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April 6, 2017

There is a lot going on with this year's Bentonville Film Festival!



The Bentonville Film Festival is in it third year and continues to grow.  The festival will be held this year May 2nd through 7th.  We wanted to get the latest from the BFF office.



Dustin had a chance to talk with co-founder of Bentonville Film Festival, Trevor Drinkwater.  Check out what he had to say about BFF 2017!



Multi-event passes are already on sale at their website www.bentonvillefilmfestival.com .  Single tickets will be on sale April 7th and you will be able to buy tickets through the BFF app that will available on Friday also.



#BFF #BeOurBFF #BvilleFilmFest 


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PROUD SPONSOR OF 
Bentonville Film Festival







April 5, 2017

Do you have what it takes to be a part of the Crew?

The Arkansas CW Crew is looking to add a new member to its team!  Do you have what it takes to be a part of the Crew? Gifted with a special talent for entertaining?  Do you have charisma and a lot of personality?

We are looking for one individual that is outgoing, energetic and has the gift of gab and at least 18 years or older to become the fourth team member for The Arkansas CW Crew.  It's an opportunity that's fun and flexible and gives you a great community experience! 

This paid position puts you in the middle of the action at some of the year's biggest events. You will be meeting viewers form all walks of life and engaging fans online and in person.  

To apply complete one Arkansas CW Crew Audition application, Provide links for photographs and a 1 1/2 minute video on why you should be picked to be a part of the Crew.  (You can use your phone to record a message for your video and send to ssearle@hearst.com.)

Deadline to enter has been extended to April 12th, 2017.

Here is a taste of what it is like to be a part of The Crew!






Complete form:


Participation of Eligibility (*Required) to be completed and emailed to ssearle@hearst.com 


Opening Day at Arvest Ballpark!



Naturals vs. Missions
Thursday April 6th at 6:25PM
Gates open at 5PM. 


Cheer on the Naturals as they open up the season against the San Antonio Missions then end your night with a bang with The Arkansas CW Fireworks Spectacular on April 6 & 7th! Get your tickets now at Arvest Ballpark



April 4, 2017

iZombie Season Premiere Tonight



iZombie returns tonight at 8pm on The Arkansas CW!  Stars Rose McIver and Rahul Kohli tell us what we can expect on season three of iZombie! Check out the interview below!

March 28, 2017

Survivor Tractor at Williams Tractor in Fayetteville!

New Holland Agriculture is touring the Survivor Tractor.  It has arrived at Williams Tractor in Fayetteville!  
Co-owner Gary Tollett would like to encourage people to stop by this Wednesday, March 29th and check out the survivor tractor during customer appreciation day.  Miss America, Savvy Shields will also be attending the event between 10-11:30am.  All the proceeds with be going to the American Cancer Society.  



Devante had a chance to talk with Gary about the event.  Click below to see what all is going on at Williams Tractor in Fayetteville! 





The Survivor is a fully restored vintage tractor from 1939 dedicated to raising money for cancer research.  Each owner has purchased and then auctioned the tractor with 100% of the funds going to various charities.  

New Holland Agriculture purchased the Survivor in November of 2016.  It resulted in a $32,000 donation to the Ann B Barshinger Cancer Institute at Lancaster General Hospital.

This year starts a new journey for the Survivor Tractor with a yearlong campaign of fundraising throughout 2017.  To help fight against cancer, New Holland and CNH Industrial will match contributions up to $100,000 to donate to the American Cancer Society. 

New Holland Agriculture is encouraging people to go out to Williams Tractor 2501 N Shiloh Drive Fayetteville, Arkansas and take their picture next to the Survivor Tractor and share their stories of survival on social media by using #SurvivorTractor or by visiting Survivortractor.com.








It's Showtime at the Haxton!

Lucine Feyelon


It's showtime at the Haxton! A fundraiser event with silent auction to help raise funds for Brand New Mercies. This event will be taking place on April 1st, 2017.  Featuring  Los Angeles based classical hip-hop violinist, Opera singer, songwriter and producer Lucine Fyelon.  

Brand New Mercies will be a safe haven and recovery program where women can reclaim their lives and recover from addiction, abuse or homeless without being separated from their children.

The fundraiser will be on April 1, 2017 at the Haxton Road Studios, 222 SE 2nd ST Suite 100 Bentonville, Arkansas.  VIP reception starts at 5:30 pm and the general admission starts at 6:00 pm.

You can get your tickets here on Eventbrite.  $45 VIP and $25 for general admission.


  



March 27, 2017

KAZHA Returns to Fort Smith!



Arkansas Anime Festival River Valley Edition announces their musical guest will be the international rock band from Japan, Kazha!  The Anime festival will be held in Fort Smith Convention Center from May 26th-28th.



Kazha is a 3 piece rock band from Japan. Members of the band are lead singer and bassist Kazuha Oda, guitarist Hideki Matsushige and drummer Masaya Kondo.  Kazuha Oda has worked with world wide performers including Grammy award winner Bob James.  The band's work has appeared in iTunes top 100 charts in several different countries.  The band's first album was released in 2010 "Overture" and released a second album "Evolution" in 2013.


You can read more about the band by going to Arkansasanimefestival.com .  The Arkansas Anime Festival is Arkansas' largest and longest running anime and gaming convention.

You can get your tickets for the festival here.


You can keep up with everything KAZHA by going to any of these links:






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PROUD SPONSOR OF 
ARKANSAS ANIME FESTIVAL










Janoska Ensemble:10x10 Arts Series


Janoska Ensemble
Tuesday, March 28th at 7pm
Walton Arts Center

Classical music from Vienna - with a twist! This brilliant ensemble is comprised of brothers (three brothers and one brother-in-law). With the strength of their virtuosity and improvisation, the quartet performs a wide-ranging repertoire extending from popular classics and original compositions to unique arrangements that meld genres from jazz and gypsy, to Latin and tango, to pop.

For tickets and more information click here! 



The truth about ongoing negotiations with DISH


Since March 3rd, KHBS/KHOG and the Arkansas CW's programming has been unavailable to DISH customers. DISH has made several misleading statements to its subscribers during the impasse that we would like to address.


Below is the truth about where current negotiations stand between Hearst Television, parent company of KHBS/KHOG and the Arkansas CW, and DISH.
1. Hearst Television is trying to double what DISH pays today.
FALSE. The increase we are seeking is completely in line with what other providers are paying us and is certainly not double what DISH was previously paying. This amount is a fraction of what DISH charges viewers to watch our programming. The payments we receive from distributors like DISH help us make significant investments in our award-winning local news and life-saving weather reporting, as well as pay for increasingly expensive network content such as professional sports, awards shows and other live events.
2. DISH says it has offered to pay Hearst Television the rates paid by DirecTV.
FALSE. DISH is clearly attempting to mislead its customers. As DISH knows too well, it is customary for companies to protect against the disclosure of confidential information included within their agreements to competitors. As such, we cannot disclose the terms of our DirecTV deal to DISH.
3. It doesn’t make sense that DISH should pay for TV stations that are available for free over-the-air.
FALSE. DISH is a redistributor of video content and DISH exists solely to make a profit from selling programming like ours. It’s no different than other companies that sell products or services that are otherwise available for free. For example, water is free, but when a company packages it in bottles or pipes it into your home, they charge you for it. In this case, DISH takes our stations’ signals, repackages them and then sells them to you for a healthy profit. The bottom line is DISH is making money delivering our stations’ signals without fairly compensating us. Broadcast television is free to consumers; but it is not free to companies seeking to profit from it.

4. DISH offered to extend the agreement and Hearst Television refused.
FALSE. Our agreement with DISH expired at 11:59 p.m. on February 28. In hopes of reaching a fair agreement, we extended our agreement another forty-eight (48) hours, but DISH refused to offer a meaningful counter-proposal. Nonetheless, our negotiators continue efforts to reach an agreement; however, it remains clear that DISH does not intend to make a reasonable proposal.
5. DISH doesn’t experience many programming disruptions.
FALSEDISH has a well-documented history of outages. DISH uses blackouts as a tactic to force local stations and cable networks to agree to unfair terms. Since 2015, DISH has been responsible for nearly 60% of all blackouts of local stations across the U.S. In fact, since this past Christmas, DISH has been in a dispute with a local broadcaster nearly every day. We apologize for the inconvenience caused by DISH’s actions. Our team remains committed to completing a deal as quickly as possible and will work every day to do so.

6. DISH says that Hearst Television is at fault for the dispute.
FALSE. We won't point fingers. We recognize it takes two parties to reach an agreement. But have you ever asked yourself why DISH seems to experience more blackouts and outages than other pay-TV distributors? Well, the truth is the facts speak for themselves. DISH has a well-documented history of behaving badly. Since 2011, DISH has removed more than 450 local stations from their systems across the U.S. and, since 2015 alone, DISH has been responsible for over 250 local station outages. In fact, since 2015 DISH has been responsible for more outages than all other pay-TV distributors combined. DISH’s strategy isn’t the answer -- it’s the problem. Instead of attempting to negotiate fair and reasonable agreements, DISH employs a strategy of outages and delays to try and force the hand of local broadcasters. In the end, DISH’s subscribers are the ones who suffer.
7. DISH says Hearst Television has refused to negotiate.
FALSE. Our negotiating team has been ready and willing to complete a deal since before the impasse occurred. We remain available to complete a deal at any time. Unfortunately, it takes two parties to reach an agreement. To date, DISH has refused to make reasonable proposals. Based on DISH’s well-documented negotiating history, this appears to be part of their strategy to force broadcasters into long-term outages.
8. DISH subscribers are receiving what they’re paying for.
FALSE. During this impasse, DISH has been charging you for programming you’re not receiving. We don’t think that’s fair. While DISH is not required to offer a credit, we have heard from some of our viewers that DISH is offering a credit or additional programming at no charge for a period of time. DISH subscribers that are not receiving our stations can call DISH at 1-800-333-3474 to ask for a credit or a refund and ask to restore our stations.

9. DISH says this dispute will be over shortly.
FALSE. Unfortunately, we can’t predict how long this impasse will last. In the past several years, DISH has had numerous outages that have lasted for months, including last summer when they had an impasse that lasted 3 months. Our negotiators will continue to work hard to pursue a resolution and restore programming.
10. DISH supports the local community.
FALSEIn the past two years, DISH has removed more local broadcast stations from its system than any other pay-TV provider, including important local news and weather programming. The reality is when this dispute is resolved only one party will remain to serve the local community. Hearst Television will continue to invest in high-quality programming and technology that allows us to deliver the best local news and weather, as well as network programming. We will continue to support local non-profit organizations and to promote the causes that are most important to your community because, in the end, we live and work in those same communities. We are local and we are proud to serve our communities.
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To DISH Subscribers:
As we, Hearst Television, parent of KHBS/KHOG and the Arkansas CW, continue to work towards a resolution of our impasse with DISH Network, I want to share with you our appreciation for your patience. We understand that you are frustrated that this impasse has taken so long to resolve—so are we. As a television viewer, nothing is more frustrating than missing your favorite station’s programming, such as KHBS/KHOG and the Arkansas CW’s local news and weather. Unfortunately, if you’re a DISH subscriber, you’ve probably become accustomed to this phenomenon. Over the past several years, DISH has been the most egregious abuser of pay-TV disputes within the industry. While the length of these disputes has varied, in numerous instances DISH has had outages that have lasted several months. Unfortunately, to date DISH’s lack of engagement and unwillingness to present a fair proposal suggest that DISH intends to employ their age-old strategy of a long-term impasse.
In recent months, Hearst Television has successfully completed a number of distribution agreements with other pay-TV providers. We have consistently sought to negotiate a deal that reflects the current marketplace, as represented by those deals. In response, DISH has simply engaged in doublespeak. On the one hand DISH has publicly stated that they’re willing to accept other deals that Hearst Television has successfully concluded; yet, at the same time, DISH continues to offer us terms, including rates, that are so obviously below the marketplace that they could not be viewed as a genuine proposal by any objective participant.
DISH has suggested that Hearst Television has been unwilling to negotiate. This is simply untrue. As we have said to DISH all along, we remain ready and willing to conclude a deal promptly. In contrast, DISH has said that they’re available day and night to reach an agreement, and yet they’ve refused to modify their completely off-market terms in any meaningful way. Given the foregoing and DISH’s extensive history of outages, we suspect they will employ any scheme that serves to delay meaningful discussions. While Hearst Television can’t force DISH to negotiate, we can assure you that we remain committed to reaching a fair deal, and we will work each and every day to make that happen.
Again, we apologize for the inconvenience this impasse has caused and look forward to providing you the very best in national and local programming as soon as possible.
Please call DISH at 1-800-333-3474 and tell them you won't wait a day longer.
Jordan Wertlieb
President, Hearst Television
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March 24, 2017

Arkansas Anime Festival Announces Special Guest Voice Actress


Arkansas Anime Festival-River Valley Edition announces special guest voice actress Leah Clark! The anime festival will be held in the Fort Smith Convention Center on May 26th-28th.



Leah Clark is an American voice actor primarily associated with FUNimation productions.  She has done voices such as Mavis from Fairy Tail/Fairy Tail Zero, Mari on Yuri on Ice, Blair from Soul Eater, played voice of Carlita from the Pokemon movies and many more!

You can read more about the Leah Clark and the festival by going to Arkansasanimefestival.com .  The Arkansas Anime Festival is Arkansas' largest and longest running anime and gaming convention. 

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PROUD SPONSOR OF 
ARKANSAS ANIME FESTIVAL


Featuring Designer Nancy Martin



Today's featured local fashion designer is Nancy Martin with NA Martin clothing line. Nancy is a local fashion designer from Bentonville, Arkansas that was apart of NWA Fashion Week.



Devante had a chance to talk to her about her line. Check out her interview below and her clothing line crossing the runway!


Interview with NA Martin Part 1



Interview with NA Martin Part 2



NA Martin Runway Walk



March 23, 2017

Featured Fashion Designer Richard Cotto




Shelby had a chance to talk to Richard Cotto about his label RC Designs. Richard is a local fashion designer from Little Rock, Arkansas that was apart of NWA Fashion Week.

Check out his interview below and the Richard Cotto clothing line crossing the runway!


Interview with Richard Cotto Part 1






Richard Cotto RC designs line crossing Runway




Photos below from RC Designs clothing line runway walk from Alba Botanica NWA Fashion Week Runway Shows.

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March 22, 2017

Featuring Fashion Designer Dallas Musick


Featured local fashion designer Dallas Musick of Alberti & Co. with her clothing line. Dallas is a local fashion designer from Little Rock, Arkansas that was apart of NWA Fashion Week.  Check out her interview below and her clothing line crossing the runway!

Interview with Dallas Musick Part 1



Dallas Musick clothing line Runway


Photos below from Dallas Musick clothing line runway walk from Alba Botanica NWA Fashion Week Runway Shows.






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Bentonville Film Festival Announces Schedule



The Bentonville Film Festival announces its 2017 schedule of events during this year's film festival in Bentonville, Arkansas from May 2nd- 7th. 

BFF will host competition for 38 feature-length documentary and narrative films. The festival will expand to include competition to include 18 short films and four pieces of episodic and web series content.  BFF is the only competition in the world to award guaranteed theatrical, television, digital and retail distribution from AMC, Lifetime and STARZ for its winners.

The festival is located around the Bentonville square and is adding new venues like RECORD which will be home to panels and workshops.

Unilever's AXE brand will present nationally recognized acts in the AXE Music Lounge at Meteor Guitar Center.

BFF will feature STEAM lounge and will be show casing hands-on methods and activities for using media to inspire you mind for careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and math.

Cinetransformers will return creating a treater village.   BFF will also be showcasing two mission oriented films, "Three Generations" and "Guardians of the Galaxy 2"

And with support from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, attendees will be invited to join Geena Davis, Rosie O'Donnell, Lori Petty and fellow members of the cast to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the comedy "A League of Their Own" 

The INsideOUT Lounge will be expanded which is where the BFF sponsors showcase and share their products.

Multi-event passes are already on sale at their website www.bentonvillefilmfestival.com .  Single tickets will be going on sale April 6th.



#BFF #BeOurBFF #BvilleFilmFest 

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PROUD SPONSOR OF 
THE BENTONVILLE FILM FESTIVAL