News In The Biz

It looks like WJLA-TV/ABC7's sister station, NewsChannel 8, is having its name changed.  Many of us remember WJLA-TV's call letters representing the intials of its former Owner, Joseph L. Allbritton.  According to DCRTV, the new station will be called...  CLICK FOR MORE FROM DCRTV!

News In The Biz...

This year’s Big Game commercials appear to be on track to receive unprecedented exposure on other platforms.  As a matter of fact, the On Our Blocks crew nearly missed kickoff because we were thoroughly amused by the NFL Channel’s pregame coverage of tonight’s spots.  Thankfully, we were watching NBC’s free live stream on other devices

Here are some interesting stories about tonight, including what seemed to be an error during the first half:

• Did someone miss airing a $5 million commercial? Click here 
• Check out the spots on nfl.com

News in The Biz

Here's some news in our business...

• BET is closing their DC office this summer - The Washington Post
• What's up with a new stadium in the DMV? - CSN
• Folks have been glued to the tube watching cable news.  Who's winning in the ratings? - Adweek
• The legendary Jim Vance has a been a trailblazer in TV broadcasting.  He continues to amaze us with his class...  - nbcwashington.com

Does anyone remember the chemistry between Vance and George Michael?  Watch this blast from the past as Susan Kidd tried to keep them in line.

H Street Festival

The team from The 2016 H Street Festival did it again this year.  The family-friendly crowd, as well as the food, were vast and diverse. Our type of event! Click below to see more...

The 2016 H Street Festival

Here's some news in the biz...

• Is Radio One coming back to DC?  Check out this report from The Washington Business Journal
• As reported by DCRTV.com,  The Sports Junkies will air on CSN
• DMV Development... What happened to Checkers in NE?  Another Chic-Fil-A? An update from popville

DMV Connections... Olympics edition

Courtesy Twitter.com

USA athletes have been crushing it at this year's summer Olympics in Rio.  Shout out to the multiple DMV athletes for truly representing.  With that in mind, take a look at a couple of past local athletes who've also made the area proud in previous Olympic events.

News in the biz

Here's some recent news from our industries...

• WDCW 50 is planning a launch of a 10 PM Newscast

• Additions to The Real Housewives of Potomac?

• This local DC music video has been getting a lot of pub lately

DMV Development... Hine School

If you've been to Eastern Market this summer, you've probably noticed changes at 7th and Penn. Ave, SE. For starters, many of the vendors who conducted business in the parking lot next to the former Hine Junior High School, now line 7th street on weekends. They currently extend from the actual Eastern Market building south to Pennsylvania Ave.

7th & Penn., Ave., SE

Mayor Muriel Bowser officially broke ground on the Hine School project last month. The seven story building will include 180,000 square feet for office space, 60,000 square feet for retail space and 162 residential apartments. There will also be two underground levels dedicated to 362 parking spaces. Check out the the early demolition clip above.

7th & Penn.Ave, SE

Click below to take a quick look at the progress since August 2015:

Donnie Simpson is back on the air in the DMV

Source: Louis Myrie/Radio One

Legendary radio and television personality, Donnie Simpson, will be taking on both roles again with Radio One and TV One respectively. Earlier today, Simpson made his debut on Majic 102.3, where he announced that he'll be returning to the airwaves in two weeks. Check out some interesting facts about his return...

On Our Blocks News

Here's some recent news from our business units:

• PBS's 'Ask This Old House' shoots a segment in Northeast
• Fox will broadcast two hours of NFL pregame programming this season
• Looking for things to do on H Street the summer?
• Has the DMV's 2024 Olympic bid been reignited? 

On Our Blocks News

Here's news from some of our professional areas of interest...

• Silver Spring based TV One's Roland Martin claims win over CNN and Fox 
• NFL to stream live video of game in 2015
• "The Man Cave" will make its debut on ESPN 980 next Monday
• An interesting look at why NCAA athletes should be allowed to unionize

DMV Connections... Our very own prime time network television star

Courtesy Fox.com

Tonight's appointment television for fans of Fox's Empire. According to Nielsen, 708,000 Tweets were generated around the program between March 2 and March 8, 2015. A second season of the program is already on the horizon, so we're even more proud to call one of the following stars a DMV Connection...

A.Terrance Howard

B. Trai Byers

C. Teraji P. Henson

D. Jussie Smollett

On Our Blocks News

Here are more recent stories that may be of interest...

• A response to Prince George's County's real estate values from its residents...
• Another competitor for cable television begins service today... Sling TV
• DMV native Kevin Plank discusses the future of Under Armour (video)...
• Only 55% of television viewers in this Nielsen survey continue to watch live TV...
• REI is coming to the former Uline Arena/Washington Coliseum in NoMa...

Future Home of REI (2/9/15)

REI in NoMa - Courtesy DouglasDevelopment.com

On Our Blocks News

Here are some stories of interest in the DMV. Click the links below:

• JC Hayward has announced her retirement from Channel 9

• A DMV native gets the morning gig on WPGC

• An interesting look at the real estate market in Prince Geroge's County

 "My Prince George's County"

Fresh locally grown food on H Street

If you'd like to support your community when purchasing some of the freshest and tastiest food from our region, FRESHFARM Markets' H Street location is a real good look. The non-profit organization supports local farmers and artisans throughout the Chesapeake watershed. They've been operating on 13th, between H and Wylie Streets, NE since 2004. The remaining 2014 events will feature grass-fed meats, fruits, veggies, eggs, pastries, flowers and more. They'll take place on Saturdays from 9am-Noon until December 20. Click below for a few additional shots from last Saturday.

Taste of DC

We checked out Taste of DC during last week's holiday weekend. We were impressed with the crowd, especially on a Sunday prior to a 4 p.m. Redskins game. Although these Yelp comments  feature mixed reviews, we were extremely satisfied with our traditional outdoor festival go-to meal. Here's an old-school hint... you can't go wrong with the freshly grilled teriyaki chicken on a stick.There's usually a long line, but it's definitely worth the wait.

Click below for footage. If the video does not appear, CLICK HERE.

The 2014 H Street Festival

An estimated 125,000 folks came out to the annual H Street Festival last week. Here's some footage from the 2014 event:

If the video does not appear below, CLICK HERE

NoMa Summer Screen's final viewing of the season

According to nomabid.org, the NoMa Summer Screen film series is scheduled to go on this evening. If you're not familiar with the series, check out this previous OnOurBlocks post. Tonight's viewing of Hook, which is appropriately a family-friendly film featuring Robin Williams, starts at 7 PM. As always, several food trucks will be onsite. Click below for a list of culinary options and recent pics from earlier this summer.

DMV Connections... A national morning show host

Which of the following morning show personalities grew up in Prince George's County Maryland, where she attended Bowie High School?

A. Kelly Ripa

B. Gayle King

C. Kathie Lee Gifford

D. Hoda Kotb

Update... Dollar Tree opens at Hechinger Mall on Benning Road

In an earlier post, we told you that the Dollar Tree at Hechinger Mall was expected to open on July 7, 2014. After a brief delay, we can now report that the store was open and operating on August 1, 2014. From the looks of things during our visit, this should prove to be popular location in the Northeast quadrant of the city.