry has moved towards a software-based approach and away from bespoke PBXs. Vendors that utilize channels as a primary route to market need to focus on helping their partners to reinvent themselves to meet their customers' needs. Avaya's new Edge program is an example of a vendor that is re-orienting its partners by monitoring how the industry is transforming, responding to customer feedback, and evolving their programs accordingly. Consequently, this approach enhances Avaya's partners' ability to compete and differentiate in the marketplace."
Tim Banting, Principal Analyst- Collaboration and Communications, Current Analysis
CRN Magazine – Avatel in the news
Enterprise Telephony Market To Shrink 20 Percent; Cisco, Avaya Will Grow
By Mark on July 31, 2015, 4:24 pm EDT
Kerravala said ShoreTel has its own cloud offering and cloud partner program that allow the channel to sell its suite of cloud-based VoIP services, while Avaya is enabling its cloud partners to build a cloud rather than offer one directly. "What's important is that the vendor plays in the cloud-collaboration market regardless of whether they choose to build, enable others to build, or both," said Kerravala.
Jamie Wood, executive vice president at Avatel, a Brandon, Fla.-based Avaya partner, said Avaya is ahead of the game with the Avaya Collaborative Cloud open platform solution for partners and customers. "They provide the options to build, deliver, use, or enhance an organization's cloud communication services and applications," said Wood. "[The platform] was designed to support the transition and lives seamlessly alongside the on-premise solutions that organizations retain."
Wood said the move to cloud communications will be a gradual evolution, and opportunities for solution providers are biggest in the midmarket.
Analysts said solution providers need to expand their level of expertise in cloud or face extinction.
PUBLISHED JULY 31, 2015.
Avaya Acquires Esna Technologies for Stickier UC Apps
By Mark on May 28, 2015, 5:30 pm EDT
Unified communications (UC) and networking vendor Avaya has acquired Esna Technologies to accelerate the adoption of communications-enabled applications that will create stickiness for channel partners, Avaya has revealed. Esna, a Richmond Hill, Ontario-based communication and collaboration software provider, embeds UC and real-time collaboration tools inside applications.
The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Santa Clara, Calif.-based vendor now has all of Esna's intellectual property, contractors, customers and employees, as well as its roughly 200 partners, according to Avaya's Gary Barnett, senior vice president and general manager of Engagement Solutions.
The channel has made it very clear to us that they want to see Avaya infrastructure embedded in applications," said Barnett, in an interview with CRN. "This just takes us to the next level of taking engagement and allowing it very easily to be embedded in virtually any application. … For the Avaya channel, this gives them a new set of capabilities on top of the Avaya infrastructure and strengthens their set of solutions."
An integrated, Esna-enabled Avaya Communicator Web client will become available for both of Avaya's platforms — IP Office and Aura — with capabilities that can be embedded into public or private cloud-based business applications, according to Barnett. The acquisition will also enable end users to easily access multi-vendor communications — such as voice, video, conferences and messaging — seamlessly from within cloud-based business applications when using a device.
Jamie Wood, executive vice president at Avatel, a Brandon, Fla.-based Avaya Silver partner, said Esna is a "great fit" and will allow her customers to access multi-vendor communication and business applications with any device "This is what our midmarket customers are looking for," said Wood. "Our customers will love to connect voice and mobile networks with one-click access from any browser to Google Apps and Salesforce.com. It's so exciting that with the Esna and Avaya engagement solution, customers can imbed voice, messaging, conferencing and video."
Woods said the acquisition allows customers to leverage their current communications infrastructure and integrate newer "vendor neutral" technologies into cloud-based applications. "I think most Avaya partners would agree that a true integration platform is the next phase of UC. … This approach creates true convergence of business and communications applications, as you don't need to use multiple applications to connect and communicate," said Wood.
Barnett said some key reasons for the acquisition was to help make Avaya a differentiator in the market and create better stickiness for partners with their customers. "Competitors take the approach that says, 'Here, put my client on your desktop' — and we've heard very loud and clear from our customers that they don't want another client on their desktop," said Barnett. "What they want is for their existing applications to be engagement-enabled. … We've become a much stronger embedded, seamless technology as opposed to a stand-alone, loosely integrated client." Barnett said Esna is a subsidiary of Avaya but will be integrated overtime.
Avaya Wholesale RegGen Lead Program – High-quality, low-cost prospect lists for the SME and midmarket space
Avatel highlighted in Avaya Newsletter
Avatel Technologies is a nationally certified Avaya SME Expert and Avaya Silver Business Partner. The company has a broad range of experience in communications management, engineering, revenue generation, and business development. Since 2002, Avatel experts have been helping businesses of all sizes use communications technology and applications to operate more efficiently and effectively. Headquartered in Florida, Avatel's more than 3,000 technicians work with customers nationwide to deliver the communications solutions that provide maximum business value.
With a large staff of inside sales reps, Avatel needed a steady stream of quality sales leads to fill its sales pipeline. The company was using multiple lead lists from non-Avaya sources, as well as Aim Moving leads and Avaya BANT SME RegGen Leads. However, even with multiple lead sources, Avatel was finding it difficult to achieve success. Competition was fierce for many of the leads, while on others, Avatel found the decision-making process was already well underway.
The Wholesale RegGen lead program, part of Avaya MarketLeaders 3.0, provides high-quality leads targeting prospects in the SME/midmarket space. Lead lists are available for prospect organizations of between 20 and 100 employees, or between 100 and 1,000 employees. Each list delivers a mix of high-volume, low-cost leads that are ready for follow-up and nurturing.
Avatel chose to purchase a lead list from the Wholesale RegGen program with the hope of better success in filling its sales pipeline. Because the leads were not BANT qualified, Avatel had an opportunity to talk to prospective customers early in the sales cycle. This allowed Avatel sales reps to connect with new prospects and begin to cultivate relationships.
"The Wholesale program drives current and especially future pipeline activity and revenue," said Jamie Wood, Executive VP Avatel Technologies. The leads have provided us with a base of prospects for current and future sales opportunities."
"The Avatel sales staff, our lead manager, and the executive team are very happy with our results. The Avaya high-volume, low-cost wholesale leads are exactly what Avatel needs to stay successful in the SME market." – Jamie Wood, Executive VP Avatel Technologies
The Wholesale RegGen program helped Avatel achieve tremendous success. The company's first campaign using a lead list from the Wholesale RegGen program generated enough sales that Avatel was able to purchase two more lists of prospects. With a rapidly filling sales pipeline and a contented staff, Avatel knew it had found a winner. "The Avatel sales staff, our lead manager, and the executive team are very happy with our results," Wood said. "The Avaya high-volume, low-cost wholesale leads are exactly what Avatel needs to stay successful in the SME market."
Avaya Names U.S. Channel Chief, Shakes Up Connect Partner Program
By Kristin Bent on June 18, 2014, 1:34 pm EDT
Avaya Wednesday made several shake-ups to its channel organization, including the appointment of former VMware executive Joe Lohmeier as its new U.S. channel chief. The unified communications vendor also revealed several tweaks to its Connect Channel Partner Program aimed at shifting Avaya's partner rewards structure from a volume- to a value-based model.
Avaya's new vice president of U.S. Channel Sales Joe Lohmeier replaces former U.S. channel lead Karl Soderlund, who left Avaya in March for Aruba Networks. Lohmeier joins Avaya from VMware, where he most recently served as vice president of Americas Sales, according to an internal Avaya memo written by Vice President of Avaya's Worldwide Partner Organization Richard Steranka and shared with CRN.
Prior to his two-year run at VMware, Lohmeier spent 12 years at Cisco, where he was most recently director of sales, according to his LinkedIn profile. Lohmeier, who was not immediately available for comment, will report to Steranka.
Jamie Wood, executive vice president at Avatel, a Brandon, Fla.-based Avaya Silver partner, said she is glad to see Avaya name a replacement to Soderlund. "We always like to see those leadership roles filled as quickly as possible," Wood told CRN. "It helps us align, as partners, with the strategic direction leadership wants to go."
Wood said she wasn't familiar with Lohmeier personally, but said his track record with VMware and Cisco seems to make him a solid choice. "I'm sure it's been a good decision to choose [Lohmeier]," Wood said. "We are excited to start interacting with him more."
Lohmeier's appointment is one of several shake-ups made recently to Avaya's executive channel ranks. In September, Tom Mitchell, senior vice president of global sales at Avaya, revealed plans to resign. Avaya tapped Pierre-Paul Allard, senior vice president of global strategy and development, as Mitchell's replacement.
Lohmeier joins Avaya as the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company prepares a major shift in the way it structures its Connect Channel Partner Program. Starting in October, Avaya will no longer segment partners as Silver, Gold or Platinum based solely on revenue as it has done in the past. Instead, partners will be ranked based on their earning of a new set of certifications called Solution Experts.
According to Steranka, this shift in how Avaya ranks and rewards its partners was based entirely on solution provider feedback. "They really wanted a way to differentiate themselves in the market," Steranka told CRN in a recent interview.
Wood, a member of the Avaya Business Partner Advisory Council, said she had been asking Avaya to transition to a value-based partner rewards structure "for years." "The whole transformation — going from a volume-based rewards program to one based more on value and skill set — we find that to be critical," Wood said. "We think basing your level of achievement on your solution expertise and your customer service excellence, not just revenue dollars, really puts more meaning behind the whole Avaya Connect levels."
Out of the gate, Avaya is offering six Solution Experts designations: Unified Communications for Enterprise; Unified Communications for Midmarket; Contact Center for Enterprise; Contact Center for Midmarket; Networking; and Video. To reach the Platinum level, partners will need to hold at least three Solution Experts designations, while Gold and Silver partners will need at least two and one, respectively.
Partners' ability to earn these new Solution Experts designations is based on three factors. First, they will need to have a certain number of employees holding Avaya's sales, design and implementation credentials. Steranka said Avaya has not decided how many credentials partners will need to hold. Second, partners will still need to hit a certain revenue threshold to earn a Solution Experts designation. Specifically, partners will have to reach and maintain a set sales quota for whatever Avaya product is associated with that Solution Experts designation. To earn the Unified Communications in the Enterprise designation, for example, partners will need to hit a certain revenue goal for Aura, Avaya's enterprise-focused UC platform.
Steranka said these revenue requirements won't be as high or as tough to reach as they were under the former program. He said Avaya hasn't decided what the new revenue targets will be yet.
Lastly, partners will need to reach and maintain a set customer satisfaction score to quality for a Solutions Expert designation. Partner discounts at the Platinum, Gold and Silver tiers will not change under the new program.
Wood, for her part, said she expects the revamped Avaya Connect program to accelerate Avatel's climb to Gold or Platinum status, now that revenue requirements aren't as heavily weighted. She noted that it also puts Avatel, which focuses primarily on the SMB and midmarket, on a more level playing field with larger, enterprise-focused Avaya partners. "This is really going to allow us to reach for the top," Wood said.
Steranka said the program changes will go into effect this October, but partners will have until October 2015 to meet the new medal status requirements.
Avatel Technologies receives Avaya's 'Partner in Customer Excellence' designation
Tampa FL – February 19, 2013 Avaya has awarded Avatel Technologies with the "Partner in Customer Excellence" designation. The prestigious "Partner in Customer Excellence" designation from Avaya identifies and rewards Avaya channel partners who achieve significantly higher scores in their customer satisfaction surveys. With an expansive network of Avaya channel partners, customer satisfaction is a critical element in determining partner level status for Avaya, and recognizes those that go above and beyond.
"Partner in Customer Excellence" is awarded to an Avaya Business Partner for achieving superior customer satisfaction over the past 12 months including both sales and support services to Avaya customers and only a select group of Avaya Business Partners have attained the "Partner in Customer Excellence" designation. The survey is part of a channel initiative conducted on behalf of Avaya by Walker, global experts in customer service consulting. The "Partner in Customer Excellence" Avaya Connect program was introduced by Avaya in 2011, to recognize excellence in customer service. It focuses on all aspects of service and support provided by Avaya's partners. Walker's quantitative research asked Avatel's clients to rate different elements of the service and support they received from remote and on-site engineers and our client service technical representatives. Responses were graded from 1 (Poor) to 5 (Excellent). Avatel achieved an exceptionally high averaged score of 4.67.
Jamie Wood, Executive Vice President for Avatel said, "This certification honors both Avatel's high level of customer satisfaction and technical expertise. This designation is truly a reflection of our entire corporate focus on customer service. Achieving consistently high levels of customer satisfaction is one of the best ways for Avatel to compete effectively, grow our customer base and increase profit. Customer satisfaction is essential to the survival of our businesses and is a key performance indicator within our business".
Avaya has been a strong proponent of Customer Satisfaction as a key driver of repeat business and growth. Securing the "Partner in Customer Excellence" status further strengthens Avatel's relationship with Avaya." In addition to the "Partner in Customer Excellence" designation, Avatel holds both Avaya Silver Partner and SME Expert designations.
Avatel Technologies a premier Avaya Business Partner offers a full suite of solutions to help businesses operate more effectively and efficiently with a range of solutions including IP Telephony, Data Infrastructure, UC, Video, IVR, Wireless and much more. Avatel maintains a clear vision through a single core business philosophy: helping customers find smarter telecom and networking solutions. avatel.us.
Avatel Technologies to offer Avaya's Radvision Scopia video solutions
Tampa, FL — 12/10/12 – Avatel Technologies, a leading communications solution provider, announced today they are authorized to sell Avaya's Radvision Scopia video solutions to their clients as a partner in the Avaya Connect Channel program – an Avaya reseller community encompassing approximately 10,000 companies around the globe.
This expands Avatel's unified communications portfolio with the capabilities and competencies driven by the Scopia line of innovative video communications solutions. Jamie Wood, Avatel's EVP says "Avatel is happy to join the ranks of highly-competent Radvision channel partners authorized to sell Radvision Scopia® video solutions as part of our unified communications offerings". Avatel was one of 50 hand-picked specialist partners to adopt video via a fast-track authorization scheme, ahead of the authorization program being made available to all Avaya Connect partners in January 2013. Avatel was required to meet all training requirements, invest in demo equipment and complete all services assessments.
This enables Avatel to expand their capabilities and competencies with a new generation of feature-rich, interoperable and user-friendly video solutions for real-time collaboration. Avatel will receive top-tier levels of technical support, services integration, and training for incorporating enhanced video into a communications solution.
Avaya acquired Radvision earlier this year, bringing innovative Scopia video products and technologies into Avaya's portfolio of UC solutions. Avaya since the acquisition's close has been able to offer interoperability between Radvision Scopia, Avaya Aura, Avaya Flare Experience, Avaya 1000 series and one-X Communicator products, with integration for IP Office soon to follow. Avaya is also in the process of tying Radvision and Avaya hardware and software MCUs together and finishing broader interoperability between Radvision Scopia products and Avaya wares like session border controllers and other functions on its Aura platform.
This will bring more affordable real-time collaboration video to more businesses, simplifying the ability to communicate anywhere, on any device and on any network.
Jamie Wood
Contact Center Association is dedicated to providing resources, information, education and professional networking opportunities to the global contact center community. Supervisors, workforce managers, directors, VP's and executives turn to CCA as the go-to resource for contact center tools and techniques, problem solving methods, business skills, career development and more.
Contact Center Association is dedicated to providing the contact center industry with a foundation designed to encourage creativity while providing a framework for validation of activities happening within our industry. CCA provides a place where professionals can gather to share, learn, build relationships, contribute knowledge, and validate the industry's direction with the goal of improving the careers of the individuals.
Avatel is very excited to announce participation at the Contact Center Conference in Miami, Florida on October 9th-12th. Colin Jeffs, Avatel's Enterprise Director was selected out of hundreds of applicants to speak at the event. Colin is also a featured writer in the newsletter.
Colin Jeffs Enterprise Sales Director, Avatel Technologies Inc. – Colin Jeffs has over 30 years designing and managing contact centers across Europe and the United States including Ford in Europe.
Come see Colin at the Contact Center Conference and Expo in Miami from October 9-12, Friday, 11:45am – 12:45pm. Colin will lead session 1001: Why Workforce Management and Analytics? , part of the Workforce Optimization track.
Track: Workforce Optimization
The session will start with a general overview of WFM & Analytics, explaining the various features/modules available and their functionality. There will be interaction with the audience to gauge their depth of knowledge. During the sixty minutes we will cover the following:
What size of contact center benefits from WFM & Analytics.
What challenges WFM can/cannot solve.
When not to implement WFM & Analytics
How to successfully implement WFM
The Human side of why contact centers deploy WFMand why others don't.
The advantages/ challenges of Analytics and how to implement it successfully
How Analytics ties into a good social media strategy
The difference between embedded solutions vs bolt on third party solutions
Examples of companies that have put WFM & Analytics to good use
Overall advantage of workforce management and analytics
FEATURED SPEAKER CONTENT
Speech Analytics in the Contact Center
Colin Jeffs – Enterprise Sales Director, Avatel Technologies Inc.
One of the biggest challenges in the contact center is getting useful and accurate reporting and feedback. In fact, I don't believe there has been any real way of knowing if the feedback you are getting is good until you make adjustments in a trial and error manner. Contact centers for many years have had to rely on manager's hands on, gut instincts. Historically, it has been impossible to listen and grade ALL customer conversations, leaving quality management teams and center managers to make decisions on just a small percentage of calls, typically no more than 3-5 % of calls. But this all changes with the introduction of speech analytics.
For those who don't know, speech analytics works by converting your recorded conversations into text and then analyzing the text for patterns. (Given that multimedia in a contact center is already in a text format such as email or chat, Analytics can be applied to these text conversations also). A good speech analytics solution can check for, not just words, but combinations of words such as "I hate your service" or "I love your new product". It can also detect voice inflection such as someone who is frustrated may talk louder, shout or talk faster or slower. By combining the words said and how they are said along with the ability to analyze ALL your recordings, speech analytics can provide far more accurate reporting and depth of knowledge. Incidentally, speech analytics has been around in the government space for a quite a while which means big brother is watching AND listening!
So, what are the challenges with speech analytics? The most common objections I experience when consulting to contact center management is a combination of resistance to change and doubt about the ability of the solution. Often, when new technology is deployed in a contact center, staff reductions follow. Speech analytics could easily reduce the number of staff needed in your quality management department and deploying and developing such a solution requires changes which often, people tend to resist. Like Social Media in contact centers, speech analytics is still very new and it is not always easy to find good examples of speech analytics working particularly when the government market is highly classified. Combine this with an uncertain market and companies are hesitant to spend until they are very confident of a positive result and a short return on investment. The companies that are deploying speech analytics today are generally the more forward thinking and larger contact centers where the cost of such a solution is generally a smaller part of the overall contact center budget.
What are the advantages of speech analytics? One of the most powerful advantages of speech analytics is the ability to be proactive and react faster. It allows you to quickly detect patterns and therefore take action from reports and not gut instinct. For example, your company launches a new product and you have just shipped the first batch last week using a new carrier. Unfortunately the packaging is poor and some of the products are arriving to customers broken. Although your agents may give you some feedback about customers calling to complain, an individual agent cannot see what is happening across all agents. With speech analytics the solution can mark all the calls that have this issue and then can alert you. You can then cross reference the calls with information you have in your database such as the geographic location of the complaints and which carrier is being used. With this information you can confidently report these problems and stop future shipments until packaging is corrected or carriers are changed.
Another good use of speech analytics is when a customer complains to an agent but the agent cannot efficiently capture the complaint. Speech Analytics can detect generic phrases such a customer saying to an agent "I am very unhappy" or "I wish to speak to a supervisor". These calls can then be grouped and analyzed by your quality management team for action. Often companies use speech analytics for compliance. For example if it is compulsory for an agent to say certain words a speech analytics solution can red flag the conversations that don't contain the specific words. Often when a new agent comes out of training speech analytics can help grade the agent by detecting keywords and phrases that an agent should say such as "is there anything else I can help you with today". The more keywords the agent says, the higher they score. These are just a few examples of speech analytics in use and I am sure you can think of other examples in your contact center.
In today's high demand for better customer service speech analytics is a very effective way to literally listen to every customer and collate that information for effective use. I wouldn't be surprised if speech analytics becomes a "must have" feature for all future contact centers.
Contact Colin Jeffs at Avatel for more information at 866.835.2661
Avatel Technologies announces the 2nd Quarter recipient in the Avatel 2012 Giving Back program
Tampa, Florida – June 26, 2012- Avatel Technologies, a communications solution provider and Premier Avaya Business Partner, announced its 2nd Quarter recipient of the Avaya IP Office phone system for their "2012 Giving Back" Program.
Avatel's 2nd Quarter non-profit recipient is the Florida Council on Economic Education. Based in Tampa, the FCEE educates Florida's students, from kindergarten through high school in economics, personal finance, entrepreneurship and our free enterprise system.
Jamie Wood, Avatel Executive Vice President says "As successful members of the community, we have a responsibility to support our community. We understand the value of charitable giving and have a strong commitment to making a difference in the communities in which we reside. We believe that communication is critical to the successful operation of any nonprofit and this includes an effective phone system that meets the organization's needs".
Robin Warren, FCEE Executive Director says "Since the day that the Florida Council opened its doors it has always been a small team working on a huge endeavor. We are constantly trying to find ways to keep our costs low and so our phone system was put on a back burner. Thankfully through the kindness of Avatel's 2012 Giving Back Program we are finally able to jump into the 21st century! Long gone will be the days of board meetings gone awry and missed opportunities because of a faulty answering machine. These phones will give us the freedom to feel comfortable asking donors to leave messages and the voicemail to email function has the whole team buzzing! Having a large company like Avatel take notice of our needs and make this generous donation has truly been an incredible experience."
"We are honored to play a role in supporting the FCEE and we understand the importance of educating students on personal finance to ensure tomorrow's consumers avoid the mistakes of today", says Wood.
About Florida Council on Economic Education
The Florida Council on Economic Education has been empowering tomorrow's leaders through economic understanding for over 35 years. Currently the Council has various programs geared at educating Florida's youth on topics such as, the stock market, ethics, and fiscal responsibility. The FCEE is affiliated with four Centers for Economic Education on university campuses across the state where teachers are educated on the fundamentals of free enterprise and financial literacy ultimately creating an enormous multiplier effect.
The mission of the Florida Council on Economic Education is to prepare Florida's young people for personal and financial success through educational programs in economics, the free enterprise system and personal financial literacy so that they become productive members of the workforce, responsible consumers and wise investors. To learn more about the Florida Council on Economic Education and how you can help us achieve our mission, please call 813-289-8489 or visit us at www.fcee.org.
Avatel Technologies announces its 2012 Giving Back Program
Tampa, Florida – December 19, 2011- Avatel Technologies, a communications solution provider and Premier Avaya Business Partner, announces its 2012 "Giving Back" Program. The company will donate Avaya phone systems to worthy non-profit organizations in the local area.
Jamie Wood, Avatel Executive Vice President says "Non-profits are a vital and important fiber in the fabric of our communities. In this economy, many nonprofits are coping with a significant reduction in funding, forcing them to count every penny. Communication is critical to the successful operation of any nonprofit and this includes an effective phone system that meets the organization's needs".
Avatel will donate one Avaya IP Office phone system each quarter in 2012, including project management, implementation and training to a non-profit or charitable institution. Avatel employees will vote on and select the recipients of the "2012 Avatel Giving Back" program.
"Our team is very involved with community support and makes it a standard part of both their personal and professional responsibilities. We want them personally involved in our 2012 Giving Back program. By having their voices heard, they are able to make a personal connection to those in need and see the genuine impact on the local community by their choices. We look forward to giving back to those worthy non-profits and charitable organizations throughout the year and ultimately providing meaningful support to those who need it most" said Wood.


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