Former Centric general manager Paxton Baker has been named managing partner of marketing and promotion company Liquid Soul, the company said Thursday (March 15).

Baker will launch the Washington, D.C., office of the agency behind the marketing and promotion of such blockbuster films as Black Panther and Wrinkle in Time as the 17-year old company looks to expand further into the political, sports and entertainment arenas, said company officials.

Most recently Baker served as executive vice president and general manager of the BET/Viacom-owned Centric network, which was renamed BET Her last year. Baker also serves as chair of the Founding Partners Group and is a minority owner of the Washington Nationals Major League Baseball team.

Paxton’s diverse experience and successful track record makes him a natural addition to our leadership team as we expand into new markets,” saidTirrell D. Whitley, CEO and founder of Liquid Soul, in a statement. “His deep understanding of the creative community, plus the breadth of his relationships in politics and sports, add an exciting new dimension to our firm.”

BET-owned network Centric will rebrand as BET Her today (Sept. 25) to better reflect its outreach to African-American female viewers.

Having initially launched as BET Jazz before rebranding to Centric in 2009, BET Her will look to superserve African-American women, who watch more television than any other demographic group and want to see their images reflected on the screen, according to BET Her senior VP of media sales Michele Thornton.

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“There isn’t one place dedicated for black women to be entertained, inspired and empowered, and the BET Her brand defines that,” Thornton said. “BET is the biggest, most successful African-American network, and now her little sister is dedicated to black women in a really smart, fun way.”

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Along with a new look and new logo, BET Her will add a new Sunday morning block featuring faith-based stage plays, as well as tentpole specials, including an October breast-cancer awareness special. The network will also bring back original series From the Bottom Up for a third season, Thornton said.

Extensive coverage of Muhammad Ali's funeral services and memorial today (June 10) in his hometown of Louisville, Ky., is planned on ESPN, TV One and Bounce TV, the networks have said.

With at least nine-and-a-half hours of live presence and coverage of Friday’s day of remembrance for Muhammad Ali, SportsCenter on ESPN (streaming live on WatchESPN) will serve viewers wanting to see the planned 19-mile procession and the ensuing memorial service. The former Olympic gold medalist, three-time heavyweight boxing world champion and cultural icon died one week ago at age 74 and programmers have poured out remembrances. 

Beginning with SportsCenter:AM at 7 a.m. ET and continuing through the service’s completion, viewers will get comprehensive access to the day’s events, anchored in Louisville by Hannah Storm and Jeremy Schaap outside the KFC Yum! Center, where the memorial service will be held.

TV One is pre-empting its regularly scheduled programming to broadcast live the memorial service. Beginning at 2 p.m. ET, Roland S. Martin, host of TV One's News One Now, will report from the show's Washington, D.C., studios. In addition, TV One will continue to celebrate the life of "The Greatest of All Time" with a special encore presentation of the one-hour documentary Muhammad Ali: Fighting Spirit,  airing at 7 p.m. ET. Martin and guest panelists will also share commentary during the entire public service at the KFC Yum! Center.

Bounce TV said its coverage will start at 9 a.m. with the funeral procession through the streets of Louisville and will carry through his memorial service, aired live, uninterrupted and commercial-free. The memorial service, scheduled for 2 p.m. ET, is to include eulogies by Bill Clinton, Bryant Gumbel and Billy Crystal. Between the procession and the service, Bounce TV will present 1977 biopic The Greatest (starring Ali as himself) along with several special tributes throughout the telecast of Premier Boxing Champions on Sunday night, June 12, starting at 9 p.m. ET. Bounce TV's coverage is in partnership with its Louisville affiliate, Raycom Media-owned WAVE-TV.

BET and Centric will air the memorial sesrvice commercial free as part of its news special, BET Remembers Muhammad Ali: The Memorial Service beginning at 2 p.m. BET Networks will also broadcast and encore airing of BET News' The Truth Series documentary Muhammad Ali: The People's Champ at 1 p.m. 

R&B artists The Weeknd and Bruno Mars garnered the most Soul Train Awards 2015 nominations Friday, according to Centric which will air the Awards ceremony in November.

The Weeknd and the duo of Mars & Mark Ronson each earned five nominations, including nods for" Video Of the Year," "Song Of The Year" and The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award, said Centric.

Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Jidenna, and Tyrese follow with four nominations, said Centric, which will air the Soul Train Awards 2015 on Nov. 29 at 8 p.m.

The complete list of nominees for the Soul Train Awards 2015 are as follows:  

Best New Artist

ALESSIA CARA

DEJ LOAF

JIDENNA

JUSSIE SMOLLETT

TINASHE

Best R&B/Soul Male Artist

CHRIS BROWN

D'ANGELO

THE WEEKND

TREY SONGZ

TYRESE

Centric Certified Award

AVANT

CHRISETTE MICHELE

THE INTERNET

TYRESE

VIVIAN GREEN

Video of the Year

BEYONCÉ - 7/11

JIDENNA FT. ROMAN GIANARTHUR - CLASSIC MAN

KENDRICK LAMAR – ALRIGHT

MARK RONSON FT. BRUNO MARS - UPTOWN FUNK

THE WEEKND - EARNED IT (FROM THE "FIFTY SHADES OF GREY" SOUNDTRACK)

Best Gospel and/or Inspirational Song

ERICA CAMPBELL - MORE LOVE

FRED HAMMOND FT. BREEANN HAMMOND - I WILL TRUST

KIRK FRANKLIN - WANNA BE HAPPY?

LECRAE - ALL I NEED IS YOU

MARVIN SAPP - YES YOU CAN

Album of the Year

CHRIS BROWN - X

D'ANGELO AND THE VANGUARD - BLACK MESSIAH

JILL SCOTT - WOMAN

THE WEEKND - BEAUTY BEHIND THE MADNESS

TYRESE – BLACK ROSE

Best Hip-Hop Song of the Year

BIG SEAN FT. DRAKE & KANYE WEST – BLESSINGS

BIG SEAN FT. E-40 - IDFWU

FETTY WAP - TRAP QUEEN

KENDRICK LAMAR - ALRIGHT

NICKI MINAJ FT. DRAKE & LIL WAYNE - TRUFFLE BUTTER

Best R&B/Soul Female Artist

BEYONCÉ           

JANELLE MONÁE             

JANET JACKSON

JILL SCOTT         

TAMAR BRAXTON            

Song of the Year

COMMON & JOHN LEGEND - GLORY (FROM THE MOTION PICTURE "SELMA")

JIDENNA FT. ROMAN GIANARTHUR - CLASSIC MAN

MARK RONSON FT. BRUNO MARS - UPTOWN FUNK

RIHANNA - B***H BETTER HAVE MY MONEY

THE WEEKND - EARNED IT (FROM THE "FIFTY SHADES OF GREY" SOUNDTRACK)

The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award

GLORY (FROM THE MOTION PICTURE "SELMA") – WRITTEN BY: LONNIE RASHID LYNN, JOHN ROGER STEPHENS AND CHE SMITH (COMMON & JOHN LEGEND)

APPARENTLY – WRITTEN BY: JERMAINE L. COLE, DAMON COLEMAN, FILIPPO TRECCA (J.COLE)

UPTOWN FUNK – WRITTEN BY: MARK RONSON, RUDOLPH TAYLOR, LONNIE SIMMONS, PHILIP MARTIN LAWRENCE II, PETER GENE HERNANDEZ, JEFFREY NATH BHASKER, NICHOLAUS JOSEPH WILLIAMS, DEVON CHRISTOPHER GALLASPY, ROBERT LYNN WILSON, CHARLES K. WILSON, RONNIE WILSON (MARK RONSON FT. BRUNO MARS)

EARNED IT (FROM THE "FIFTY SHADES OF GREY" SOUNDTRACK) – WRITTEN BY: ABEL "THE WEEKND" TESFAYE, AHMAD “BELLY” BALSHE, JASON QUENNEVILLE, STEPHAN MOCCIO (THE WEEKND)

SHAME – WRITTEN BY: WARRYN S. CAMPBELL II, SAM DEES, TYRESE DARNELL GIBSON, RON KERSEY, DE WAYNE JULIUS ROGERS (TYRESE)

Best Dance Performance

BEYONCÉ - 7/11

CHRIS BROWN X TYGA - AYO

JANELLE MONÁE & JIDENNA - YOGA

MARK RONSON FT. BRUNO MARS - UPTOWN FUNK

SILENTO - WATCH ME (WHIP/ NAE NAE)

Best Collaboration

BIG SEAN FT. DRAKE & KANYE WEST - BLESSINGS

COMMON & JOHN LEGEND - GLORY (FROM THE MOTION PICTURE "SELMA")

MARK RONSON FT. BRUNO MARS - UPTOWN FUNK

NICKI MINAJ FT. BEYONCÉ - FEELING MYSELF

OMARION FT. CHRIS BROWN & JHENÉ AIKO - POST TO BE

 CentricTuesday became the latest network to drop a series starring beleaguered actor Bill Cosby from its programming lineup.

A spokesperson for the African-American targeted network confirmed Tuesday that the popular 1980s sitcom The Cosby Show will no longer appear on the network. Centric was running the series four hours daily on weekdays and ran monthly marathons of the series on weekends.

The network will air reruns of Family Matters in its place, according to Centric officials. 

Earlier today Bounce TV said it has pulled another Cosby sitcom,Cosby, from its lineup effective immediately.

The decisions follow revelations that Bill Cosby had admitted in 2005 court papers to obtaining drugs to give to women with whom he wanted to have sex.

Centric will unveil a new logo and on-air graphics package Sunday as it re-positions its brand to foucus on African-American female viewers.

The re-branding effort begins Nov. 30 with the telecast of the network’s 2014 The Soul Train Awards, which honors R&B's most talented artists, according to according to Paxton Baker, executive vice president and general manager of Centric.

The awards special, which will be hosted by talk show personality Wendy Williams, will feature appearances by Chris Brown, Trey Songz, Boris Kodjoe and Jodeci.

Baker hopes the show will top the 4.1 million viewers the network drew during last year's telecast.

“The Soul Train Awards is a classic brand that grew out of the African-American experience and helped define the African-American experience on television on a weekly basis,” said Baxter, referring to the iconic Soul Train series, which aired from 1971 to 2006.

Beyond the Soul Train Awards, Baker said the network in the coming months will look to tweak its programming lineup to appeal to an African-American female audience that already represents 60% of Centric’s viewing base. Overall Centric averaged 74,000 viewers in primetime during third quarter 2014, down 6% form the same period in 2013, according to Nielsen.

Paxton said the network has several new shows in development for 2015 but would not provide specific details. The network next year will air the fourth season of the Queen Latifiah-produced show Single Ladies, which was cancelled by VH1 this past March.

Baker also said the network’s Being documentary series will profile more female entertainers and it enters its fourth season. The network will also revamp its morning lineup of music video and concert programming to feature more celebrity-hosted blocks of music fare.

Several general entertainment networks including WEtv and Oxygen are also creating programming to appeal to African-American female viewers, who watch more than seven hours of television a day -- the most of any group, according to Nielsen. Baker said however, that no other network outside Centric targets that audience on a 24-hour basis.

“No one has really claimed that space, and we see opportunity over opposition,” Baker said.

While three programmers have already retreated, several cable networks are mulling over whether or not to pull programming featuring beleaguered comedian Bill Cosby after a rash of alleged assault charges by numerous women have threatened to derail the popular comic’s career and legacy.

Cosby during the past week or so has faced a barrage of renewed and new allegations from multiple women accusing him of sexually assaulting them over the years. Cosby has denied the allegations through a statement from his lawyer, but refused to answer direct questions about them during an interview that aired Nov. 15 on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.

In light of the accusations, upstart African-American targeted network Aspire said it is “closely monitoring the situation” before determining whether or not to pull the 1970’s sitcom The Bill Cosby Show and/or the 1960’s drama series I Spy starring Cosby from its lineup.

Centric, which airs the 1980’s sitcom The Cosby Show, said it is not removing the show from its schedule as of right now. TV One also isn’t dropping A Different World, a The Cosby Show spinoff series created by Cosby.

Several networks have dropped their support of upcoming projects featuring Cosby or have removed shows starring Cosby from their lineupsdue to the controversy. A TV Land spokesperson confirmed it has pulled the popular The Cosby Show from the network’s lineup but would not comment further.

TV Land will pull episodes of The Cosby Show from its upcoming Thanksgiving holiday marathon of comedy sitcoms which also includes Everybody Loves Raymond and I Love Lucy.

NBC said earlier this week it will not move forward with plans to develop a family comedy series around Cosby, which followed Netflix’s decision to indefinitely delay the release of the comedian’s stand-up special Cosby 77.