title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: The bordering towns (clockwise from north) are Dracut, Tewksbury, Billerica, Chelmsford, and Tyngsborough. The border with Billerica is a point in the middle of the Concord River where Lowell and Billerica meet Tewksbury and Chelmsford.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: The ten communities designated part of the Lowell Metropolitan area by the 2000 US Census are Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Dunstable, Groton, Lowell, Pepperell, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough, and Westford, and Pelham, New Hampshire. See Greater Lowell.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Lowell has eight distinct neighborhoods: the Acre, Back Central, Belvidere, Centralville, Downtown, Highlands, Pawtucketville, and South Lowell. The city also has five ZIP codes: four are geographically distinct general ZIP codes, and one (01853) is for post-office boxes only.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: The Centralville neighborhood, ZIP Code 01850, is the northeastern section of the city, north of the Merrimack River and east of Beaver Brook. Christian Hill is the section of Centralville east of Bridge Street.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: The Highlands, ZIP Code 01851, is the most populated neighborhood, with almost a quarter of the city residing here. It is located in the southwestern section of the city, bordered to the east by the Lowell Connector and to the north by the railroad. Lowellians further distinguish the sections of the Highlands as the Upper Highlands and the Lower Highlands, the latter being the area closer to downtown. Middlesex Village, Tyler Park, and Drum Hill are in this ZIP Code. The Upper Highlands also includes the University of Massachusetts Lowell, South Campus (Fine Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Health Sciences & Education).


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Downtown, Belvidere, Back Central, and South Lowell make up the 01852 ZIP Code, and are the southeastern sections of the city (south of the Merrimack River and southeast of the Lowell Connector). Belvidere is the mostly residential area south of the Merrimack River, east of the Concord River, and north of the Lowell and Lawrence railroad. Belvidere Hill Historic District runs along Fairmount Street. Lower Belvidere is the section west of Nesmith Street. Rogers Fort Hill Park Historic District, Lowell Cemetery, and Shedd Park are this side of town. Back Central is an urban area south of downtown, toward the mouth of River Meadow Brook. South Lowell is the area south of the railroad and east of the Concord River. Other minor neighborhoods within this ZIP Code are Ayers City, Bleachery, Chapel Hill, the Grove, Oaklands, Riverside Park, Swede Village, and Wigginville. Although the use of the names of these smaller neighborhoods has been in decline in the past decades, there has been recently a reemergence of their use. Downtown Lowell includes the UMass Lowell East Campus which consists of university housing, recreation facilities, research and the university's sports arena, as well as the Middlesex Community College.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Pawtucketville, the University of Massachusetts Lowell, North Campus; and the Acre make up the 01854 ZIP Code. The northwestern portion of the city includes the neighborhood where Jack Kerouac resided around the area of University Avenue (previously known as Moody Street). The North Campus of UMass Lowell (Colleges of Engineering, Sciences and Business) is in Pawtucketville near the Lowell General Hospital. The older parts of the neighborhood are around University Avenue and Mammoth Road, whereas the newer parts are around Varnum Avenue. Pawtucketville is the official entrance to the Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsborough State Forest, the site of an historic Native American tribe, and in the age of the Industrial Revolution was a prominent source of granite used in canals and factory foundations.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Population Density: According to the 2010 Census, there were 106,519 people living in the city. The population density was . There were 41,431 housing units at an average density of .


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Household Size: 2010, there were 38,470 households, and 23,707 families living in Lowell; the average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.31. Of those households, 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.9% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.4% were non-families, 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Age Distributions: Lowell has also experienced a significant increase in the number of residents between the ages of 50-69 while the percentages of residents under the age of 15 and over the age of 70 decreased. In 2010 the city's population had a median age of 32.6. The age distribution was 23.7% of the population under the age of 18, 13.5% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males; while for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.6 males.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Median Income: for a household in the city was $51,714, according to the American Community Survey 5-year estimate ending in 2012. The median income for a family was $55,852. Males had a median income of $44,739 versus $35,472 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,730. About 15.2% of families and 17.5% of individuals were below the poverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Racial Makeup: In 2010, the ethnic diversity of the city was 60.3% White (49.3% Non-Hispanic White), 20.2% Asian American (12.5% Cambodian, 2.0% Indian, 1.7% Vietnamese, 1.4% Laotian), 6.8% African American, 0.3% Native American, 8.8% from other races, 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.3% of the population. The largest Hispanic group was those of Puerto Rican ancestry, comprising 11.3% of the population.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: African Immigrants: In 2010 there were about 6,000 people of recent African heritage living in Lowell making up nearly the entire African American population of the city.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Cambodian-American Population: In 2010, Lowell had the highest proportion of residents of Cambodian origin of any place in the United States, at 12.5% of the population. The Government of Cambodia opened up its third U.S. Consular Office in Lowell, on April 27, 2009, with Sovann Ou as current advisor to the Cambodian Embassy. The other consular offices are in Long Beach, California, and Seattle, Washington, which also have large Cambodian communities.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: According to current FBI Crime Data Analysis, Lowell is the 46th most dangerous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, for all sizes, the violent crime rate for Lowell was less than half of the violent crime rate in Boston, with no murders compared to 49 in Boston. Lowell's crime rate has dropped tremendously since the 1990s, and while the likelihood of becoming a victim of violent crime in Massachusetts are 1 in 265, the odds in Lowell are 1 in 289, making Lowell (approximately) 10% safer than the rest of the state, on average. Lowell's violent crime rate is comparable to Honolulu, HI and is less than one-quarter that of Washington, D.C.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Among the many tourist attractions, Lowell also currently has 39 places on the National Register of Historic Places including many buildings and structures as part of the Lowell National Historical Park.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: In the early years of the 1840s when the population quickly exceeded 20,000, Lowell became very active as a cultural center, with the construction of the Lowell Museum, the Mechanics Hall, as well as the new City Hall used for art exhibits, lectures, and for the performing arts. The Lowell Museum was lost in a devastating fire in the early morning of January 31, 1856, but was quickly rehoused in a new location. The Lowell Art Association was founded in 1876, and the new Opera House was built in 1889.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Continuing to inspire and entertain, Lowell currently has a plethora of artistic exhibitions and performances throughout a wide range of venues in the city:


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: The first Lowell public library was established in 1844 with 3,500 volumes, and was set up in the first floor of the Old City Hall, 226 Merrimack St. In 1872, the expanding collection was relocated down the street to the Hosford Building at 134 Merrimack St. In 1890–1891, the City of Lowell hired local Architect Frederick W. Stickney to design the new Lowell City Library, known as "Memorial Hall, in honor of the city's men who died in the American Civil War. In 1981, the library was renamed the Pollard Memorial Library in memory of the late Mayor Samuel S. Pollard. And, in the mid-2000s the century-old National Historic building underwent a major $8.5m renovation. The city also expanded the library system to include the Senior Center Branch, located in the City of Lowell Senior Center.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: In fiscal year 2008, the city of Lowell spent 0.36% ($975,845) of its budget on its public libraries, which houses 236,000 volumes, and is a part of the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium. Currently, circulation of materials averages around 250,000 annually, with approximately one-third deriving from the children's collection. In fiscal year 2009, Lowell spent 0.35% ($885,377) of its budget on the library—approximately $8 per person, per year ($9.83 adjusted for inflation in 2021).


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: As of 2012, the Pollard Library purchases access for its patrons to databases owned by: EBSCO Industries; Gale, of Cengage Learning; Heritage Archives, Inc.; New England Historic Genealogical Society; OverDrive, Inc.; ProQuest; and World Trade Press.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: The Lydon Library is a part of the University of Massachusetts Lowell system, and is located on the North Campus. The building is named in honor of President Martin J. Lydon, whose vision expanded and renamed the college during his tenure in the 1950s and 1960s. Its current collection concentrates on the sciences, engineering, business management, social sciences, humanities, and health.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: The O'Leary Library is a part of the University of Massachusetts Lowell system, and is located on the South Campus. The building is named in honor of former History Professor and then President O'Leary, whose vision helped merge the Lowell colleges during his tenure in the 1970s and 1980s. Its current collection concentrates on music and art.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: The Center for Lowell History [special collections and archives] is a part of the University of Massachusetts Lowell system, established in 1971 to assure the safekeeping, preservation, and availability for study and research of materials in unique subject areas, particularly those related to the Greater Lowell Area and the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Located downtown in the Patrick J. Mogan Cultural Center at 40 French Street, the center is committed to the design and implementation of historical, educational, and cultural programs that link the university and the community in developing an economically strong and multi-culturally rich region. Its current collections and archives focus on historic and contemporary issues of Lowell (including: industrialization, textile technology, immigration, social history, regional history, labor history, women's history, and environmental history).


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Boxing has formed an important part of Lowell's working-class culture. The city's auditorium hosts the annual New England Golden Gloves tournament, which featured fighters such as Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Marvin Hagler. Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund both began their careers in Lowell, the subject of the 2010 film The Fighter. Arthur Ramalho's West End Gym is where many of the city's boxers train.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Lowell has a Plan-E council-manager government. There are eleven city councilors and six school committee members, all elected by plurality-at-large in a non-partisan election. In 1957, Lowell voters repealed a single-transferable-vote system, which had been in place since 1943.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: The City Council chooses one of its members as mayor, and another as vice-mayor. The role of the mayor is ceremonial, but s/he runs the weekly meetings under the guidance of the City Clerk. In addition, the mayor serves as the Chairperson of the School Committee.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: The administrative head of the city government is the City Manager, who is responsible for all day-to-day operations, functioning within the guidelines of City Council policy, and is hired by and serves indefinitely at the pleasure of at least 5 of 9 City Councilors. As of April 2017, the City Manager is Eileen M. Donghue replacing Kevin J. Murphy.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Lowell is represented in the Massachusetts General Court by elected state representatives Thomas Golden, Jr. (D- 16th Middlesex), Vanna Howard (D- 17th Middlesex), Rady Mom (D- 18th Middlesex), and by State Senator Edward J. Kennedy (1st Middlesex) who is also a City Councilor.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Federally, the city is part of Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district and represented by Lori Trahan (D). The state's senior Senator is Elizabeth Warren (D). the state's junior Senator is Ed Markey (D).


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: In July 2012, Lowell youth led a nationally reported campaign to gain voting privileges for 17-year-olds in local elections; it would have been the first municipality to do so. The 'Vote 17' campaign was supported by national researchers; its goals were to increase voter turnout, create lifelong civic habits, and increase youth input in local matters. The effort was led by youth at the United Teen Equality Center in downtown Lowell.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Lowell is the last city in Massachusetts to use a fully plurality-at-large system due to its impact in diluting minority representation on its city council and school committee. With majority bloc voting these two committees were all-white, and had been mostly so for decades, despite the fact that the city's minority population had grown to 49%.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: On May 18, 2017, the Boston Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Latino and Asian-American voters, charging Lowell with violating the Voting Rights Act.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: On May 29, 2019, a settlement agreement was reached that laid out six options for Lowell voters to review:


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Two options will be selected by the city council and will be put before the voters to choose in a non-binding referendum in November 2019, with a final decision by the city council in December 2019. The new system must be put in place by the November 2021 municipal elections.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: With a rapidly growing student population, Lowell has been considered an emerging college town. With approximately 12,000 students at Middlesex Community College (MCC) and 18,500 students at University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell is currently home to more than 30,000 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students, and the location of some of the top research laboratories in Massachusetts. UMass Lowell is the second largest state university and fifth largest university in Massachusetts, while MCC is the second largest Associate's college in Massachusetts.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Lowell Public Schools operates district public schools. Lowell High School is the district public high school. Non-district public schools include Greater Lowell Technical High School, Lowell Middlesex Academy Charter School, Lowell Community Charter Public School, and Lowell Collegiate Charter School.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Lowell Public Schools is an above average, public school district located in Lowell, MA. It has 14,247 students in grades Pre-K, K–12 with a student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Lowell High School students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement® course work and exams. The AP® participation rate at Lowell High is 29 percent. The student body makeup is 50 percent male and 50 percent female, and the total minority enrollment is 68 percent with a student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: "The Sun", headquartered in downtown Lowell, is a major daily newspaper serving Greater Lowell and southern New Hampshire. The newspaper had an average daily circulation of about 42,900 copies in 2011. Continuing a trend of concentration of newspaper ownership, "The Sun" was sold to newspaper conglomerate MediaNews Group in 1997 after 119 years of family ownership.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Lowell can be reached by automobile from Interstate 495, U.S. Route 3, the Lowell Connector, and Massachusetts Routes: 3A, 38, 110, 113, and 133, all of which run through the city; Route 133 begins at the spot where Routes 110 and 38 branch off just south of the Merrimack River. There are six bridges crossing the Merrimack River in Lowell, and four crossing the Concord River (not including the two for I-495).


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: For public transit, Lowell is served by the Lowell Regional Transit Authority (LRTA), which provides fixed route bus services and paratransit services to the city and surrounding area. OurBus has daily bus service to Worcester and New York City. Other service includes Merrimack Vallery Regional Transfer Authority (MVRTA) Route 41 to Lawrence, and the Coach Company bus to Foxwoods Resort Casino.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: Lowell is also served at Lowell station by the MBTA's commuter rail Lowell Line, with several departures daily to and from Boston's North Station.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: The Lowell National Historical Park provides a free streetcar between its various sites in the city center, using track formerly used to provide freight access to the city's mills. An expansion to expand the system to was planned but rejected in 2016.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: In addition to several car rental agencies, Lowell has four Zipcar rental locations convenient to Gallagher Terminal, the Downtown, and the three UMass Lowell campuses (North, South and East).


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: The city is primarily policed and protected by the Lowell Police Department, the University Police: UMass Lowell, and the National Park Service Police. The Massachusetts State Police and Middlesex County Sheriff's Office also work with local law enforcement to set up driver checkpoints for alcohol awareness. With the growth of UMass Lowell and the impact of its faculty and students in areas of scientific research, engineering, and nursing, the city has seen rapid gentrification of several neighborhoods.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: The Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2) Biotechnology Lab offers 11,000 square feet of fully equipped, shared lab facilities that can house 50 researchers and also includes plenty of co-working and meeting spaces.


title: Lowell, Massachusetts

text: The UMASS Lowell Innovation Hub (iHUB) offer entrepreneurs, startups, technology companies and established manufacturing partners 24-hour access to all the amenities they need to get their businesses up and running, such as:


title: Rochelle Humes

text: Rochelle Eulah Eileen Humes (née Wiseman; born 21 March 1989) is an English singer and television presenter. Humes began her career in British pop groups S Club Juniors and The Saturdays, and has gone on to co-present the ITV entertainment series "Ninja Warrior UK". Humes regularly guest-hosts "This Morning", and since 2019, she has co-presented the BBC game show "The Hit List" alongside husband Marvin Humes.


title: Rochelle Humes

text: Rochelle Eulah Eileen Wiseman was born in Barking, London, on 21 March 1989. She attended Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls in Hornchurch, Havering, as well as Colin's Performing Arts School. Her parents divorced when she was three years old, and she was raised by her mother, her step-fathers and her uncle Paul Ince. Humes is of Jamaican descent on her father's side, and English on her mother's.


title: Rochelle Humes

text: S Club Juniors were formed in 2001 as part of a reality series, known as "S Club Search". Subsequently, 19 Entertainment, the management company that had created S Club 7 and auditioned S Club Juniors, decided they should perform as a support act at all of the venues on the tour. By the end of the tour, S Club Juniors had amassed a following and, with the encouragement of 19, Polydor Records signed the group. Their first single was called "One Step Closer". The single was promoted by the television series "S Club Junior: The Story" and was released in the UK on 22 April 2002 in a chart battle with the Sugababes who released their comeback single the same day. A second single was named "Automatic High", filmed in Spain, while S Club 7 began their fourth TV series. Released on 22 July 2002, the single reached number two in the UK charts selling 52,000 copies, and spent eight weeks inside the UK top 75 and sold in excess of 110,000 copies in the UK. Their third single "New Direction" released on 7 October reached number two in the UK charts selling 55,000 copies in the first week. It became their third consecutive top ten hit, selling 130,000 copies in six weeks. The Juniors released their debut album "Together" on 21 October reaching number five in its first week of sale and selling 40,000 copies. Their fourth single, "Puppy Love/Sleigh Ride", was released on 9 December 2002. The single debuted at number six in the UK charts, and sold 85,000 copies in the UK, spending eight weeks inside the UK Top 40.


title: Rochelle Humes

text: The Juniors began work on their second album in January 2003 and the band joined S Club on their S Club United tour in April 2003 where the announcement came of a name change to S Club 8 and an upbeat fifth single, "Fool No More". The single released on 30 June reached number four in the UK chart, selling 26,000 copies in its first week and overall 75,000 copies in the UK. A second single, "Sundown", was released in the UK on 29 September 2003 reaching number four in the UK and became their sixth and final top ten hit, selling 37,000 copies in its first week and 80,000 altogether. The album, "Sundown", was released on 13 October 2003 to dismal reviews. It reached number 13 in the UK charts falling to 40 in the second week. It sold 60,000 copies in the UK and 315,859 worldwide. A sixth single, "Don't Tell Me You're Sorry", was released in the UK on 29 December 2003 and reached number 11 in the UK, becoming their first single to chart outside the top ten.


title: Rochelle Humes

text: S Club 8 went on to "I Dream" for 19 Entertainment as they had already agreed to do it. Unlike the "S Club 7" shows which focused upon the band's fictional exploits, "I Dream" saw S Club 8 as members of a larger ensemble cast. "I Dream" revolved around the summer school Avalon Heights, run by Professor Toone (played by Christopher Lloyd), where the characters tried to improve on their talents in the performing arts. The show featured many songs and dances: normally two songs per episode. S Club 8 split up in early 2005.


title: Rochelle Humes

text: Between 2005 and 2006, following the split of S Club 8, Humes presented the BBC children's TV programme "Smile" which was her first presenting role. The programme aired on Sunday mornings on BBC Two. Humes left the programme in 2006 for unknown reasons and the programme was axed soon after.


title: Rochelle Humes

text: In late October 2006, Humes was part of a group called The TigerLilys, who had a MySpace page displaying two tracks. The group disbanded without being signed by a label or releasing any material commercially. In February 2007, Humes appeared briefly on "Never Mind The Buzzcocks" as part of the show's regular Identity Parade feature, where contestants guess which person out of a line-up of five was featured in an old music video played only to the audience and viewers. The team, consisting of Bill Bailey, Russell Howard and Romeo Stodart (from the band The Magic Numbers), correctly picked Humes from the line-up. On 22 October 2009, after finding fame again with The Saturdays, Humes returned to appear as a guest on "Never Mind the Buzzcocks" on Phill Jupitus' team.


title: Rochelle Humes

text: Since 2007, Humes has been a member of girl group The Saturdays, whose other members are Una Healy, Mollie King, Vanessa White, and fellow former S Club 8 member Frankie Bridge. The Saturdays made their chart debut in July 2008 with "If This Is Love", which reached the top ten in the United Kingdom. Its follow-up single "Up" was released in October 2008, and the song debuted at number-five on the UK Singles Chart; to date the single has sold 310,000 copies in the UK alone as well as staying in the charts for exclusive 30 weeks. The band's debut studio album, "Chasing Lights" (2008) reached the top ten on the UK Albums Chart and was awarded Platinum selling status by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The album also saw release from top ten singles on the UK Singles Chart—"Issues" and "Just Can't Get Enough". "Work" was the final single to be released from "Chasing Lights". "Wordshaker" (2009) was the band's follow-up studio album and also charted within the top ten on the UK Albums Chart and went on to gain a Silver selling status, with singles "Forever Is Over" and "Ego" charting within the top ten on the UK Singles Chart. "Headlines!" (2010) was released as the band's first Mini album and charted at number-three on the UK Albums Chart and number-ten on the Irish Album Chart. "Headlines!" saw release of top ten singles "Missing You" and "Higher" which features guest vocals from Flo Rida, both singles became a massive commercial success for the band with "Higher" spending a massive 20 weeks on the chart. The Saturdays third studio album, "On Your Radar" (2011) contained three highly successful selling singles and two of which—"Notorious" and "All Fired Up" charted within the top ten on the UK Singles Chart. "My Heart Takes Over" was also released from "On Your Radar".


title: Rochelle Humes

text: The band released another extended play, "Chasing The Saturdays" which was only released in North America. The band's fourth studio album, "Living for the Weekend" saw the release of the singles; "30 Days", "What About Us", "Gentleman" and "Disco Love". "30 Days" became the group's eleventh top-ten hit, while "What About Us" featuring Sean Paul saw The Saturdays earn their first number-one single in 2013, it is taken from their forthcoming fourth studio album, "Living for the Weekend". The album's fourth single, "Disco Love", became their thirteenth top 10 single, with "Living for the Weekend" becoming their fourth top 10 album.


title: Rochelle Humes

text: Humes began her TV presenting career by co-hosting children's morning TV show "Smile" from 2004 until 2006. In 2013, Humes was a regular panellist on the first series of "Sweat the Small Stuff", then became a regular team captain from the second series.


title: Rochelle Humes

text: In August 2013, Humes and her husband joined "This Morning" as regular stand-in presenters. They no longer appear together however since 2018, Humes has guest hosted the show alongside a co-star. Humes also appeared as a regular host on the show alongside Phillip Schofield for a short period between November and December 2018, filling in for Schofield's co-star Holly Willoughby during her stint on "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!"


title: Rochelle Humes

text: On 25 December 2013, Humes took part in the "Strictly Come Dancing" Christmas special. On 16 January 2014, she competed in "The Great Sport Relief Bake Off". Since 2014, Humes has co-hosted segments of the "BBC Children in Need" telethon. On 3 January 2015, Humes and Alexander Armstrong co-hosted a one-off BBC One special called "Frank Sinatra: Our Way".


title: Rochelle Humes

text: In 2015, Humes began co-hosting "Ninja Warrior UK" for ITV, where she appears alongside Ben Shephard and Chris Kamara. On 18 June 2015, Humes was confirmed as a new co-host of "The Xtra Factor", replacing Sarah-Jane Crawford. She hosted the twelfth series with her "Sweat the Small Stuff" co-star Melvin Odoom in 2015.


title: Rochelle Humes

text: In 2016, Humes co-presented a new Sunday night entertainment series for ITV called "The Next Great Magician" alongside Stephen Mulhern. In 2017, she guest presented four episodes of "Lorraine" on ITV. In 2017, Humes sat in for Emma Willis on "Sunday Morning Breakfast" with Mulhern on multiple occasions on Heart London. In 2018, Humes took over Saturday early evenings (reformatted as Saturday drivetime) from Emma Bunton. At the end of 2019, Humes decided to take a break from her Heart FM commitments.


title: Rochelle Humes

text: In 2017, Humes was announced to be voicing the role of a Voice Trumpet in the children's television series "Teletubbies". On 20 November 2018, it was announced that Humes would co-host a music quiz show with husband Marvin Humes on BBC One called "The Hit List".


title: Rochelle Humes

text: In June 2014, Humes unveiled her first clothing range for Very. As of March 2018, Humes began working with fashion retailer New Look. In February 2019, Humes published her first children's book, "The Mega Magic Hair Swap". In February 2020, Humes launched her brand, My Little Coco.


title: Rochelle Humes

text: In 2021, Humes published her first cookbook, "At Mama's Table: Easy & Delicious Meals From My Family To Yours".


title: Rochelle Humes

text: Humes married JLS member Marvin Humes on 27 July 2012 at Blenheim Palace. The couple have two daughters; Alaia-Mai (born 20 May 2013) and Valentina Raine (born 10 March 2017), and one son; Blake Hampton (born on 9 October 2020).


Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny () is a 2016 American-Chinese wuxia film directed by Yuen Woo-ping and written by John Fusco, based on the novel "Iron Knight, Silver Vase" by Wang Dulu. It is also a sequel to the 2000 film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". The film stars Donnie Yen, Michelle Yeoh, Harry Shum Jr., Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Jason Scott Lee and Eugenia Yuan. The film was released in Hong Kong on February 18, in mainland China on February 19 and worldwide on Netflix outside China on February 26, 2016.


title: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny

text: After eighteen years of solitude, renowned warrior-maiden Shu Lien emerges from retirement and travels to Peking, where the Green Destiny—the legendary sword of her deceased love Li Mu Bai—is located. In the forest, Shu Lien's carriage is attacked by several warriors from the West Lotus clan. As she fights them, a masked horseman comes to her aid, and together they defeat the attackers, revealing one of them to be a young man called Wei Fang.


text: At the tower of the West Lotus warlord Hades Dai, a young woman named Snow Vase arrives asking to join his ranks. As Dai approaches, she draws a sword and attempts to kill him, although he easily fights her off, and she flees. As Wei Fang makes his way through the forest, he is approached by a blind enchantress, who orders him to take her to Dai. She tells Dai that his great sword is surpassed by the Green Destiny, and prophesizes that if he is to rule the Martial World, he must obtain the sword. Dai is reluctant to storm the home of the emperor's brother, but the enchantress tells him to send Wei Fang, as the boy and the sword are bound by destiny itself.


text: Shu Lien arrives in Peking, and is taken to the house of Sir Te, who has recently died. Te's son greets her and reveals that the Green Destiny is kept on display at the house. That night, Wei Fang breaks into the house and attempts to steal the sword; Snow Vase appears and fights him. During the fight, Snow Vase sees a birthmark on Wei Fang's chest, which distracts her and allows him to escape. She calls for help and Shu Lien arrives and captures the boy. Snow Vase asks Shu Lien to train her in the Iron Way.


text: At a tavern, Meng Sizhao (known as Silent Wolf in the West), the horseman who came to Shu Lien's aid, posts a warrant for warriors to join him protecting the House of Te. One warrior offers his thirty swordsmen for a high price, and attacks when rebuffed. Four warriors join Silent Wolf in the fight, and he recruits them to his cause: Flying Blade of Shantung; Thunder Fist Chan, famed in Zhejiang; Silver Dart Shi, famed in Fuzhou; and Turtle Ma, famed in that tavern.


text: Shu Lien begins Snow Vase's training. That night, Silent Wolf and his warriors arrive at the Te compound. Shu Lien is shocked to see Silent Wolf, her former betrothed, as he was thought to have been killed by Hades Dai many years before. He explains that he was in love with Shu Lien, but knew that Mu Bai was her true love, and had feigned his demise to seek a life of enlightenment in the mountains, as he knew that as long as he was alive, Li Mu Bai would not have asked Shu Lien for her hand.


text: Hades Dai rages that Wei Fang has failed in his raid, and sends his elite warrior, Mantis, to retrieve the sword. She arrives with her raiding party, and Silver Dart Shi and Turtle Ma are killed in the attack. Snow Vase attempts to free Wei Fang from his cage in the courtyard, but she is attacked by Mantis, and Wei Fang reveals the sword's location. The blind enchantress fights Shu Lien in the sword chamber, killing Sir Te's son when Shu Lien refuses to relinquish the sword.


text: As the inhabitants of the House of Te mourn the loss of their dearest companions, Snow Vase explains her connection to Wei Fang's past. His birth mother was the legendary swordswoman Han Mei. However, as a baby, he was swapped for the infant Snow Vase by her mother, a concubine. Han Mei raised Snow Vase as her own daughter, but never stopped looking for her son. Eventually finding him at West Lotus, she was mortally wounded by Hades Dai and, as she died, implored Snow Vase to find Wei Fang.


text: Knowing that Dai will send people to kill Wei Fang, Snow Vase frees him, and is horrified to later hear that he has stolen the sword. Silent Wolf tracks the boy down and they fight on a frozen lake. Wei Fang's master, Iron Crow, arrives and wounds Silent Wolf, allowing Wei Fang to escape and reach West Lotus. Wei Fang offers the sword to Hades Dai, but then attempts to kill him with it to avenge his mother. Shu Lien and the others arrive and fight Dai's army. Shu Lien fights the enchantress and kills her, using her skills to see through the witch's illusions. Mantis kills Flying Blade and Thunder Fist, then fights Snow Vase, who defeats her but is badly wounded. Silent Wolf fights Hades Dai on the tower, eventually killing the warlord with his own sword as he reaches for the Green Destiny.


text: Snow Vase survives her injuries, and joins Shu Lien, Silent Wolf and Wei Fang as they take the Green Destiny to the Wudang Mountains where it will be kept safe yet again.


text: In January 2013, it was reported that a sequel to the 2000 film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" would begin shooting in May, with Harvey Weinstein producing. Fight choreography would be by Yuen Woo Ping, The script by John Fusco would be based on the fifth and final book of the Crane-Iron Series, "Iron Knight, Silver Vase". On March 18, 2013, actor Donnie Yen confirmed rumors that he had been offered a role in the new film. Around the same time, there were also conflicting reports on whether Michelle Yeoh had been asked to reprise her role of Yu Shu Lien.


text: On May 16, 2013, it was officially announced that the sequel had been approved by the studio. Initially titled "Iron Knight, Silver Vase" (the same title as its source material), the film was then re-titled "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend". Donnie Yen was confirmed to star as Silent Wolf while Michelle Yeoh was confirmed to be reprising her role as Yu Shu Lien.


text: On August 20, 2013, it was reported that Zhang Ziyi was in talks to reprise her role as Jen Yu, but Zhang's agent Ji Lingling told the media that that was not true and stated, "Zhang would reprise her role only if the director was Ang Lee". If talks happened they did not result with Zhang's addition to the production. Instead Shuya Chang was cast while the character appears to have been renamed Han Mei, who is very similar in background as a rogue swordswoman of Wudan to the Jen Yu character.


text: On June 16, 2014, it was announced that the film would be co-produced by Pegasus Media, China Film Group Corporation, and The Weinstein Company, with a release date in 2016. On July 30, 2014, actor Harry Shum, Jr. was cast in the role of Wei-Fang.


text: While it was initially announced that production on the film would begin in June 2014 with location shooting in New Zealand and China, shooting was later bumped to August 2014. In September 2014, "Variety" reported that principal photography was underway in New Zealand.


text: The leaked order from the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television (SAPPRFT) Department of Film Management revealed the film's production was approved with amendments, including replacing White Lotus Society with a fictitious martial arts faction, downplaying "Oppose the Qing, Restore the Ming" content, controlling the amount of gore and violence, and amending Yu Xiulian's line "A superior army breaks its enemy without fighting," to "The army which breaks its enemy without fighting is the superior one."


text: The film was shot in English and dubbed to Mandarin, unlike its predecessor which was the other way around.


text: On September 29, 2014, it was announced that Netflix and The Weinstein Company's Harvey Weinstein had made a deal to release the feature film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon II: The Green Legend" on Netflix. The sequel would be released via RADiUS-TWC simultaneously on Netflix and in selected IMAX theatres on August 28, 2015. The day after Netflix's announcement, American cinema chain Regal Entertainment Group announced that they would not show the film in their theaters. Regal's Russ Nunley declined to be part of "an experiment where you can see the same product on screens varying from three stories tall to 3 inches wide on a smart phone", as opposed to a regular theater experience. The same day, AMC, Carmike Cinemas, Cinemark Theatres, and Cineworld also announced they would not show the film. IMAX's CEO Richard Gelfond argued on the rejection by some chains, saying, "This is a test, and I can't tell you for sure that it's going to work, but I can tell you for sure that attempting to innovate is a good idea because as technology changes, viewers change, and we have to figure out what does or doesn't work". On July 7, 2015, the film was removed from the August 28, 2015 slot and was moved back to a fourth-quarter day and date release. A trailer for the film was released on December 7, 2015. The film was scheduled to be released in China on February 8, 2016, but was pushed back to February 19. The film was released worldwide outside China on Netflix and in 10–15 IMAX screens in the United States on February 26, 2016.


text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 20% based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 5.15/10. The critics consensus reads, "Paling in comparison to its predecessor in every conceivable way, "Sword of Destiny" is a lazy sequel that never justifies its own cynical existence." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 47 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".


text: Justin Chang of "Variety" wrote: "Trading on the pedigree of Ang Lee's 2000 Oscar winner but capturing none of its soulful poetry, this martial-arts mediocrity has airborne warriors aplenty but remains a dispiritingly leaden affair with its mechanical storytelling, purely functional action sequences and clunky English-language performances."


text: In March 2015, Weinstein Books announced that a film tie-in novel had been written by Justin Hill. The novel was released on January 26, 2016.


title: Black Books

text: Black Books is a British sitcom created by Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan, and written by Moran, Kevin Cecil, Andy Riley, Linehan and Arthur Mathews. It was broadcast on Channel 4, running for three series from 2000 to 2004. Starring Moran, Bill Bailey and Tamsin Greig, the series is set in the eponymous London bookshop and follows the lives of its owner Bernard Black (Moran), his assistant Manny Bianco (Bailey) and their friend Fran Katzenjammer (Greig). The series was produced by Big Talk Productions, in association with Channel 4.


title: Black Books

text: The show was produced in a multiple-camera setup, and was primarily filmed at Teddington Studios in Teddington, London, with exterior scenes filmed on location on Leigh Street and the surrounding areas in Bloomsbury, London. The first episode was broadcast on 29 September 2000 and a total of three series were made, the final episode airing on 15 April 2004.


title: Black Books

text: "Black Books" was a critical success, winning awards, including two BAFTAs (for Best Situation Comedy in 2001 and 2005) and a Bronze Rose at the Festival Rose d'Or.


title: Black Books

text: Bernard Black is the owner of Black Books, a small London bookshop. The series revolves around the lives of Bernard, Manny and Fran. Bernard's persona of a grouchy and misanthropic shopkeeper is a central theme; he has a hatred of the outside world and all the people who inhabit it, except for his best friend, Fran, who initially runs a trendy bric-a-brac shop, Nifty Gifty, next-door to the shop.


title: Black Books

text: Bernard displays little interest or knowledge in retail (or, indeed, anything outside drinking, smoking and reading) and actively avoids having to interact with anyone, even inside his shop, as he has a seething dislike towards his customers who treat his bookshop more like a personal library. It is suggested that Fran and Bernard once slept together, but now they remain content to be friends (or possibly with Fran not allowing Bernard to remember), sharing a love of smoking heavily and drinking to excess. Fran otherwise is a hopeless romantic.


title: Black Books

text: Manny is introduced in the first episode as an angst-ridden accountant who enters the bookshop seeking "The Little Book of Calm". During a drunken night out, Bernard offers him a job as a shop assistant and a room above the shop if he will do Bernard's accounts for him. Sobering up, Bernard realises Manny's optimistic nature is not suited to this "kind of operation". Fran, however, seeing that Manny is good for Bernard, forces Bernard to let him stay.


title: Black Books

text: Many episodes are driven by Manny and Fran's attempts to force Bernard into a more socially acceptable lifestyle. Their efforts usually result in chaos, sucking them back into Bernard's cynical view of the world. The bookshop, which also doubles as Manny and Bernard's residence, is frequently depicted as being in an unlivable state of dirtiness and often inhabited by animals and other unidentified creatures, while disorder is a frequent aspect of the running of the shop. Manny's attempts to improve both the shop and the residence often fail.


title: Black Books

text: The series revolves around the three main characters of Bernard Ludwig Black (Dylan Moran), Manny Bianco (Bill Bailey) and Fran Katzenjammer (Tamsin Greig), who all appear in every episode. Other characters appear briefly in single episodes, while the show also featured several guest stars, including actors Simon Pegg, Martin Freeman, Olivia Colman, Johnny Vegas, Nina Conti and writer Graham Linehan.


title: Black Books

text: A pilot for the show was featured in the 1998 Channel 4 sitcom festival in Riverside Studios. This early version was decidedly darker, revolving around Bernard's, and later Manny's, decision to commit suicide. It featured Manny (surname Zimmerman in reference to Bob Dylan) and the Fran character as Valerie, a philosophy lecturer.


title: Black Books

text: The pilot was an original creation of Moran's and the series was his first creation as a writer for a television series. Linehan, co-writer of the earlier Channel 4 sitcom "Father Ted", joined at the outset to co-write the series with Moran at the suggestion of producer William Burdett-Coutts after Linehan saw the pilot and had seen Moran performing in Dublin. The characters were Moran's original creation, created over a month-long process he calls "spitballing", which is talking spontaneously to each other in character.


title: Black Books

text: The concept of Bernard owning a bookshop came about because of Moran's view of bookshops as doomed enterprises. Moran said "Running a second-hand bookshop is a guaranteed commercial failure. It's a whole philosophy. There were bookshops that I frequented and I was always struck by the loneliness and doggedness of these men who piloted this death ship", while Linehan said his belligerent personality reflected a sign he once saw in a bookshop stating "Please put the books anywhere you like because we've got nothing better to do than put them back". Moran said of the series, "We just wanted to cram as much elaborate stupidity into a half-hour that could make it be coherent and that you would believe".


title: Black Books

text: The fictional address for the bookshop is "Black Books", 13 Little Bevan Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1. Manny also states the shop is located "just off Russell Square". The exterior scenes of the bookshop were filmed outside a real bookshop, albeit a smaller one, called Collinge & Clark, located at 13 Leigh Street, Bloomsbury.


title: Black Books

text: The audio commentary for "Shaun of the Dead" states that "Black Books" is considered by the producers to be a sister show of the 1999 Channel 4 sitcom "Spaced", also produced by Nira Park. The show features several actors from "Spaced", while in one episode Manny is heard speaking to Twist Morgan, a character from "Spaced". Simon Pegg guest-starred as Bill Bailey's boss in another episode, an inversion of their roles in "Spaced"; Nick Frost appeared at the beginning of the episode "The Big Lockout" to install a new security system for the shop, though lost Manny's attention when he spotted a Subbuteo player in his hair; Kevin Cecil, one of the Black Books writers, appeared in Spaced playing the character of Harris; Jessica Stevenson made an appearance as a friend of Fran's, who was trying to help her live a healthier lifestyle with attempts to change her diet and get her to exercise more; Peter Serafinowicz played a radio broadcaster whose dulcet tones reading the shipping forecast drove Fran wild with desire; Omid Djalili appeared in "He's Leaving Home" as an opportunistic photographer; Rob Brydon appeared in Season 2's episode "The Fixer". Both Lucy Davis ("The Office", "Shaun of the Dead") and Olivia Colman ("Peep Show", "Hot Fuzz") appeared in Season 3's episode "Elephants and Hens".


title: Black Books

text: "Black Books" won the BAFTA for Best Situation Comedy in 2001 and 2005, and won a Bronze Rose at the Festival Rose d'Or of Montreux in 2001. It also received nominations for British Comedy Awards and the Irish Film and Television Awards.


title: Black Books

text: According to Allan Brown, writing for "The Times" in August 2005, the show was "killed off after three hugely popular series".


title: Black Books

text: In Channel 4's "The World's Greatest Comedy Characters" poll, Bernard was voted 19th. The show ranked 58th out of 100 in the BBC's Britain's Best Sitcom poll in 2004.


title: Black Books

text: When asked by Digital Spy in 2015 about the show possibly returning, Moran replied saying "No, no, no, no! No! Does that answer the question, no!" and stated that he'd rather focus on new projects. He also said that he'd never do another studio sitcom again.


title: George Gervin

text: George Gervin ( ; born April 27, 1952), nicknamed "the Iceman", is an American former professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Virginia Squires, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls. Gervin averaged at least 14 points per game in all 14 of his ABA and NBA seasons, and finished with an NBA career average of 26.2 points per game. In 1996, Gervin was named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, and in 2021, Gervin was named as one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history.


title: George Gervin

text: Gervin attended Martin Luther King, Jr. High School in Detroit. He struggled on and off the court until he reached his senior year, when a growth spurt allowed him to average 31 points and 20 rebounds and lead his school to the state quarterfinals. He was a "Detroit Free Press" All-State selection in 1970.


title: George Gervin

text: Gervin received a scholarship to play under Coach Jerry Tarkanian at California State University, Long Beach, but he had such a culture shock that he returned home before the first semester was over. He transferred to Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan and averaged 29.5 points as a sophomore forward in 1971–72.


title: George Gervin

text: While competing in an NCAA College Division national semifinal game in Evansville, Indiana, Gervin punched a Roanoke player. Gervin was suspended for the following season and eventually was removed from the team. Invitations to try out for the Olympic and Pan-American teams were withdrawn.


title: George Gervin

text: In 1972–73, Gervin initially played in Michigan for the Pontiac Chaparrals of the Continental Basketball Association, where he was spotted by Johnny Kerr, a Vice President, Basketball Operations for the Virginia Squires of the ABA. In January 1973, Kerr signed Gervin to the Squires for a $40,000 a year contract.


title: George Gervin

text: Gervin's time in Virginia would be short-lived, however. The Squires' finances had never been stable, and they had been forced to start trading their best players to get enough money to stay alive. In the space of only four months, they traded Julius Erving and Swen Nater for cash and/or draft picks. During the 1974 ABA All-Star Weekend, rumors abounded that the Squires were in talks about dealing Gervin for cash. The rumors turned out to be true; on January 30, Gervin was sold to the Spurs for $228,000. The ABA tried to block the trade, claiming that by trading their last legitimate star, the Squires were holding a fire sale. However, a court sided with the Spurs. Within two years, the Squires were no more.


title: George Gervin

text: After two seasons in the ABA, Gervin became NBA eligible in time for the 1974 NBA draft. The Phoenix Suns selected Gervin in the third round with the 40th pick, however Gervin elected to stay in the ABA and kept playing for the Spurs.


title: George Gervin

text: With Gervin as the centerpiece, the Spurs transformed from a primarily defense-oriented team into an exciting fast-breaking team that played what coach Bob Bass called "schoolyard basketball". Although the Spurs never won an ABA playoff series during Gervin's first three years there, their high-powered offense made them very attractive to the NBA (along with their attendance figures in a relatively small media market), and the Spurs joined the more established league as part of the 1976 ABA–NBA merger. Right before the final ABA season, the Spurs had acquired star power forward Larry Kenon via trade, forming an offensively dominant one-two punch of both he and Gervin in order to strengthen their lineup and compete for a championship. That season they were one win away from advancing to the 1976 ABA Finals as they had lost 4–3 to the Julius Erving-led New York Nets, who would win the championship.


title: George Gervin

text: Gervin's first NBA scoring crown came in the 1977–78 season, when he narrowly edged David Thompson for the scoring title by seven-hundredths of a point (27.22 to 27.15). Although Thompson came up with a memorable performance for the last game of the regular season, scoring 73 points, Gervin maintained his slight lead by scoring 63 points (including a then NBA record 33 points in the second quarter) in a loss during the last game of the regular season. With the scoring crown in hand, he sat out some of the third, and all of the fourth quarter. In the 1978–79 NBA season, the Spurs finished 48–34 with the second seed in the Eastern Conference (currently a Western Conference team), they had made it past Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round, beating them in seven games as Gervin led the league in playoff scoring with 28.6 ppg. They were one win away from making it to the 1979 NBA Finals as they were up 3–1 against the Washington Bullets in the Conference Finals but collapsed by losing three straight to lose the series. Kenon would become a free agent and sign with the Bulls after the following season.


title: George Gervin

text: Despite disappointing playoff eliminations and not making it to the finals, Gervin was committed to the Spurs, showing no frustration towards his teammates, thus living up to his nickname and went on to lead the NBA in scoring average three years in a row from 1978 to 1980 (with a high of 33.1 points per game in 1979–80), and again in 1982. Prior to Michael Jordan, Gervin had the most scoring titles of any guard in league history. In 1981, while sitting out three games due to injury, Gervin's replacement, Ron Brewer, averaged over 30 ppg. When Gervin returned, he scored 40+ points. When asked if he was sending a message, Gervin said, "Just the way the Lord planned it" and added, "Ice be cool" (with Ron Brewer). In the 1981–82 season, the Spurs would once again compete for a championship, by then the Spurs had just become a Western Conference franchise, finishing second in the conference with a 48–34 record. Gervin carried the team in scoring by leading the league with 29.4 ppg, they had made it back to the Conference Finals but got swept by the number one seeded Los Angeles Lakers who would end up winning the championship that year. In the 1982 offseason, the Spurs drafted high-scoring guards Oliver Robinson of UAB and Tony Grier from South Florida and also traded for all-star center Artis Gilmore to take some offensive pressure off Gervin. This time with the addition of Gilmore and some fresh young talent, the Spurs were once again a title contender in the 1982–83 season, finishing 53–29 with the number two seed in the Western Conference, making it back to the Conference Finals once again with Gervin leading the way, averaging 25.2 ppg, only to be defeated yet again by the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in six games.


title: George Gervin

text: Right before the 1985–86 season, Gervin was traded to the Chicago Bulls for forward David Greenwood after missing multiple preseason workouts amid the possibility of being relegated to the bench by new head coach, Cotton Fitzsimmons. The Bulls' rising star Michael Jordan stated he was "unhappy" after the trade. This season would be Gervin's last season in the NBA before retiring from the league. Although by this time he was aging and no longer at an all-star level, Gervin was still effective on the Bulls roster, averaging 16.2 ppg, had another 40-point game performance (a season-high 45 points against the Dallas Mavericks) and played all 82 games. The Bulls finished 30–52 but it was enough for a playoff berth clinching the number 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. The last NBA game of Gervin's career was April 20, 1986, Jordan's remarkable 63 point game against the Boston Celtics in game 2 of the first round. Gervin recorded an assist and a personal foul in five minutes of play and the Bulls would later get swept by the Celtics in the first round.


title: George Gervin

text: When he left the NBA, Gervin played for several years in Europe: in Italy for Banco Roma during the 1986–87 season where he averaged 26.1 points per game, and in the Spanish National Basketball League for TDK Manresa team (he was 38 years old at the time). At this point in his career he had lost some of his quickness, but his scoring instinct remained; he averaged 25.5 points, 5 rebounds and 1.2 assists, and in his last match he scored 31 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to keep Manresa in the first Spanish division. In between his years of playing in Europe, Gervin also played for the Quad City Thunder of the now defunct Continental Basketball Association (different from the CBA he began his career with).


title: George Gervin

text: Nicknamed "Iceman" for his cool demeanor on the court, Gervin was primarily known for his scoring talents. He had also received the nickname because of his rare ability to play the game of basketball at a high level without sweating.


title: George Gervin

text: Gervin's trademark move was the finger roll, which he executed with unusual delicacy, touch, and range. Typically used by others to shoot short layups, Gervin's effectiveness with the shot extended all the way to the free-throw line.


title: George Gervin

text: Gervin's legacy has inspired other athletes. Basketball great Gary Payton has stated his childhood idol was Gervin and that he was his favorite player to watch. Gervin was also idolized by former NFL and Heisman-winning quarterback Ty Detmer. Detmer records in his autobiography that he was elated to receive Gervin's autograph one day as a youth in San Antonio.


title: George Gervin

text: Gervin was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996; additionally, his #44 jersey has been retired by the Spurs and he was named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. In 2009, Gervin was ranked #45 on "SLAM Magazine"'s Top 50 NBA Players of All Time. In 2021, he was also named as one of the 75 greatest player in NBA history.


title: George Gervin

text: He remains active in the San Antonio community with his seven organizations designed specifically for underprivileged kids, including the George Gervin Youth Center. Gervin has said that his own experience as an underprivileged child in Michigan inspired him to get involved.


title: George Gervin

text: At the time of his trade to the Bulls, he held nearly every significant scoring record in Spurs history. Many of his records have been surpassed by David Robinson and Tim Duncan. Gervin retired with the most blocks by any guard in NBA history.


title: George Gervin

text: Though an NBA and ABA All-Star and Hall of Famer, Gervin never made an appearance with a team in either an NBA or ABA championship series during his 13-year career in American professional basketball.


title: George Gervin

text: Since retiring from professional basketball, George Gervin has been active in the San Antonio community by designing organizations for underprivileged children. In 1991, he established the George Gervin Youth Center.


title: George Gervin

text: In 1976, Gervin married Joyce King. The couple divorced in 1984 then remarried in 1985. They also have three children. The eldest child named George Gervin, Jr. (nicknamed "Gee"), played for the Harlem Globetrotters and was a fan favorite while playing for the Norrköping Dolphins of the Swedish League. Gervin, Jr. also played professionally in Mexico. Gervin's sister, Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, is a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives.


title: George Gervin

text: Gervin's younger brother, Derrick is a retired basketball player who mostly played in the CBA and Europe.


title: MeTV

text: MeTV, an acronym for Memorable Entertainment Television, is an American broadcast television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. Marketed as "The Definitive Destination for Classic TV", the network airs a variety of classic television programs from the 1930s through the 1990s.


title: MeTV

text: MeTV in the ensuing years has spun off six sister networks: MeTV+, the male-targeted, action/adventure-oriented Heroes & Icons, the sitcom oriented Decades, the film-centered Movies! (joint venture with Fox Television Stations), the female-targeted, drama-oriented Start TV, and the history/documentary network Story Television.


title: MeTV

text: MeTV is carried on digital subchannels of affiliated television stations in most markets; however, some MeTV-affiliated stations carry the network as a primary affiliation on their main channel, and a small number of stations air select programs from the network along with their regular general entertainment schedules, with a few carrying the network in high definition. The network is also available nationwide on DISH Network on channel 247, free-to-air C band satellite via SES-1 in the DVB-S2 format, and in some markets on AT&T U-verse channels 136 (in standard definition) and 1136 (in high definition), and cable television through cable TV providers. As of March 28, 2022, MeTV is available on the streaming service Frndly TV. As of August 9, 2022, MeTV is available on another streaming service Philo. MeTV's operations are located in Weigel Broadcasting's corporate headquarters on North Halsted Street in Chicago, Illinois.


title: MeTV

text: MeTV was originally developed as a programming block that launched on January 6, 2003, on Class A television station WFBT-CA (channel 23) in Chicago, Illinois, an independent station owned by Weigel that otherwise maintained a format featuring programming aimed at the market's diverse ethnic demographics. The block – which initially aired for three hours daily from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m., before expanding to seven hours a day (from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.) by 2004 – featured a broad mix of series from the 1950s to the 1980s, which included among others "The Honeymooners", "I Love Lucy", "Perry Mason", "The Carol Burnett Show", "One Day at a Time", and "Hogan's Heroes"; although the programs that aired as part of the lineup changed occasionally.


title: MeTV

text: On January 1, 2005, Weigel rechristened the Chicago low-power station as WWME-CA and removed the ethnic programming that filled its late afternoon and nighttime schedule, adopting the MeTV format and on-air branding full-time. Channel 23's former ethnic programming and WFBT-CA call letters were transferred to its sister station on UHF channel 48, which used the W48DD call letters prior to the format change.


title: MeTV

text: On August 4, 2007, WWME launched a weekend morning block that primarily featured Spanish dubs of select classic series, "Sí! MeTV" (the first two parts of the moniker were based on the phrase "see me", although "Sí" is the Spanish word for "yes"). Most of the programs carried as part of the "Sí! MeTV" lineup – which ran on the station until its discontinuance on January 25, 2009 – were sourced from the Universal Television library (including "", "", "Miami Vice", "Quantum Leap", and "The Incredible Hulk"), with syndication restrictions imposed on the original English-language versions resulting in some of the programs being made available to the station only in Spanish.


title: MeTV

text: Weigel expanded the format to its station on UHF channel 48 on March 1, 2008 – which adopted the WMEU-CA call letters at that time – under the "MeToo" extension brand, with the two low-power stations also being broadcast locally on separate digital subchannels of Weigel's flagship station WCIU-TV (channel 26). The two stations eventually carved out their own identities, culminating in a format shift on September 14, 2009, when WWME began to exclusively carry off-network sitcoms (such as "I Love Lucy", "Leave it to Beaver", "The Andy Griffith Show", "The Bernie Mac Show", "All in the Family", "The Honeymooners", and "Frasier"), while MeToo on WMEU began running only off-network drama series.


title: MeTV

text: On March 1, 2008, Weigel expanded the MeTV format to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it began airing on the third digital subchannel of the group's CBS affiliate in that market, WDJT-TV (channel 58). The Milwaukee version of the service featured much of the same programming as that aired on the Chicago outlets (some of which aired in different time slots than on WWME and WMEU), as well as certain programs that were exclusive to the Milwaukee service.


title: MeTV

text: The following month on April 21, Weigel moved the MeTV programming to its dedicated full-powered channel – WJJA (channel 49) in Racine, a Jewelry Television-affiliated station that the group had recently purchased from Kinlow Broadcasting and had its call letters changed to WBME-TV on April 29. It later began transmitting the station's signal from a new digital transmitter on the Weigel tower in Milwaukee's Lincoln Park on October 20 of that year, after WBME officially transferred its operations into the West Allis studios of WDJT and sister stations WMLW-CA and WYTU-LP. MeTV continued to be carried on digital channel 58.3 until October 30, 2008, when it was replaced by newly launched sister network This TV on the same channel. The station also aired public affairs programming including "Racine & Me", and because of its full-power status at the time of the move of MeTV programming to channel 49, programming compliant with FCC educational programming requirements such as "Green Screen Adventures" (a children's program produced for Weigel's Chicago flagship station WCIU-TV) and "Saved by the Bell".


title: MeTV

text: On November 22, 2010, Weigel announced that it would take the MeTV concept national and turn it into a full-fledged network with a standardized schedule, available to any station that wished to affiliate. As a result, MeTV would compete fully with the Retro Television Network and the then yet-to-launch Antenna TV, while complementing successful then-sister network This TV, which carried library product from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (with a limited number of classic television series featured alongside its movie-dominated schedule) and – until Tribune Broadcasting took over Weigel's operational interest in This TV on November 1, 2013 – children's programming from Cookie Jar Entertainment. The national MeTV network launched in December 2010. As with This TV, MGM handled distribution of the network to prospective affiliate stations.


title: MeTV

text: As part of the standardization with the new network, Chicago's local version of MeTV was integrated with MeToo, combining a selection of comedy and drama programming that had respectively been featured on WWME and WMEU onto the latter station's schedule under the MeToo brand as a locally programmed service. In the Chicago market, the national MeTV is carried on WCIU subchannel 26.3 and WWME-CA (the latter of which serves as its flagship station, and through its ownership by Weigel, an owned-and-operated station of the network); the new MeToo moved to WCIU subchannel 26.4 and remained on WMEU-CA.


title: MeTV

text: Low-powered WBME-CD in Milwaukee carries the national feed of MeTV in its entirety on digital channel 41.1; as a full-power station, prior to an August 2012 license swap that saw sister independent station WMLW move to full-power channel 49, while WBME moved to low-power channel 41 (the latter of which resulted in MeTV returning to its former secondary 58.2 slot to allow the latter to reach the entire market and to provide cable providers with a quality source of its signal), Weigel-owned ABC affiliate WBND-LD (channel 57) in South Bend began carrying MeTV on its 57.2 subchannel on December 15, 2010.


title: MeTV

text: On April 1, 2013, Nielsen began to tabulate national viewership for MeTV, including the network in its prime time and total day ratings reports. In February 2016, the network began to transmit its master feed in widescreen standard definition (which is also the preferred aspect ratio for sister networks Heroes & Icons and Decades), after conducting beta-testing in the format on WWME-CD months earlier. Although most affiliates continue to carry the MeTV feed in the format due to technical considerations regarding transmission of their primary channel in high-definition and/or carriage of other subchannels, the switch to a widescreen feed was done mainly to accommodate national and local advertisers that produce commercials exclusively in the 16:9 format and prefer not to have their advertising letterboxed into a 4:3 presentation, and stations which carry newscasts and other local programming on their MeTV subchannels that prefer to present them in widescreen. With the conversion, MeTV also began to carry remastered widescreen prints of some programs (such as "Leave It to Beaver," "I Love Lucy", "The Honeymooners", and "The Monkees") and present its program promotions in the 16:9 format; most other programming to which Me-TV has only obtained 4:3 prints are presented in an anamorphic format. According to Nielsen, MeTV averaged 719,000 viewers in prime time for 2019, a 2% increase over 2018.


title: MeTV

text: MeTV's program schedule relies primarily on the extensive library of television programs that are currently owned by CBS Media Ventures and 20th Television (the latter now part of Disney-ABC Domestic Television), along with select programs from other distributors. The only original programs on MeTV are "Svengoolie", a hosted movie series that had been airing on WCIU since 1994, and cartoon-centered "Toon In With Me". Similar to the former local MeTV and MeToo formats, the network maintains a broad variety of classic television programs, carrying approximately 60 program titles on its weekly schedule; the network's slate of programming is regularly altered at the start of its fall, winter and summer programming seasons, which respectively begin on Labor Day, New Year's Day and Memorial Day. Since MeTV broadcasts programs that it acquired through the syndication market, episodes of these shows are usually edited to fit into the allotted running time with commercials factored in.


title: MeTV

text: The network does not air a split-screen credit sequence or feature voiceovers promoting upcoming network programming during the closing credits (borrowing a format standard in local broadcast syndication). The network's continuity announcers are staff members Richard Malmos and Carol Gallagher, who both do equal share of announcing duties. Carol Gallagher is a Chicago-based voice-over artist, who has served as MeTV's staff announcer since its existence as a local programming format on WWME-CA and WMEU-CA, prior to its establishment as a national network; longtime voice-over artist Richard Malmos, who has been the continuity announcer for Weigel's flagship station WCIU since December 1994 (and is also known as the continuity announcer for many stations owned by, among other groups, the Sinclair Broadcast Group).


title: MeTV

text: Unlike other digital multicast networks such as former sister network This TV and competitors Antenna TV and Rewind TV, MeTV does not usually run day-long marathons of its programs on major national holidays. Instead, the network airs holiday-themed episodes of its shows on occasional holidays (such as Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas) as part of its regular schedule, which air in the program's normal time slot but are shown out-of-order from their regular episode rotation. Since its inception as a national network, MeTV has also aired marathons of "The Doris Day Show" on Christmas Eve as well as Christmas-themed specials during the month of December. In December 2014, the network aired Christmas episodes of its programs each weeknight from 10:00 to 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time, as part of the "MeTV Christmas Conundrum" stunt block, along with airing Christmas episodes of its programs from late Christmas Eve through Christmas night (this was repeated in 2015, albeit in an earlier prime time slot, featuring Christmas-themed episodes of series feature on the network's schedule and other shows from its program distributors that were not part of the regular lineup).


title: MeTV

text: The network occasionally pays tribute to a recently deceased actor or actress with a marathon showcasing episodes of their past television roles (either those that the performer had starred in as a regular or appeared as a guest star) to which MeTV has access to broadcast through its distributors, pre-empting episodes originally scheduled to air that day; however, these have aired in a significantly decreased usage since the discontinuance of the "MeTV Sunday Showcase" block in September 2012.


title: MeTV

text: MeTV premiered its first original series since the introduction of "Svengoolie", a reality show called "Collector's Call", in 2019, later with more original series in 2021, "Toon In with Me" and in 2022, "Sventoonie."


title: MeTV

text: The network's schedule features programming ranging from the 1930s to the 1990s. The weekday lineup contains a mix of cartoons (mornings), dramas (mainly late mornings), westerns (afternoons), and sitcoms (evenings).


title: MeTV

text: Saturdays feature blocks of cartoons (mornings), westerns (afternoons), Three Stooges shorts (early evenings), and sci-fi/superhero-oriented programs (evenings through late night – highlighted by "Svengoolie"). Sundays feature various sitcom blocks throughout the day.


title: MeTV

text: Despite access to program content from the Universal Television, CBS Media Ventures and 20th Century Studios libraries, movies have a relatively limited presence on MeTV's weekly schedule. The network airs the Rich Koz-hosted horror and science fiction film showcase "Svengoolie" on Saturday evenings, which is syndicated by sister CW-affiliate station WCIU-TV.


title: MeTV

text: From September 2013 to January 2014, MeTV aired a prime-time film block on Friday evenings, "The MeTV Made for TV Movie", which showcased made-for-television films from the 1970s to the 1990s. Until September 2013, the network also aired "Laurel and Hardy" movies and shorts Sunday mornings.


title: MeTV

text: MeTV's weekly showing of "Columbo" on Sunday nights had been the only program that appeared regularly in any feature length form. For a brief period in the 2010s, MeTV aired reruns of several "NBC Mystery Movie" series (including "Columbo") as part of a daily late night block called "The MeTV Mystery Movie". Columbo departed the network on November 21, 2021. In 2022, MeTV began airing "Perry Mason" TV movies from the 1980s/90s on Sunday nights.


title: MeTV

text: In November 2022, To commemorate Peanuts creator Charles Shultz’s 100th birthday, A Boy Named Charlie Brown and Snoopy Come Home aired on the 20th and 27th respectively.


title: MeTV

text: In order to comply with educational programming requirements mandated by the Federal Communications Commission's Children's Television Act on behalf of the network's affiliates, MeTV carried an hour-long block of "Green Screen Adventures" (Weigel's Chicago-based program originally meant for local viewing) on Saturday mornings and a two-hour block of the teen sitcom "Saved by the Bell" (which has long been used to meet E/I – or educational and informative – requirements, including by the original Chicago MeTV on WWME-CA prior to the national network's launch, and the TNBC block it formerly anchored) on Sunday mornings.


title: MeTV

text: In September 2013, MeTV began customizing its weekend morning lineup in order to allow its affiliates to choose between running both the Saturday and Sunday E/I blocks, or running the children's lineup on one weekend day and a three-hour block of classic series in place of the children's programs on the other, allowing stations to fulfill educational programming quotas by running the minimum three-hour requirement or an overall total of six hours of E/I content (this was reconfigured in January 2015 to allow stations the option of pre-empting the final two hours of the Saturday E/I block to carry only "Green Screen Adventures" and "Saved by the Bell" to reach their weekly E/I requirements). The network moved its children's programming to Sunday mornings in October 2016 for more classic television programming on Saturday morning including "The Little Rascals" and three additional hours of westerns. Starting October 2, MeTV’s educational/informational block on Sunday mornings was overhauled with the addition of "Beakman’s World" and "Bill Nye the Science Guy", the latter acquired from Disney-ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution. "Saved by the Bell" also continued to air on the station on Sunday mornings (as it still does).


title: MeTV

text: MeTV also previously ran a children's program block on Saturday mornings called "AniMeTV" (which despite how the name – due to the network's use of the "Me" moniker as a branding avenue for its blocks – makes it appear, aired no Japanese-originated anime programming), that was handled by New York-based Classic Media (which, along with NBCUniversal, Nelvana and Scholastic Entertainment, previously co-owned the digital multicast network Qubo in conjunction with Ion Media Networks). The three-hour block premiered on April 7, 2012, to compete with The CW's Toonzai and This TV's Cookie Jar Toons/This Is for Kids. The block featured animated series such as "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" and "", along with "Gumby" and "Mr. Magoo" animated shorts; the block officially ended on October 6, 2012, rendering Vortexx (which replaced Toonzai in 2012) and Cookie Jar Toons/This Is for Kids as the only children's blocks on a broadcast network without a strictly-E/I lineup. MeTV began airing the cult classic Sid & Marty Krofft productions "H.R. Pufnstuf" and "Land of the Lost" during the 2013 Christmas season; the shows became part of the regular Saturday morning lineup on December 28, 2013, as part of an hour-long block called "Sid & Marty Krofft and Me".


title: MeTV

text: As of fall 2019, MeTV's E/I programming obligations are covered by the weekly three-hour Sunday morning "Saved by the Bell" "Sunday School" block (7-10 a.m. ET).


title: MeTV

text: In addition, "Toon In With Me" – a block of classic cartoons and original skits, airing for one hour on weekday mornings – premiered on January 4, 2021, and a three-hour block of classic cartoons airs Saturday mornings under the branding of "Saturday Morning Cartoons". Its companion network, MeTV Plus, airs a three-hour block of classic cartoons on Sunday nights under the branding of "Sunday Night Cartoons", and airs "Toon In With Me" for one hour on weeknights.


title: MeTV

text: , MeTV has current or pending affiliation agreements with 203 television stations in over 185 television markets encompassing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the border regions of Canada, covering approximately 92.54% of the United States; this makes MeTV the largest subchannel network by population reach percentage (a distinction once held by former sister network This TV), and the seventh largest commercial broadcast television network in the U.S.-based on total number of affiliates. Of these affiliates, 24 stations carry the network as a formal primary channel affiliation and two are general entertainment stations that air select MeTV programs on a tape-delayed basis. In almost all of its affiliation agreements, the network's channel slot is mandatorily required to be slotted on either a station's primary channel, or its secondary digital subchannel; in San Diego, this stipulation required the move of MeTV from CBS affiliate KFMB-TV's second subchannel, to ABC affiliate KGTV's second subchannel upon KFMB's launch of a subchannel for The CW to replace XETV-TDT's affiliation.


title: MeTV

text: Like former sister network This TV, many of MeTV's affiliates (some of which replaced This TV with MeTV, after the former was partially acquired by Tribune Broadcasting) include regional descriptors reflecting the station's primary broadcast area underneath the logo bug displayed during the network's programming (these descriptors are also used in the customized station identifications shown at the top of each hour between programs or during commercial breaks, which differ from the silent lower third in-program IDs seen on This TV). Some stations either display customized logos using adapted versions of their current logo with the subchannel number below the main MeTV logo bug (such as WPXI in Pittsburgh) or in order to fit in with the network's "retro" format, a logo formerly used by the station (such as WHIO-TV in Dayton). Others display their callsign and city of license (and in some cases, the affiliate's virtual channel number) below the MeTV bug full-time in case the full-screen ID sequence malfunctions in some manner. From August 2014 to August 2015, station identifications for MeTV were based on the motif "Thank You for Making Us America's #1 All Classic TV Network", allowing local affiliates to customize their IDs to refer to their individual viewing area (for example, "Thank You, Chicago" on WWME-CD).


title: MeTV

text: Although MeTV prefers that its local affiliates carry the entire schedule, some affiliates regularly pre-empt certain network programs in order to air morning and/or prime time newscasts produced by the station specifically for the subchannel or public affairs programs (such as with WLKY-TV in Louisville and WBAL-TV in Baltimore); this has become particularly more common since September 2015, when other Hearst Television-owned stations in markets where the group does not maintain a duopoly (as is the case with WBAL and WLKY, which launched theirs earlier) gradually began launching prime time newscasts on their MeTV-affiliated subchannels. Some of the major network affiliates that carry MeTV full-time (such as WBAL, WLKY and WCVB-TV in Boston) use the affiliated subchannel as a buffer during network sports coverage, breaking news or severe weather coverage situations to carry regularly scheduled network and/or syndicated programming seen on its main channel.


title: MeTV

text: Some affiliates may also preempt select MeTV programs to air infomercials (such as with WZME in Bridgeport, Connecticut pre-2021, which pre-empted much of the network's morning and late night schedule with paid programming), locally acquired syndicated programming (such as with WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C., which aired events from the American Sports Network, a syndicated college sports distributor owned by WJLA parent Sinclair Broadcast Group, over its former MeTV subchannel on some weekends), local live sporting events (such as WTOV-TV in Wheeling, WV-Steubenville, OH which has pre-empted the schedule for Wheeling Nailers ECHL hockey game broadcasts and local high school sporting events), or in some cases, because the local syndication rights to a particular program are held by a station other than the MeTV affiliate (such as with "The Andy Griffith Show", which since the network began airing the program in September 2014, is substituted in many markets with an alternate feed of its spin-off "Mayberry R.F.D."). To address these variances, MeTV includes the fine print notation ""On most MeTV stations"" at the end of its program promotions regardless of whether a program or block is specifically promoted, typically during the timeslot card. Additionally, stations may also air select MeTV programs that are recorded in advance on their main channels in order to fill unprogrammed time slots or for use as a backup source of programming in the event that a network-televised sports event is delayed or postponed due to inclement weather as well as during the Christmas season to provide supplementary holiday-themed programming.


title: MeTV

text: Two of MeTV's subchannel-only affiliates – WBBJ-TV in Jackson, Tennessee (which primarily affiliates its 7.3 subchannel with CBS) and WIBW-TV in Topeka, Kansas (which primarily affiliates its 13.2 subchannel with MyNetworkTV) – carry its programming on a secondary basis while nominally serving as an affiliate of a major broadcast network due to the lack of enough available stations in their markets for a standalone main channel affiliation (though despite the 'secondary' status, these stations still carry the majority of MeTV's broadcast schedule). One other affiliate, WBBZ-TV in Springville, New York (which serves the Buffalo market), carries the network's programming part-time within its main channel's regular schedule, while running the full MeTV network feed on a separate subchannel. Over time however, MeTV's ratings strength and popularity have actually caused some of these split situations to end, with MeTV going full-time on Charlottesville, Virginia's WAHU-CD2 at the start of 2019, ending its run as a MeTV affiliate carrying MyNetworkTV in primetime. The MeTV channel in the Cleveland, Ohio market, WOIO-DT2, also carries MyNetworkTV, though as a non-prime contractual burn-off in the graveyard slot in lieu of sister station WUAB, which switched to The CW in 2018.


title: MeTV

text: On January 7, 2011, KCTU-LD in Wichita, Kansas became the first television station not owned by Weigel to carry the MeTV network. However, KCTU's affiliation with the network lasted only about one week, as that station's owner, Great Plains Television Network LLC, and Weigel could not come to terms on a long-term affiliation contract. Afterwards, on September 7, 2012, another Wichita station (KAKE) became the Wichita MeTV affiliate, and is still around to this date. In early 2011, Bahakel Communications became the first non-Weigel station group to sign selected stations to carry MeTV on their digital subchannels, with its stations in Charlotte, North Carolina (WCCB) and Columbia, South Carolina (WOLO-TV) adding the network in early March of that year. On April 4, 2011, Weigel announced affiliation agreements for MeTV with 14 broadcasting companies, most notably Tegna Inc., Hearst Television, Gray Television, Cox Media Group, and Nexstar Media Group. Also of note, in December 2013, the network moved its Dallas-Fort Worth affiliation to a newly created subchannel of independent station KTXA (replacing Greenville-based KTXD-TV, which abruptly disaffiliated from MeTV three months earlier), marking CBS Television Stations' first affiliation deal involving a major subchannel network (Weigel and CBS would later partner to create Decades, a similar classic television-focused network that launched on May 25, 2015).


title: MeTV

text: On August 31, 2022, 12 affiliates owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and 4 affiliates owned by the E. W. Scripps Company dropped their affiliation with MeTV.


title: MeTV

text: MeToo is a defunct companion programming format, which launched on March 1, 2008, on WMEU-CA in Chicago as an extension of the local MeTV format on sister station WWME-CA. It initially maintained a wide selection of off-network sitcoms and drama series from a variety of distributors (similar to WWME's locally exclusive MeTV format, but differing from the limited distributor output of the present-day national MeTV network). Initially, WMEU maintained a similar programming schedule as WWME; however by the fall of 2008, their formats were modified to feature one station focusing mainly on sitcoms and the other largely focusing on dramas. When WWME adopted a sitcom-intensive format for its MeTV schedule on September 14, 2009, the MeToo schedule on WMEU-CA was similarly streamlined to feature only off-network dramatic programs (such as "Perry Mason", "," "," "The Rockford Files" and "The Twilight Zone") and films.


title: MeTV

text: As WWME became a charter station of the national network on December 15, 2010, WMEU concurrently reverted to a general entertainment format – combining some of its existing inventory of drama programming with a selection of comedy programs aired by WWME prior to MeTV's format-to-network conversion; however it continued to carry a mix of both classic and recent programs, resulting in the local MeToo channel airing a broader variety of programming than that provided by the national version of MeTV, which largely restricts its acquired programming to series that debuted prior to 1985. The MeToo format was relegated to WWME's analog signal and WCIU digital subchannel 26.4 on November 1, 2013, when WMEU was converted into a standalone extension of WCIU's "The U Too" subchannel, itself an extension of the general entertainment independent station format carried by that station's primary channel, albeit with some classic series remaining on the schedule. The MeToo format was discontinued outright on December 29, 2014, when it was replaced on WCIU-DT4 by Weigel's new male-targeted classic television network Heroes & Icons.


title: MeTV

text: Weigel Broadcasting had planned to expand the MeToo format to Milwaukee, intending to launch a similar locally programmed subchannel on WBME-TV in early 2011. However, these plans were delayed and ultimately scuttled due to the launch of sister network Movies! on May 27, 2013, which took the 49.3 channel slot that had been proposed to carry the Milwaukee MeToo service. After Movies! moved to a newly created second digital subchannel of ABC affiliate WISN-TV (channel 12) in August 2014, WMLW-DT3 became a charter affiliate of Heroes & Icons.


title: MeTV

text: Through a local marketing agreement with owner Venture Technologies Group, Weigel operates WRME-LD (channel 6) in Chicago as a co-branded radio station, known as "MeTV FM", which maintains an oldies format focusing on classic music from the 1950s to the 1980s. The format change, announced on February 9, 2015, and formally commencing on February 23, coincided with Weigel's assumption of an LMA first formed in April 2012 between Venture Technologies and Merlin Media (the LMA was transferred from Cumulus Media to Tribune Broadcasting – which had operated it as a sports talk station – in February 2014, before switching to an FM simulcast of sister station 720 WGN in December of that year).


title: MeTV

text: WRME-LD is licensed as a low-power television station, but operates as a radio station due to a technical anomaly with the analog VHF channel 6 frequency for television transmissions that allows the audio feed of such stations to be heard on 87.75 MHz on the FM band (with a visual station identification slide used on the station's television broadcasts to fulfill FCC licensing requirements).


title: MeTV

text: In May 2017, it was announced that Weigel had partnered with Envision Networks, now Sun Broadcast Group, to syndicate the MeTV FM brand and format as a radio network, with Weigel handling programming and Envision handling distribution. The company cited the success of the original station (which, by then, was tied for audience share with its closest full-power competitors WJMK and WLS-FM, and by March 2018, was the 6th highest-rated station in the market), as well as the possibility of cross-promotional opportunities with MeTV television affiliates. In April 2018, Northern States Broadcasting, which just acquired purchased WHHQ AM in Bridgeport, Michigan (serving the Saginaw-Bay City-Midland radio market), affiliated with MeTV FM at its relaunch as WJMK, using the call sign vacated by one of MeTV FM's Chicago competitors, which had changed its call sign to WBMX.


title: MeTV

text: On May 3, 2021, it was announced that Weigel would launch MeTV Plus (MeTV+), a new 24/7 digital network that extends the brand and expands the audience of MeTV. The new channel launched on Saturday, May 15. Its first affiliates are made up of Weigel stations replacing Katz Broadcasting's Bounce TV, which became exclusive to parent company's Scripps and Ion's television stations. This includes WCIU-DT5 in Chicago and KMOH-DT3 in the Phoenix market. In September 2021, MeTV Plus expanded their carriage beyond the two stations.


title: MeTV

text: MeTV+ arranges the bulk of its lineup in organized genre-based programming blocks, most of which use the "Me" moniker (in some cases, as an intentional pun) for brand unification purposes.


title: Mandalay Bay

text: Mandalay Bay is a 43-story luxury resort and casino at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned by Vici Properties and The Blackstone Group and operated by MGM Resorts International. It was developed by Circus Circus Enterprises and completed at a cost of $950 million. It opened on March 2, 1999, on the former site of the Hacienda hotel-casino. MGM acquired Mandalay Bay in 2005, and Blackstone became a co-owner in 2020. Vici acquired MGM's ownership stake in 2022.


title: Mandalay Bay

text: Mandalay Bay has a tropical South Seas theme and covers . It includes a casino and 3,209 rooms. The 43-story tower includes a Four Seasons hotel, which has rooms on floors 35 through 39. It is managed separately from the Mandalay Bay hotel. In 1999, the Four Seasons became the first Las Vegas hotel to win the AAA Five Diamond Award.


title: Mandalay Bay

text: Several additions opened in 2003, including the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, and a second hotel tower, THEhotel at Mandalay Bay. It has 1,117 rooms, and was renamed Delano Las Vegas in 2014. A shopping mall, Mandalay Place, was also added in 2003. Other features include a House of Blues club, the Shark Reef aquatic attraction, and an events center known as Michelob Ultra Arena. The resort also has an 1,800-seat theater, which has hosted several Broadway shows, including "Chicago" (1999–2000), "Mamma Mia!" (2003–2009), and "The Lion King" (2009–2011). Since 2013, the theater has hosted "".


title: Mandalay Bay

text: In 2017, gunman Stephen Paddock opened fire from the hotel's 32nd floor, killing 60 people in attendance at an outdoor music festival nearby. It is the deadliest shooting by a lone gunman in U.S. history.


title: Mandalay Bay

text: Mandalay Bay was built on the former site of the Hacienda hotel and casino at the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip. In 1995, Circus Circus Enterprises purchased the Hacienda for $80 million and an adjacent site, directly south, for $73 million. That June, plans were announced for a new resort project, tentatively known as Milennium, to replace the Hacienda.


title: Mandalay Bay

text: The Hacienda closed on December 1, 1996, and was demolished on New Year's Eve. Details about its replacement were unveiled on the same day; the tropical-themed resort, now known under the working title "Project Paradise", had an estimated budget of $800 million to $1 billion, with completion expected by the end of 1998. The target clientele would be higher-end compared to Circus' prior resorts, competing against The Mirage and new properties such as the Venetian and Paris resorts. It was planned as part of a larger project known as the Masterplan Mile, a complex which would include two other new resorts by Circus, although these never materialized.


title: Mandalay Bay

text: Construction on Project Paradise began in 1997. Problems arose during construction in mid-1998, because of excessive and uneven settling of the soil beneath the resort; the core of the building sank by , while one of the wings had settled by only . Rumors about the severity of the issues depressed Circus Circus's stock price. The problem was solved by installing 536 micropiles (200-foot-long metal pipes filled with grout, each capped with a hydraulic jack) below the building, at an estimated cost of $8 million to $10 million. The damage from the settling was limited to minor cracks in the resort's valet parking facility.


title: Mandalay Bay

text: In February 1998, the project was officially named Mandalay Bay, after the city of Mandalay in Myanmar. The name was also chosen to evoke the exotic tropical romanticism of the poem "Mandalay" by Rudyard Kipling. More than a dozen names had been considered for the resort. Mandalay Bay cost $950 million to build, making it the most expensive project to date for Circus Circus. The company expected to spend more than $10 million on a print and television advertising campaign in the months leading up to the resort's opening.


title: Mandalay Bay

text: Mandalay Bay opened at 10:00 p.m. on March 2, 1999, following a private opening for VIPs earlier in the day that included numerous celebrities. Grand opening festivities included the Blues Brothers (Dan Aykroyd, James Belushi, and John Goodman) leading a procession of 200 motorcycles to Mandalay Bay's front doors. Later, they performed at the resort's House of Blues club, as did Bob Dylan. Mandalay Bay employed 5,000 people, with 30 percent coming from other Circus Circus properties. The company changed its name to Mandalay Resort Group later in 1999, reflecting its flagship property.


title: Mandalay Bay

text: In 2002, Mandalay Bay sought approval from the U.S. and Chinese governments to import two panda bears for exhibit at the resort. The property would build a glass-domed structure for the animals, next to the resort's Shark Reef aquatic attraction and away from the casino floor. The panda exhibit would generate up to $50 million a year, which would be given to the Chinese government to further conservation efforts for the species. Critics viewed the proposed exhibit as an exploitative way to attract casino patrons. Ultimately, the resort did not gain approval to import the animals.


title: Mandalay Bay

text: In 2003, the resort added a convention center and a second hotel tower. Two years later, the resort was bought by MGM Mirage as part of its acquisition of Mandalay Resort Group. In 2006, Mandalay Bay was investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice over complaints that the resort failed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The property eventually spent $20 million to correct the entry doors of 3,000 hotel rooms, as they were deemed too narrow. The resort's first major renovation began in late 2012, and continued into the next year, improving various areas of the property.


title: Mandalay Bay

text: Stunt performer Andy Lewis achieved a new slacklining record at Mandalay Bay in 2013, walking 360 feet across a loose rope situated 480 feet above the property.