When does the English cricket season begin?

Playfair Cricket Annual is a compact annual about cricket that is published in the United Kingdom each April, just before the English cricket season is due to begin. It has been published every year since 1948. Its main purposes are to review the previous English season and to provide detailed career records and potted biographies of current players. It is produced in a "pocket-sized" format, being approximately 5×4 in (i.e., about 13×10 cm), so that it is a convenient size for carrying to cricket matches. The front cover of each edition has featured a photograph of a prominent current cricketer. There is a popular myth that this "honour" has a "hex" or "curse" associated with it, as the player featured then invariably has a poor season.

Playfair Cricket Annual

The original publisher was Playfair Books Ltd of London, which had its office at Curzon Street when the first edition was published in April 1948; the company relocated soon afterwards to Haymarket. The name Playfair was chosen because it reads as "play fair", as confirmed by C B Fry who began his foreword to the first edition in 1948: "This Playfair Annual (and what a proper title for a book about the Noble Game) will commend itself to innumerable readers". The first editor was Peter West who was succeeded in 1954 by Gordon Ross. Roy Webber was the statistician at Playfair for many years and was described by West as "that ace of statisticians".

The "Playfair Cricket Annual" is one of a series of similar pocket sized sporting annuals published under the Playfair name. Others have included "Playfair Football Annual", "Playfair Rugby League Annual" and "Playfair Racing Annual". In addition the Playfair name was used for record books produced by Roy Webber and for the magazine Playfair Cricket Monthly. A number of tour brochures were also produced by Playfair Books.

Between 1948 and 1962 the annual was a larger size, 4¾×7¼ in (12×18 cm) and had a different style, being printed on glossy paper and including numerous photographs. In 1962 the Playfair titles were acquired by Dickens Press which had just published "The Cricket Annual", edited by Roy Webber. In 1963, Dickens published a new style "Playfair Cricket Annual", keeping the same name but basing the size, format and price on "The Cricket Annual". Therefore, the 2013 edition is the 66th in total, but the annual has been published in its current compact size only since the 1963 edition (the 16th).

In addition, "Playfair Cricket World Cup Guide", in 1996, and "Playfair Cricket World Cup 1999" were published in the same format as the regular annual to cover the International limited overs competitions in India/Pakistan/Sri Lanka and England/Scotland/Ireland/Netherlands in those years respectively. Both of those were also edited by Bill Frindall.

The current publisher is Headline Publishing Group with Ian Marshall, who succeeded Bill Frindall on an acting basis in 2009 and permanently for the 2010 edition, as editor. There are several specialist contributors, notably Philip Bailey who compiles the career records.

The following tables provide a summary of each annual by reference to editor, size and price:

In each of the first 15 editions there was a 16-page photographic section in addition to the numbered pages. The 1948 annual was actually called "Playfair Books Cricket Annual" but subsequent years were simply called "Playfair Cricket Annual". There were two issues of the 1948 annual with a difference in the back cover. One had a Playfair logo, the other a Schweppes advertisement.From the 1998 edition onwards a thumbnail picture also appeared on the spine of the annual. This has been a smaller version of the front cover photograph except in 1998 and 2008, when it was the back cover picture, and in 2006 and 2010 when the Ashes urn was depicted.

Apart from those on the covers, there are no photographs in any of the annuals from 1963.

From 1950 to 1962 the annual produced a list of its Eleven Cricketers of the Year for the previous season. Tony Lock was selected 7 times, Peter May 6 times.Since the first compact edition of 1963, the core of the publication has been a section providing a county by county list of current cricketers with potted biographies, their county averages in the previous season together with some introductory notes on the county and the major county records.

The county clubs are listed in alphabetical order. Until 1962, the biographies occupied less space and were not sorted by county club. Introductory information about each county club has expanded, largely because of the introduction of limited overs cricket competitions. A much longer list of officials is now given; originally only the secretary and captain were given. Until 1972 most editions gave potted scores for each club's home matches but lack of space caused this to be removed.

Currently, the annual's contents typically include:

As one of the leading statistical cricket publications, Playfair has to take a view on the status of Test, One Day International, first-class and domestic one-day (i.e. List A) matches. It generally complies with the statistics published by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack and will sometimes ignore official rulings: e.g., the ICC ruling that South African rebel tours between 1981–82 and 1989–90 were not first-class matches. The 2010 edition overturned Frindall's long-held view that the match between Australia and an ICC World XI in 2005/06 should not be regarded as a Test Match and now includes it in its Test record section.

Cricket in England is one of the most popular sports in the country and is known to have been played in England since the 16th century. The Marylebone Cricket Club, based at Lords, developed the modern rules of play and conduct.There are eighteen professional county clubs, seventeen of them in England and one in Wales. All eighteen counties are named after, and were originally representative of, historic counties. These clubs are heavily dependent on subsidies from the England and Wales Cricket Board, which makes its money from television and endorsement contracts and attendances at international matches. The English cricket season traditionally starts at the beginning of April and runs though to the second half of September although in recent years counties have played pre season friendly matches at the very end of March.

Cricket in England

Each summer the county clubs compete in the first class County Championship, which consists of two leagues of nine teams and in which matches are played over four days. The same teams also play one day cricket in the Royal London One-Day Cup, and Twenty20 cricket in the NatWest t20 Blast.

The Minor Counties Cricket Championship is a season-long competition in England for county clubs that do not have first-class status. There are nineteen teams representing historic English counties along with a Welsh minor counties team.

Below the county game, there are a raft of club competitions organised on a regional basis. ECB Premier Leagues being the highest level. There are also non-ECB-affiliated leagues such as the Bradford Cricket League, the Lancashire League and the Central Lancashire League.

The following games are considered derbies:-The ECB runs a national club knock-out competition, the ECB National Club Cricket Championship, and has in place a regional Premier League pyramid system for recreational Club cricket in England and Wales.

The cricket grounds of England and Wales are smaller than the largest in some other countries, especially India and Australia, but the best of them have been modernised to a high standard, and two new international grounds have been built in recent years. The largest English cricket ground, Lord's in London, is internationally regarded as the "home of cricket".

The following other stadiums also have Test match status The Oval (South London), Old Trafford (Manchester), Trent Bridge (Nottingham), Headingley (Leeds), Edgbaston (Birmingham) and Riverside (Durham).

On 24 November 2006 the Rose Bowl, Southampton was awarded provisional test venue status by the England and Wales Cricket Board, with the prospect of the ground hosting its first Test match in 2010.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is the governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was created on 1 January 1997 combining the roles of the Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB), the National Cricket Association (NCA) and the Cricket Council.

They are full members of the International Cricket Council.

England is a founding Test cricket, One Day International and Twenty20 nation. England played in the first ever Test match in 1877 (against Australia in Melbourne) and also the first ever One-day International in 1971 (also against Australia in Melbourne).

Each summer two foreign national teams visit England to play seven Test matches and numerous One Day Internationals. In the British winter the England team tours abroad. The highest profile rival of the England cricket team is the Australian team, with which it competes for The Ashes, one of the most famous trophies in British sport.

In 2005 the ECB concluded a commercial arrangement with BSkyB which gave Sky the exclusive television rights for live Test cricket in England for four years (the 2006 to 2009 seasons). This deal, which took live Test cricket for home England matches away from terrestrial television for the first time generated substantial future revenues for English cricket, but was criticised by many England cricket supporters and others.

The Cricket Writers' Club Young Cricketer of the Year is an annual award voted by the Cricket Writers' Club for the best young cricket player in England and Wales, and has been awarded since 1950.

Cricket is also one of the most popular participation sports in England after Football, Rugby and Tennis with most villages running a side every Sunday through the season, and towns putting out 2, 3, 4 and occasionally 5 sides for Saturday league matches, and 1 or 2 sides on a Sunday. Around 65% population of England follow Cricket. The game is also popular in cities, with clubs like the King's Road Cricket & Social Club attracting members.

The 2019 English cricket season will run between 26 March and 26 September. It will be the 120th in which the County Championship has been an official competition and will feature first-class, one-day and Twenty20 cricket competitions throughout England and Wales.

2019 English cricket season

The season will see the 2019 Cricket World Cup played in the country between 30 May and 14 July as well as an Ashes tour by Australia following the competition. Pakistan will take part in a one-day tour before the World Cup and the England men's team will play a One Day International in Ireland and a Test match against Ireland at Lord's in the first Test between the two teams. The West Indies and Australian women's sides will both tour during the season.

The 18 first-class counties will compete in the 2019 County Championship, One-Day Cup and T20 Blast competitions, whilst women's teams will compete for the 2019 Women's Cricket Super League and for the Women's County Championship. The 2019 Minor Counties Championship and MCCA Knockout Trophy will be competed for by the Minor Counties of England and Wales and club cricket will be played throughout both countries.

The season will be the last before the scheduled introduction of a city based 100-ball competition by the ECB in 2020 and changes to the organisation of Minor County cricket.

Three mens international sides will tour England and Wales during the season: Pakistan, Ireland and Australia. The West Indies and Australian women's sides will also tour the country.

The 12th edition of the Cricket World Cup will take place at 11 grounds across England and Wales between 30 May and 14 July, with the final scheduled to take place at Lord's. A total of 48 matches will be played in the tournament which will feature 10 international sides which qualified for the finals, with each team playing two round-robin matches with the top four sides qualifying for the two semi-final stage to determine the finalists. It is the fifth time that the Cricket World Cup will be held in the British Isles, following the 1975, 1979, 1983 and 1999 World Cups.

The season will begin on 26 March with the first of three rounds of matches between first-class counties and the six Marylebone Cricket Club University teams. Each first-class county will play one first-class match against a university side before the start of the County Championship season in April.

The men's County Championship season will begin on 5 April and is scheduled to finish on 26 September with each team playing 14 matches. One team will be relegated from Division One and three promoted from Division Two in order to create a larger Division One ahead of the 2020 Championship.

The One-Day Cup competition will be played in a block of matches starting on 17 April, having been brought forward to be played before the start of the World Cup. Teams will be organised in two geographical divisions, with each team playing eight 50-over fixtures. Teams will play every other team in their division with the final played at Lord's on 25 May.

The mens Twenty20 Cup competition will be played in a block of matches in the same geographical groups as the One-Day Cup. Group matches will be played in a block starting 18 July, each side playing 14 group-stage matches. Finals day is scheduled for 21 September at Edgbaston.

The 2019 Women's County Championship will be played between 5 May and 2 June. Each of the eight sides in Division One of the Championship will play seven one-day fixtures, once against each of the other teams. A separate Twenty20 competition will follow the County Championship between 9 June and 30 June with teams organised into a different set of divisions. Each Division One team will play eight matches, one against each of the other teams in the Division.

The group stages of the Women's Super League will be played between 6 August and 28 August with a finals day scheduled to take place at Hove on 1 September. In 2019 each franchise will play each other both home and away with 10 group matches per side. The competition is scheduled to be the last in the present format, with an eight team 100 ball competition planned for the 2020 season with a new set of teams.

The Minor Counties Championship will run from June to September with teams organised in two divisions based on their geographical location. Each team will play six three-day matches against sides from within their division with the four-day final taking place at Banbury Cricket Club Ground in Oxfordshire.

The MCCA Knockout Trophy and the group stages of the Unicorns Twenty20 Cup competition will take place before the start of the Championship, beginning in May. The finals of both competitions will take place at Wormsley Park in Buckinghamshire in August.

This will be the final year of the current format for Minor Counties competitions, with changes, including a change of name, scheduled to begin during 2020.


Do all males have to enlist in the Korean Aarmy?

Conscription in South Korea has existed since 1957 and requires male citizens between the ages of 18 and 28 to perform in the army compulsory military service. Women are not required to perform military service, but may voluntarily enlist.

Conscription in South Korea

The basis for military conscription in South Korea is the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, which was promulgated on July 17, 1948. The constitution states in Article 39, "All citizens shall have the duty of national defense under the conditions as prescribed by Act." The Military Service Act of 1949, which was implemented in 1957, specified that compulsory military service is required for men ages 19 or older. Conscription is managed by the Military Manpower Administration, which was created in 1948.

By law, when a Korean man turns 18 years old, he is enlisted for "first citizen service," meaning he is liable for military duty, but is not yet required to serve. When he turns 19 years old (or, in some instances, 20 years old), he is required to undergo a physical exam to determine whether he is suitable for military service. The table below shows the physical exam's possible grades and their outcomes, according to the Military Service Act. Men must enlist by the time they turn 28 (Korean age).
The length of compulsory military service in South Korea varies based on military branch. Active duty soldiers serve 21 months in the Army or Marine Corps, 23 months in the Navy, and 24 months in the Air Force. After conscripts finish their military service, they are automatically placed on the reserve roster and are obligated to attend a few days of annual military training for 6 years.

Non-active duty personnel, or "supplemental service" personnel serve for various lengths: 24 months for social work personnel or international cooperation service personnel; 34 months for arts and sports personnel or industrial technical personnel; and 36 months for public health doctors, lawyers, veterinarians, or expert researchers.

South Korea currently has among the longest military service periods in the world, ranked behind Israel, Singapore, and North Korea. In 2010, there was growing public pressure to either shorten the length of conscription or to switch to voluntary military service, and calls from experts for a gradual phasing out of conscription rather than complete abolition. However, in December 2010, after taking into consideration of the 2010 ROKS "Cheonan" sinking and Bombardment of Yeonpyeong incidents, the South Korean government said it would not reduce service periods.

Current conscription regulations stipulate that athletes who win medals in the Olympic Games or gold medals in the Asian Games are granted exemptions from military service and are placed in Grade 4. They are required to do four weeks of basic military training and engage in sports field for 42 months. After that, they are automatically placed on the reserve roster, and are obligated to attend a few days of annual military training for six years. In practice, after athletes finish their four weeks of basic military training, they are able to continue their own sports career during the 34 months of duty.

Notable athletes who have been granted exemptions from military service are the bronze medal-winning football team at the 2012 Summer Olympics, 2008 Olympic gold medalist badminton player Lee Yong-dae, swimmer Park Tae-hwan, 2014 Asian Games gold medalist tennis player Hyeon Chung, 2018 Asian Games gold medalist footballer Son Heung Min, and 2018 Asian Games gold medalist baseball player Lee Jung-hoo.

The right to conscientious objection is not recognised in South Korea. Usually, over 400 people are imprisoned at any one time for refusing military service, for political or religious reasons. On 1 November 2018, the South Korean Supreme Court legalized conscientious objection as a basis for rejecting compulsory military service.

The following data is from 'Regulation on Public Servant Compensation', implemented on 1 January 2017. Exchange rate as of 2 May 2018 (₩1077 to $1.00USD)
The Ministry of National Defense has revealed that it has failed to provide sneakers to 7,411 recruits who joined the military from 22 May to 4 June 2012, after the budget was insufficient for need. The Defense ministry originally projected the cost of each pair of sneakers to be 11,000 KRW. However, the actual cost turned out to be 15,000 KRW.

The office of National Assembly member Kim Kwang-jin of Democratic United Party revealed that cadets in Korea Military Academy were provided with sneakers worth 60,000 KRW and tennis shoes. Cadets in Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon were provided with sneakers worth 64,250 KRW, in addition to running shoes and soccer shoes.

For dual citizens, or those with multiple citizenships, male South Koreans must choose their citizenship by the time they turn 18, before March 31 of that year. If these males choose to revoke their South Korean citizenship, they will not be required to complete their mandatory military service. However, if they fail to choose their citizenship by their 18th year, they will be subjected to fulfill their mandatory military service.
If males choose to renounce their citizenship by their 18th year, they are ineligible to gain a Korean work visa (F series) until after they turn 40 years of age. It may still be possible to gain an E series visa.

The South Korean public is sensitive towards the country's mandatory military service, and has an absolute zero-tolerance towards those who attempt to dodge or receive special treatment, especially after scandals of wealthy families caught trying to avoid their national duty. Those found or accused of draft dodging and negligence of duty often face harsh penalties and public backlash. According to Ha Jae-keun, a South Korean pop columnist, "The mood against draft-dodgers and negligence of duty is so hostile that nowadays entertainers feel it's better to get it over and done with."

In 2002, right before Korean American pop singer Steve Yoo was due to be drafted for his military service, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen. He was born in Seoul and migrated to the United States at the age of 13. The South Korean government considered it an act of desertion and deported him, banning him from entering the country permanently.

In late 2004, it was revealed that actor Song Seung-heon had avoided his draft by taking medication to fail the military physical examination. Song had previously been exempted by claiming to have severe diabetes and high blood pressure, but that was found by the South Korean government to be false. Amidst press coverage and public outcry, Song publicly apologized and agreed to immediately serve his two-year term in the military. Song was discharged on 15 November 2006 with the rank of Corporal.

On 11 April 2011, rapper MC Mong was cleared of intentionally pulling out healthy teeth to be exempted from military duty but was sentenced to a suspended jail term of 6 months, probation for one year, and 120 hours of community service, for deliberately delaying enlistment on false grounds. The court acknowledged that there was a delay in his military enlistment; however, they were unable to determine whether he was guilty of extracting teeth for the purpose of avoiding his military draft. In September 2011, it was reported that Mong has been banned by Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) and Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) from appearing in its TV shows, for draft dodging.

In June 2012 Kim Mu-yeol came under growing public criticism over allegations he dodged his compulsory military service. In a report released by the Korean Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), Kim was deemed fit to serve in active duty as a level two recruit after a March 2001 physical examination. However, throughout 2007 to 2009, Kim was granted postponement on the grounds that he was taking civil service examinations or had been admitted to a work training facility, neither of which took place. During this time he reportedly earned approximately from films, musicals and television work. In December 2009, he received his final notice for enlistment, having used up the 730 days allowed for postponement. He submitted a request to change his military status in January 2010 because of a knee injury, which was rejected. Finally, a valid exemption was granted on the grounds that he was a "low-income individual" and the sole provider for his family. BAI's contention was that Kim's income is substantially higher than the standard for disqualification due to poverty; thus, the Military Manpower Administration was negligent in their duties by granting the exemption.

Kim's agency Prain TPC defended him, stating that Kim had been supporting his family by working as a security guard, construction worker and at a mobile phone factory since his late teens. When his father collapsed from a cerebral hemorrhage and was diagnosed with cancer in 2008, the treatments incurred a lot of debt for the family. Their worsening financial condition caused them to become totally dependent on Kim, resulting in his said filing for an exemption in 2010. Given the publicity, a reinvestigation into the case was launched and Kim was asked by the production company to leave the film "11 A.M." (he was replaced by Choi Daniel). On 4 October 2012, Kim released a statement that though there was no wrongdoing on his part, he had decided to voluntarily enter the army "to recover his honor damaged by the rumors."

T.O.P began his two-year mandatory military service on February 9, 2017 as a conscripted police officer, where he was set to be discharged on November 8, 2018 after completing the requirements. However, it was announced in June that he would be prosecuted without detention for use of marijuana. He was subsequently transferred to a different police division to await notice of prosecution, and was suspended from police duty pending verdict on his case. A few days after the announcement, T.O.P was found unconscious in police barracks due to a suspected anti-anxiety medicine overdose of prescribed benzodiazepine, and was hospitalized. On June 8, T.O.P's mother confirmed that her son had opened his eyes and was recovering.

On June 29, T.O.P faced his first trial for the marijuana usage charges at the Seoul Central District Court. He pleaded guilty to the charges against him and admitted that he did smoke marijuana on two out of the four instances. T.O.P received two years of probation, with a possibility of ten months' jail time if he violates any terms. At the second court hearing the following month, T.O.P was sentenced to 10 months in prison suspended for two years for illegal marijuana use. He acknowledged all guilty charges. After undergoing a disciplinary review by the police to decide if T.O.P could return as a conscripted policeman or will complete his service as a public service officer, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency reviewed T.O.P's current condition and decided T.O.P is unfit to resume service in his previous position. A request was made to Army headquarters for a new position for T.O.P to determine either to serve as a public service worker of a full-time reserve soldier to complete his mandatory service. T.O.P was eventually assigned reservist status by the Ministry of National Defense and transferred from police department. He will complete his mandatory service as a public service worker. The time T.O.P had been dismissed from duty during his prosecution will not count towards his total service.

Conscription in South Korea

Conscription in South Korea


How large was the sinosauropteryx?

"Sinosauropteryx" was a small theropod with an unusually long tail and short arms. The longest known specimen reaches up to in length, with an estimated weight of It was a close relative of the similar but older genus "Compsognathus", both genera belonging to the family Compsognathidae. Only one species of "Sinosauropteryx" has been named: "S. prima", meaning "first" in reference to its status as the first feathered non-avialian dinosaur species discovered. Three specimens have been described. The third specimen previously assigned to this genus represents either a second, as-yet unnamed species or a distinct, related genus.

Sinosauropteryx

Sinosauropteryx (meaning "Chinese reptilian wing", ) is a compsognathid dinosaur. Described in 1996, it was the first dinosaur taxon outside of Avialae (birds and their immediate relatives) to be found with evidence of feathers. It was covered with a coat of very simple filament-like feathers. Structures that indicate colouration have also been preserved in some of its feathers, which makes "Sinosauropteryx" the first non-avialian dinosaurs where colouration has been determined. The colouration includes a reddish and light banded tail. Some contention has arisen with an alternative interpretation of the filamentous impression as remains of collagen fibres, but this has not been widely accepted.

"Sinosauropteryx" lived in what is now northeastern China during the early Cretaceous period. It was among the first dinosaurs discovered from the Yixian Formation in Liaoning Province, and was a member of the Jehol Biota. Well-preserved fossils of this species illustrate many aspects of its biology, such as its diet and reproduction.

"Sinosauropteryx" was a small bipedal theropod, noted for its short arms, large first finger (thumbs), and long tail. The taxon includes some of the smallest known adult non-avian theropod specimens, with the holotype specimen measuring only in length, including the tail. However, this individual was relatively young. The longest known specimen reaches up to in length, with an estimated weight of.

"Sinosauropteryx" was anatomically similar to "Compsognathus", differing from its European relatives in its proportions. The skull of "Sinosauropteryx" was 15% longer than its thigh bones, unlike in "Compsognathus", where the skull and thigh bones are approximately equivalent in length. The arms of "Sinosauropteryx" (humerus and radius) were only 30% the length of its legs (thigh bone and shin), compared to 40% in "Compsognathus". Additionally, "Sinosauropteryx" had several features unique among all other theropods. It had 64 vertebrae in its tail. This high number made its tail the longest relative to body length of any theropod. Its hands were long compared to its arms, about 84% to 91% of the length of the rest of the arm (humerus and radius), and half the length of the foot. The first and second digits were about the same length, with a large claw on the first digit. The first fingers were large, being both longer and thicker than either of the bones of the forearm. The teeth differed slightly (they were heterodont) based on position: those near the tips of the upper jaws (on the premaxillae) were slender and lacked serrations, while those behind them (on the maxillae) were serrated and laterally compressed. The teeth of the lower jaws were similarly differentiated.

A pigmented area in the abdomen of the holotype has been suggested as possible traces of organs, and was interpreted as the liver by John Ruben and colleagues, which they described as part of a crocodilian-like "hepatic piston" respiratory system. A later study, while agreeing that the pigmented area represented something originally inside the body, found no defined structure and noted that any organs would have been distorted by the processes that flattened the skeleton into an essentially two-dimensional form. Dark pigment is also present in the eye region of the holotype and another specimen.

All described specimens of "Sinosauropteryx" preserve integumentary structures (filaments arising from the skin) which most palaeontologists interpret as very primitive type of feathers. These short, down-like filaments are preserved along the back half of the skull, the arms, neck, back, and top and bottom of the tail. Additional patches of feathers have been identified on the sides of the body, and palaeontologists Chen, Dong and Zheng proposed that the density of the feathers on the back and the randomness of the patches elsewhere on the body indicated the animals would have been fully feathered in life, with the ventral feathers having been removed by decomposition.

The filaments are preserved with a gap between the bones, which several authors have noted corresponds closely to the expected amount of skin and muscle tissue that would have been present in life. The feathers are closest to the bone on the skull and end of the tail, where little to no muscle was present, and the gap increases over the back vertebrae, where more musculature would be expected, indicating that the filaments were external to the skin and do not correspond with subcutaneous structures.
The filaments exhibit random orientations and are often wavy, which has been interpreted as evidence that they were soft and pliable in life. Microscopic examination shows that individual filaments appear dark along the edges and light internally, suggesting that they were hollow, like modern feathers. Compared to modern mammals the filaments were quite coarse, with each individual strand much larger and thicker than the corresponding hairs of similarly sized mammals.

The length of the filaments varies across the body. On the type specimen, they are shortest just in front of the eyes, with a length of. Going further along the body, the filaments rapidly increase in length until reaching lengths of over the shoulder blades. The length remains uniform over the back, until beyond the hips, when the filaments lengthen again and reach their maximum length midway down the tail at. The filaments on the underside of the tail are shorter overall and decrease in length more rapidly than those on the dorsal surface. By the 25th tail vertebrae, the filaments on the underside reach a length of only. The longest feathers present on the forearm measured.

Though the feathers are too dense to isolate a single structure for examination, several studies have suggested the presence of two distinct filament types (thick and thin) interspersed with each other. The thick filaments tend to appear'stiffer' than thin filaments, and the thin filaments tend to lie parallel to each other but at angles to nearby thick filaments. These properties suggest that the individual feathers consisted of a central quill ("rachis") with thinner "barbs" branching off from it, similar to but more primitive in structure than modern bird feathers. Overall, the filaments most closely resemble the "plumules" or down-like feathers of some modern birds, with a thick central quill and long, thin barbs. The same structures are seen in other fossils from the Yixian Formation, including "Confuciusornis".

However, a 2018 study considered that the thick filaments could simply be bundles of thin filaments overlapping each other. This possibility is supported by the observation that thin filaments tend to run parallel to both each other "and" thick filaments, rather than branching out as earlier authors identified. Some of the thick filaments are quite long yet end in small tufts of thin filaments. Plumaceous, down-like feathering typically has an opposite appearance, with a short central quill and long tufts. In addition, the thick filaments preserve no evidence of Calcium phosphate, the mineral which modern feather quills are made of. The large amount of curvature present in the filaments also makes a strong central quill unlikely. Thus, the idea that thick filaments are simply bundles of thin filaments is less unusual than the idea that they were a variant of quilled plumaceous feathers which developed a morphology opposite that of birds and other feathered theropods. As a whole, the study preferred the hypothesis that "Sinosauropteryx" feathers were simple single-branch filaments, although it is conceivable that they were occasionally joined at the base into tufts as predecessors to down-like plumaceous feathers.

While "Sinosauropteryx" had feather-like structures, it was not very closely related to the previous "first bird" "Archaeopteryx". There are many dinosaur clades that were more closely related to "Archaeopteryx" than "Sinosauropteryx" was, including the deinonychosaurians, the oviraptorosaurians, and the therizinosauroids. This indicates that feathers may have been a characteristic of many theropod dinosaurs, not just the obviously bird-like ones, making it quite likely that equally distant animals such as "Compsognathus" had feathers as well.

"Sinosauropteryx" was the first dinosaur to have its life colouration described by scientists based on physical evidence. Some fossils of "Sinosauropteryx" show an alternation of lighter and darker bands preserved on the tail. Chen and colleagues initially interpreted this banding pattern as an artifact of the splitting between the main slab and counter-slab in which the original specimen was preserved. However, Longrich suggested in his 2002 presentation for the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology that these specimens actually preserve remnants of the colouration pattern the animal would have exhibited in life. He argued that the dark, banded areas on the tail were too evenly spaced to have been caused by random separation of the fossil slabs, and that they represent fossilized pigments present in the feathers. Additionally, rather than an artifact of preservation or decomposition, the presence of dark feathers along only the top of the body may also reflect the colour pattern in life, indicating that "Sinosauropteryx prima" was countershaded with dark colouration on its back and lighter colouration on its underside, with bands or stripes on the tail for camouflage.

Longrich's conclusions were supported in a paper first published online in the journal "Nature" in January 2010. Fucheng Zhang and colleagues examined the fossilized feathers of several dinosaurs and early birds, and found evidence that they preserved melanosomes, the cells that give the feathers of modern birds their colour. Among the specimens studied was a previously undescribed specimen of "Sinosauropteryx", IVPP V14202. By examining melanosome structure and distribution, Zhang and colleagues were able to confirm the presence of light and dark bands of colour in the tail feathers of "Sinosauropteryx". Furthermore, the team was able to compare melanosome types to those of modern birds to determine a general range of colour. From the presence of phaeomelanosomes, spherical melanosomes that make and store red pigment, they concluded that the darker feathers of "Sinosauropteryx" were chestnut or reddish brown in colour. More research on the coloration of "Sinosauropteryx" reveals that it had a raccoon-like bandit mask and countershading patterns most likely associated with an open habitat, indicating that the Jehol likely had a range of habitat types.

The first fossil specimen of the dinosaur later named "Sinosauropteryx prima" was uncovered in August 1996 by Li Yumin. Yumin was a farmer and part-time fossil hunter who often prospected around Liaoning Province to acquire fossils to sell to individuals and museums. Yumin recognized the unique quality of the specimen, which was separated into two slabs, and sold the slabs to two separate museums in China: the National Geological Museum in Beijing, and the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology. The director of the Beijing museum, Ji Qiang, recognized the importance of the find, as did visiting Canadian palaeontologist Phil Currie and artist Michael Skrepnick, who became aware of the fossil by chance as they explored the Beijing museum's collections after leading a fossil tour of the area during the first week of October, 1996. Currie recognized the significance of the fossil immediately. As "The New York Times" quoted him, "When I saw this slab of silt stone mixed with volcanic ash in which the creature is embedded, I was bowled over." When originally described, the authors named "Sinosauropteryx", meaning "Chinese Reptilian Wing".

Chinese authorities initially barred photographs of the specimen from publication. However, Currie brought a photograph to the 1996 meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, causing crowds of palaeontologists to gather and discuss the new discovery. The news reportedly left palaeontologist John Ostrom, who in the 1970s had pioneered the theory that birds evolved from dinosaurs, "in a state of shock." Ostrom later joined an international team of researchers who gathered in Beijing to examine the fossils; other team members included feather expert Alan Brush, fossil bird expert Larry Martin, and Peter Wellnhofer, an expert on the early bird "Archaeopteryx".

Three specimens have been assigned to "Sinosauropteryx prima": the holotype GMV 2123 (and its counter slab [opposite face], NIGP 127586), NIGP 127587, and D 2141. Another specimen, IVPP V14202, was assigned to the genus but not to the only species by Zhang and colleagues. The assignment of an additional larger specimen to "S. prima", GMV 2124, was later found to be in error. All of the fossils were found in the Jianshangou or Dawangzhangzi Beds of the Yixian Formation in the Beipiao and Lingyuan regions of Liaoning, China. These fossil beds have been dated to 124.6–122 million years ago, during the early Aptian stage of the Early Cretaceous.

Controversy regarding the identity of the filaments preserved in the first "Sinosauropteryx" specimen began almost immediately, as the team of scientists spent three days in Beijing examining the specimen under a microscope. The results of their studies (reported during a press conference at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences on Thursday, April 24, 1997) were inconclusive; the team agreed that the structures preserved on "Sinosauropteryx" were not modern feathers, but suggested further research was required to discover their exact nature. Palaeontologist Alan Feduccia, who had not yet examined the specimen, wrote in "Audubon Magazine" that the structures of "Sinosauropteryx" (which he considered at the time to be a synonym of "Compsognathus", as "Compsognathus prima") were stiffening structures from a frill running along the back, and that dinosaur palaeontologists were engaging in wishful thinking when equating the structures with feathers. Subsequent publications saw some of the team members disagreeing over the identity of the structures.

Feduccia's frill argument was followed up in several other publications, in which researchers interpreted the filamentous impressions around "Sinosauropteryx" fossils as remains of collagen fibres rather than primitive feathers. Since the structures are clearly external to the body, these researchers have proposed that the fibres formed a frill on the back of the animal and underside of its tail, similar to some modern aquatic lizards. The absence of feathers would refute the proposal that "Sinosauropteryx" is the most basal known theropod genus with feathers, and also raise questions about the current theory of feather origins itself. It calls into question the idea that the first feathers evolved not for flight but for insulation, and that they made their first appearance in relatively basal dinosaur lineages that later evolved into modern birds.

Most researchers have disagreed with the identification of the structures as collagen or other structural fibres. Notably, the team of scientists that reported the presence of pigmentation cells in the structures argued that their presence proved the structures were feathers, not collagen, because collagen does not contain pigment. Gregory S. Paul reidentified what the collagen hypothesis's proponents consider a body outline outside of the fibres as an artefact of preparation: breakage and brushed-on sealant have been misidentified as the outline of the body.

The hypothesis that the structures were collagen fibers was closely analyzed and disproven by a 2017 paper published by Smithwick "et al". The integument of "Sinosauropteryx" was closely compared to less controversial evidence of collagen fibers preserved in the ichthyosaur "Stenopterygius". Although the collagen hypothesis claimed that the central shafts (rachises) of purported theropod feathers were actually misidentified examples of shaft-like collagen fibers, higher quality imagery showed that these similarities were artificial. The supposed shafts in ichthyosaur collagen were actually scratch marks, cracks, and crevasses created during preparation of one of the ichthyosaur specimens. On the other hand, the shafts in the "Sinosauropteryx" specimens were legitimate examples of fossilized structures. The collagen hypothesis also claims that "Sinosauropteryx" integument includes beaded structures similar to structures occasionally found in decaying collagen of modern sea mammals. However, this claim was also unsupported, with Smithwick "et al." finding no evidence of the beaded structures which collagen hypothesis proponents identified on the specimens. The study proposes that some areas of the fossil preserved in three dimensions cast shadows which would have resembled beaded structures in low quality photographs.

Other examples of purported collagen fibers in the tail area were revealed to be scratches, similar to those on the rest of the specimen. An area of the bone with an irregular surface was considered evidence that some collagen fibers were less decayed than others. However, Smithwick "et al.'s" study noted that, after further preparation, this irregular surface was simply a layer of sediment with a different color than the rest of the slab. The 'frill' or 'halo' of collagen identified by Feduccia was also determined to be misidentified sediment surrounding one of the specimens. Smithwick "et al".'s study concluded by stating that the integument preserved on "Sinosauropteryx" closely resembled that of birds preserved in the same formation. Purported features of collagen fibers were in fact misidentified shadows formed by scratches or irregular sediment, a misidentification perpetuated by the low quality of early "Sinosauropteryx" photographs.

Despite its feathers, most palaeontologists do not consider "Sinosauropteryx" to be a bird. Phylogenetically, the genus is only distantly related to the clade Aves, usually defined as "Archaeopteryx lithographica" plus modern birds. The scientists who described "Sinosauropteryx", however, used a character-based, or apomorphic, definition of the Class Aves, in which any animal with feathers is considered to be a bird. They argued that the filamentous plumes of "Sinosauropteryx" represent true feathers with a rachis and barbs, and thus that "Sinosauropteryx" should be considered a true bird. They classified the genus as belonging to a new biological order, Sinosauropterygiformes, family Sinosauropterygidae, within the subclass Sauriurae. These proposals have not been accepted, and "Sinosauropteryx" is generally classified in the family Compsognathidae, a group of small-bodied long-tailed coelurosaurian theropods known from the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous of Asia, Europe, and South America.

Below is a cladogram showing the placement of "Sinosauropteryx" within Coelurosauria by Senter "et al." in 2012.
There is only one named species of "Sinosauropteryx", "S. prima". A possible second species is represented by the specimen GMV 2124 (aka NGMC 2124), which was described as a third, larger specimen of "S. prima" by Ji and Ji in 1997. However, in a 2002 presentation and abstract for the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Nick Longrich showed that this specimen differs in several anatomical aspects from the others, including its relatively large size, proportionally longer shins, and shorter tail. Longrich suggested that GMV 2124 was a compsognathid coelurosaurian, while "Sinosauropteryx" proper was a more primitive kind of coelurosaurian or even a basal carnosaurian. In 2007, Gishlick and Gauthier concurred that this specimen was probably a new taxon, and tentatively re-classified it as "Sinosauropteryx?" sp., though they suggested it may belong in a new genus. Also in 2007, Ji, Ji and colleagues wrote that GMV 2124 is probably a new genus, noting the differences in tail length and hindlimb proportions.

Ji and Ji (1996) identified many features that set "Sinosauropteryx" apart from other birds and dinosaurs. They found that it was a small primitive bird with a relatively high skull, blunt rostrum and a slightly high premaxilla; that the antorbital fenestra was elliptical but not enlarged, the dentary was robust, the surangular was narrow and elongated, and the dentition is extremely well developed and acute; that there are over 50 extremely elongated caudals, constituting 60% of the body length, and the forelimb is extremely short with a short and thick humerus; the pubis was elongated and extremely inflated at its distal end and the ischium is broad; the hind limb was long and robust, the tibia is only slightly longer than the femur, the tarsals are separated, and the metatarsals are relatively robust with unfused proximal ends; the feathers are short, small, and uniform; many ornament the top of the skull, cervical, and dorsal regions, in addition to the dorsal and ventral caudal region.

The specimen NIGP 127587 was preserved with the remains of a lizard in its gut region, indicating that small, fast-moving animals made up part of the diet of "Sinosauropteryx prima". Numerous lizards of this type have been found in the same rocks as "Sinosauropteryx". These lizards have been interpreted as most likely belonging to the genus "Dalinghosaurus". "Dalinghosaurus" was probably a fast-running lizard adapted to living in open habitats, much like "Sinosauropteryx" itself.

The possible "Sinosauropteryx" specimen GMV 2124 ("Sinosauropteryx?" sp.) was found with three mammal jaws in its gut region. Hurum, Luo, and Kielan-Jaworowska (2006) identified two of these jaws as belonging to "Zhangheotherium" and the third to "Sinobaatar", showing that these two mammals were part of the animal's diet. "Zhangheotherium" is known to have had a spur on the ankle, like the modern platypus, which would indicate that "Sinosauropteryx" fed on possibly venomous mammals.

The same specimen of "S. prima" which had preserve a lizard in its stomach contents (NIGP 127587) also had several small eggs in its abdomen. Two eggs were preserved just in front of and above the pubic boot, and several more may lie underneath them on the slab. It is unlikely that they were eaten by the animal, as they are in the wrong part of the body cavity for the egg shells to have remained intact. It is more likely that they are unlaid eggs produced by the animal itself, proving the specimen to be a female. Each egg measured long by wide. The presence of two developed eggs suggests that "Sinosauropteryx" had dual oviducts and laid eggs in pairs, like other theropods.

"Sinosauropteryx", as a Yixian Formation dinosaur, is a member of the Jehol Biota, the assemblage of organisms found in the Yixian Formation and overlying Jiufotang Formation. The Yixian Formation is composed largely of volcanic rocks such as andesite and basalt. Between the volcanic layers are several beds of sedimentary rocks representing deposition in a lake. The freshwater lake strata of the Yixian Formation have preserved a wide variety of plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates. Gymnosperm forests were extensive, with a few early flowering plants as well. Ostracods and insects were diverse, and bivalves and gastropods were abundant. Mammals and birds are also well-known from the formation. The setting was subject to periodic mortality events including volcanic eruptions, wildfires, and noxious gases erupting from the lakes. The climate has been interpreted as temperate, with distinct wet and dry seasons. The yearly temperature during this time period averaged about, indicating a temperate climate with unusually cold winters for the generally warm Mesozoic era, possibly due to northern China's high latitude during this time.

Sinosauropteryx


Do clouds affect radio waves?

The local terrain can also play a major role in limiting broadcast range. Mountain ranges block FM broadcasts, AM broadcasts, and TV broadcasts, and other signals in the VHF and especially UHF ranges, respectively. This terrain shielding occurs when the line of sight is blocked by something through which the radio waves cannot pass, particularly stone. At times this may be moot due to weather, such as when the tall cumulonimbus clouds of a squall line of thunderstorms reflect the signal over the top, like an extremely tall radio tower. Conversely, heavy rain may attenuate the range of even local stations. ATSC digital television is affected by wind and trees (even if not surrounding the transmitter or receiver locations), apparently related to its use of 8VSB modulation instead of COFDM.

Broadcast range

A broadcast range (also listening range or listening area for radio, or viewing range or viewing area for television) is the service area that a broadcast station or other transmission covers via radio waves (or possibly infrared light, which is closely related). It is generally the area in which a station's signal strength is sufficient for most receivers to decode it. However, this also depends on interference from other stations.

The "primary service area" is the area served by a station's strongest signal. The "city-grade contour" is 70 dBµ (decibels relative to one microvolt per meter of signal strength) or 3.16mV/m (millivolts per meter) for FM stations in the United States, according to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations. This is also significant in broadcast law, in that a station must cover its city of license within this area, except for non-commercial educational and low-power stations.

The legally protected range of a station extends beyond this range, out to the point where signal strength is expected to be 1mV/m for most stations in North America, though for class B1 stations it is 0.7mV/m, and as low as 0.5mV/m for full class B stations (the maximum allowed in densely populated areas of both Canada and the U.S.).

In reality, radio propagation changes along with the weather and tropospheric ducting, and occasionally along with other upper-atmospheric phenomena like sunspots and even meteor showers. Thus, while a broadcasting authority might fix the range to an area with exact boundaries (defined as a series of vectors), this is rarely if ever true. When a broadcast reaches well outside of its intended range due to unusual conditions, DXing is possible.

AM broadcasting stations have different issues, due to using the mediumwave band. Broadcast range in these stations is determined by ground conductivity, and the proper use and maintenance of grounding radials which act as a ground plane for the mast radiators used. Skywaves reflect off the ionosphere at a much greater distance above Earth's surface at night. This in turn causes mediumwave, most shortwave, and even longwave stations to travel much further at night, which is the side of the Earth where the solar wind pulls the ionosphere (and magnetosphere) away from the planet, instead of pushing toward it as on the day side. Because of this, many AM stations must cut power or go off-air at night, except for the very earliest stations still grandfathered on clear channels. Border blaster stations in northern Mexico also used this effect, along with very high-power transmitters, to extend their nighttime broadcast ranges well over the US/Mexico border and across most of the United States.

Various broadcast relay stations can help to extend a station's area by retransmitting them on the same or another channel. What is usually called a repeater in amateur radio is called a broadcast translator (different channel) or booster (same channel) in American broadcasting, or the much broader category or rebroadcasters in Canadian broadcasting (which includes more than just the low-power broadcasting used in the U.S.) Boosters are used only within the broadcast range of the parent station, and serve the same function locally as regional and national single-frequency networks do in Europe. Distributed transmission has also undergone tests in the U.S., but to preserve stations' market share in their home media markets, these will be limited to the broadcast area of a single large station. Satellite radio, which is designed for use without a dish, also uses ground repeaters in large cities due to the many obstructions their high-rise buildings cause to the many current and potential customers that are concentrated there.

Those at the edge of a station's broadcast range will typically notice static in an analog broadcast, while error correction will keep a digital signal clear until it hits the cliff effect and suddenly disappears completely. FM stations may flip back and forth (sometimes annoyingly rapidly when moving) due to the capture effect, while AM stations (including TV video) may overlay or fade with each other.

FM stereo will tend to get static more quickly than the monophonic sound due to its use of subcarriers, so stations may choose to extend the usable part of their range by disabling the stereo generator. Listeners can also choose to disable stereo decoding on the receiver, though loss of the stereo pilot tone causes this to happen automatically. Because this tends to turn on and off when at the threshold of reception, and the threshold is often set too low by the manufacturer's product design, manually disabling this when at the edge of the broadcast range prevents the annoying noisy-stereo/quiet-mono switching.

The same is true of analog TV stereo and second audio programs, and even for color TV, all of which use subcarriers. Radio reading services and other subcarrier services will also tend to suffer from dropouts sooner than the main station.

Technologies are available that allow for switching to a different signal carrying the same radio program when leaving the broadcast range of a station. Radio Data System allows for switching to a different FM or station with the same identifier, or even to (but not necessarily from) an AM station. Satellite radio also is designed to switch seamlessly between repeaters and/or satellite when moving outside the range of one or the other. HD Radio switches back to the analog signal as a fallback when the edge of the digital range is encountered, but the success of this from the listener's perspective depends on how well the station's broadcast engineer has synchronized the two.

Digital transmissions require less power to be received clearly than analog ones. The exact figure for various modes depends on how robust the signal is made to begin with, such as modulation, guard interval, and forward error correction. In each of these three factors, the caveat is that a higher data signaling rate means a tradeoff with reduced broadcast range. The hierarchical modulation used on DVB is a unique case, which reduces the range of the full-definition signal, in exchange for an increase in the usable range of the lower-definition part of the video.

Digital stations in North America usually are operated by the same groups as the analog side, and thus operate their own independent facilities. Because of this, the FCC requires U.S. TV stations to replicate their analog coverage with their digital signal as well. However, ATSC digital TV only requires about one-fifth the amount of power to reach the same area on the same channel as analog does. For HD Radio, the figure is only one percent of the station's analog wattage, in part because it is an in-band on-channel method, which uses sidebands that must prevent interference to adjacent channels, especially for older or cheaper receivers which have insufficient sensitivity and/or selectivity.


When did The New Edition Story first air?

The New Edition Story is an American biographical three-part miniseries about the R&B group New Edition, from their rise to fame as a boy band from the Orchard Park Projects of Roxbury, Massachusetts, to becoming a successful adult act. It was originally broadcast on BET from January 24 through January 26, 2017, becoming the network's first scripted miniseries. All six members of New Edition served as co-producers.

The New Edition Story

Opening Sequence - Home Again Tour - "New Mexico 1997"

Narration by Brook Payne (Wood Harris), the group's first manager, sets the stage: all six members of New Edition are back on tour in 1997, almost twenty years after the group's formation, separations, and solo projects. The divisions are still present as, in addition to performing the group's hits, the three solo acts - Ralph Tresvant, Johnny Gill, and Bobby Brown - and the trio Bell Biv DeVoe (or BBD, for short, made up by Ricky Bell (singer), Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe) also have their own scheduled sets.

Tensions reach a boiling point at the New Mexico concert. As Brown - whose decade-long selfishness and severely erratic behavior resulted in his being suspended from the group a decade prior - starts yet another song well after his scheduled time is up, DeVoe goes on stage, thanking Brown for his performance. He then directs the DJ to begin playing the BBD set. After briefly walking off stage, an enraged Brown returns and gets into a confrontation with DeVoe, as the musical performance is replaced by a wild brawl among the various New Edition members and their entourages, punctuated by a gunshot.

Payne's narration states that ego, pride, and greed resulted in this blow up of what had once been a successful group and decides to rewind the scene nearly twenty years, back to the group's founding in Roxbury, Massachusetts.
The rise of New Edition - "Roxbury, MA - 1978-1983"
It's a normal day for the people of Orchard Park Housing Projects (also called "O.P."), in Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1978.

Despite his mother' refusal to grant her son permission, a young Ricky Bell (played as a youth by Caleb McLaughlin) sneaks out at night to meet his friend, Michael "Mike" Bivins (played as a youth by Dante Hoagland) to go to a local talent show, where their mutual friend, Bobby Brown (played as a youth by Tyler Marcel Williams) is scheduled to perform. Ricky and Mike are impressed by the sound of a vocal group called "The Untouchables", while Bobby's performance is a disappointment as he gets stage fright within the first few seconds of his song.

The next day, Bobby asks Ricky and Mike to join him on stage the next time he performs, thinking that will help him with his stage fright. Initially unsure, the pair agree as long as another kid from the neighborhood, Ralph Tresvant (played as a youth by Jahi D'Allo Winston), can join. The trio made an assumption of the fact he can be pulled away from a girl, whom he has unsuccessfully been trying to impress with his karate skills.

The quartet try to practice at Ricky's house but squabble a fair amount. Recognizing they need some guidance, Ricky's sister, Peanut (Bre-Z), suggests they meet with Brooke Payne (Wood Harris), a manager for several of Boston's rising musical acts. The boys sneak into the back alley of a club to convince Brooke to manage them, finally winning him over with an a capella version of The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back".

The next morning, the boys arrive on time to meet Payne. However, Payne doesn't sugarcoat them, warning them they will be doing some extra hard work on their path to becoming musical artists. Payne comes up with the group's name of New Edition, as if they were either a new version or new edition of the Jacksons. Weeks of strenuous training features time spent on choreography, physical and mental discipline, and singing, Payne prepares the quartet in for a big talent showcase at the Strand Theater, where the winning act will receive a recording contract from Maurice Starr (Faizon Love) under his independent record label.

In a format reminiscent of the Amateur Night of the Apollo Theater, New Edition dazzles the crowd. Unfortunately, the judges grant 1st prize to a hip-hop duo, "The Boston Rebels." The crowd booed the decision, chanting for New Edition so loudly that Maurice gives New Edition a studio recording session and a record deal as well. To strengthen the Jackson 5 connection, Maurice encourages making the group a quintet, with Brooke suggesting his nephew Ronnie DeVoe (played as a youth by Myles Truitt) as the fifth member. Ronnie's audition is good enough for the group to accept him, completing the initial five-member formation of New Edition.

Squabbling returns at the recording session, with Ricky and Bobby fighting over a pair of headphones, while Ralph was patiently waiting his turn. Instead, Maurice decides to let Ralph sing first. As a result, the performance is so impressive that Ralph is given the lead vocals for "Candy Girl," which would become New Edition's first hit. Prior to finalizing the group, Maurice offers Ralph a solo deal instead, but Ralph declines, preferring to remain part of New Edition. With their mothers' oversight, the members of New Edition sign their record contract, receiving upfront payments of $500 each and a Betamax machine. With "Candy Girl" a nationwide hit, New Edition now are rising young stars. The quintet begin taking photo shoots for the cover of their debut album (also named Candy Girl), while also getting ready for a nationwide tour.
First Album and Candy Girl Tour - "1983"

With "Candy Girl" #1 on the Billboard charts (topping Michael Jackson), New Edition begins making TV and concert hall appearances, including headlining a show at the Roseland Theater in New York City with Madonna and Kurtis Blow. When the group has been on tour (with international dates added) for several weeks, the mothers of Ricky and Bobby, who are struggling financially and on food stamps, seem concerned that they have not yet received any checks their sons should have earned from the shows. Therefore, they decide to confront Brooke Payne, who says he is not in control of the group's finances, despite being its manager. After grumbling about firing Brooke in order to get a manager who could improve the financial situation, they agree to give him a little more time to see if things improve.

Transition of Power / Boys Gone Wild - "1983 to 1984"

The tour finally ends, with the teenagers leaving the high life and returning home to the poverty of Roxbury, at least until their tour checks arrive. However, when the checks finally show up, each member received $1.87 for the entire tour. Brooke, who had never had a major deal with a music industry label before New Edition and may have made some mistakes due to that inexperience, tries to explain the intricacies of the deal: the label advanced the group money that it needed to record the album and to promote the tour, with the label recouping that advance from the money the boys would have earned from the various tour dates. An emotional Brooke, who didn't even get $1.87 for all of his work on the tour, insists that he cares about the boys and wouldn't have intentionally made a deal that was bad for the boys. Four of the mothers vote to fire Brooke as manager. On the other hand, the lone holdout was Flo DeVoe (La La Anthony), Brooke's sister, who threatened to pull Ronnie out of the group. Brooke, however, reminded her that the group was their only best chance at getting out of the projects.

The mothers replace Brooke as manager with Gary Evans (Michael Rapaport), who promises to replace their current deal with Maurice Starr with a better one due to his relationship with MCA Records. Jheryl Busby (Tank), an executive at MCA, privately expresses to Gary a lack of interest with New Edition, whom he views as "some ghetto kids."

Having tasted fame and experiencing typical teenage rebellion, the young men of New Edition are less easy to control. Both Gary and the two security guards, Jeff Dyson (Wallace Smith) and Khalil, unexpectedly walking in on some of the members having sex with female groupies. There is more tension and a lot of anxiety within the group as well. Ralph (Algee Smith)'s talent and constant professionalism result in him taking the lead vocals on most of the songs for the new album. Feeling slighted, the rest of the group focuses more on women and having fun, often without Ralph, to whom they mockingly refer as "the big star." This in turn makes Ralph feel betrayed by his friends and frustrated that he is carrying so much of the group's work.

Roller coaster of troubles - "1984-1985"

In an effort to patch things up, Ralph asks Gary if the others could have lead vocals in more songs and Gary agrees. It starts with Bobby (Woody McClain) having lead vocals on "Mr. Telephone Man" when New Edition was working with singer-songwriter and producer Ray Parker Jr.. During the recording, Bobby (perhaps letting his constant prominence go to his head) maliciously starts making fun of Mike (Bryshere Y. Gray) for being unable to correctly hold a note. Mike takes this and teasing by the other members personally. He decides to take a cab rather than get in the group's limo, slamming the door shut in frustration. The driver, hearing the slam, assumes that Mike is in the car with them. He backs up and accidentally runs over Mike's foot. When Bobby antagonizes Mike yet again, Mike spits in his face. This eventually triggers a fight that prompted the rest of the group to break up. Gary tells the group that their moms think Mike should be kicked out of the group due to fighting. However, the other guys (including Bobby) stick up for Mike. When Mike returns, Bobby goes up to him first and apologizes for his actions. This allows the group to move forward. While internally repaired, New Edition is clashing with their new choreographer. A frustrated Gary decides to bring in someone who can help keep the group focused: Brooke, who was back only as the choreographer, not the manager.

Echoing the concerns of MCA executive Jheryl (who, while satisfied financially, is still concerned about the "ghetto boys'" public persona), Gary presses New Edition to maintain a clean image and be (or at least appear to be) single, the latter of which is particularly important to their young, female fanbase. While rehearsing for the "Cool It Now" tour, Bobby gets arrested for speeding in someone else's car that doesn't belong to him and driving without a license. When Gary comes to the station to bail him out, Bobby reveals that his girlfriend, who was in the car with him, is pregnant. Meanwhile, Ralph's girlfriend back home is also pregnant, but he hasn't told anyone yet. It was later revealed that she would have a miscarriage, partially because Ralph wasn't there to support her during the pregnancy. While smoking weed backstage on tour, the group runs into Johnny Gill (Luke James). Johnny is a Washington, D.C. native, who is another young artist within the MCA family. At another stop on New Edition's tour, no one can locate Bobby, until Gary finds him in the car doing cocaine with and receiving fellatio from female groupies. When discussing the situation with his fellow New Edition members, Bobby insists that he has his personal life under control.

"'Out with the old, In with the new - "1985-1988"

After the tour, the mothers meet with Gary, frustrated yet again at their sons receiving less money than expected. Gary brings up the group's various expenses and drug/alcohol habits as contributing to the smaller checks, despite New Edition's self-titled second album with MCA being certified platinum.

Viewing the act as "Bobby Brown with New Edition" instead of just "New Edition," Bobby's ego continues to inflate out of control. With his personal and professional life causing two things for New Edition: disturbance and disrespect, it comes to a head at a show in Oakland, California. While enjoying the whole spotlight to himself after singing lead vocals for "Mr. Telephone Man," Bobby became emotionally irate. Also (in his mind, at least), he was initially upset over being quickly ignored by the crowd, who cheers for New Edition as a whole. Meanwhile, Ronnie, Mike, Ricky, and Ralph initially felt annoyed over Bobby selfishly trying to hog the entire onstage spotlight to himself. As a result, they all quickly transitioned into their next song, "Cool It Now." This further enrages Bobby, who has an attitude with the audience (by whom he was ignored), dictating that he wouldn't perform with New Edition anymore. Since Bobby does not get his way in the group, he disrespectfully tosses his mike in the air before storming off the set. Fed up with Bobby's actions, Gary pressures Ronnie, Mike, Ricky, and Ralph into voting to kick Bobby out of the group as punishment. Despite their initial reluctance to kick him out, thinking about Bobby's arrest, severe drug usage, continual selfishness, and disrespect eventually prompts the four to unanimously vote Bobby out instead.

While driving with Jeff (one of the group's security guards that Gary had hired), Mike speculates on what (if any) future the group has without Bobby. Jeff makes a suggestion that Mike should consider getting in the business side of the industry, given how few broke executives there are compared to broke musicians, as well as giving him more control. Mike glances at the All For Love record, which he and the group (including Bobby) had recorded the year prior and notices "Fast Break Productions" on the record rather than MCA Records. Mike storms into Jheryl's office, interrupting a meeting to demand an explanation. The MCA executive explains to Mike that, rather than being signed to MCA Records, they were signed to Fast Break Productions, which was Gary's company, which in turn had a relationship with MCA Records. In other words, rather than just being a manager who could use his connections to get the group a deal with MCA (as Gary had indicated to the mothers and the members of the group), Gary had drafted a contract that gave him two things: ownership and control of New Edition. This ensured that he got his money before the group did, as well as allowing him to do things like negotiating a shoe deal without consulting the members of the group. Still stunned that their contract with Gary wasn't much better than their $1.87 contract with Maurice Starr four years ago, Mike can't really respond when Jheryl rhetorically asks him if he even read Gary's contract before signing it as opposed to just relying on Gary's explanation. Jheryl finally ends the meeting with a response, saying, "Welcome to the music business." This gives Mike the opportunity to see what it is like to be a music executive- with the group's approval- meets with an attorney to fire Gary as manager and to work by getting out of their contract in order to sign directly with MCA.

Back home with his mom, Bobby is doing cocaine while watching the remaining members of New Edition perform "Count Me Out" on Soul Train. His mom enters his room to tell him that he has a visitor: Jheryl. He feels Bobby has too much talent to waste his life to drugs and offers him a solo deal with MCA, where he eventually records his debut solo album. Having moved in together, Ralph's girlfriend encourages him to similarly go solo. Ralph insists that while he is happy with the group, he does start to record some solo tracks without telling the rest of the group beforehand. When Ralph plays some of the solo songs for Ricky, Mike, and Ronnie, they feel betrayed. They are not very supportive even when Ralph says he would still be part of the group and just do the solo stuff as a side project, which results in Ralph feeling isolated and frustrated. When Ronnie expresses concern about how he'd take care of his family without New Edition, Mike starts working on a plan, so that they aren't dependent on Ralph. Meanwhile, Ralph, looking forward to solo money rather than splitting with other members of New Edition, shares his feelings with Jheryl. He stresses the importance of two things: timing and positioning, which is why Ralph's solo album will come out later after New Edition records another album. This one with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who had just produced Janet Jackson's smash album, Control a year prior.

The group arrives in Minneapolis to begin recording Heart Break with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Ralph - who is known for always being on time and ready to go - travels separately and arrives late. After a chilly greeting with Ricky, Mike, and Ronnie, Ralph is baffled to see a fifth member of New Edition: Johnny Gill, who Mike and Jheryl thought would be a good fit for the group. Angered that he wasn't even consulted about the decision and upset over having to split money five ways again, Ralph storms off. Johnny, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis are also rattled, as they assumed Ralph knew about Johnny.

Still sulking, Ralph can't help but be impressed by Johnny's voice (if not his cowboy boot fashion sense). After a recording session, the two have a private conversation (because the other three guys didn't bother to hang around for the session), with Ralph apologizing for his initial conduct. He was admitting that the situation was more about his relationship with the other guys than anything Johnny had done. Ralph and Johnny realize they have several things in common, including professionalism and being fed the same story by Jheryl about delaying a solo project until after recording a New Edition album. Now that Ralph and Johnny were cool, Ralph jokingly asked if wannabe executive Mike sold Johnny on being the next Bobby. Johnny honestly replied that Mike described it as being the next Ralph. Slightly jarred by the thought of being replaced, Ralph regains his normal focus and dedication, with the entire group contributing to a great performance of "Can You Stand The Rain" and work well together recording the rest of the album. While preparing for Heart Break's album cover photo shoot, the men discuss how they've grown personally and professionally in their years in the recording business. When the photographer encourages them to smile, the group insists they know what works best for them and opts for a more serious facial expression.

While working on a music video for If It Isn't Love (with Brooke Payne once again providing choreography) and preparing for another tour, MCA's A&R/business partner Louis Silas Jr. (Duane Martin) drops the bombshell that Bobby will be touring with them.

A Fork in the Road - "1988-1990"

New Edition continues their preparations for the upcoming tour by releasing their new single "If It Isn't Love." Meanwhile, at the Paramount Pictures studio, Bobby Brown (who has skyrocketed to super-stardom with his second album "Don't Be Cruel") prepares for his "Every Little Step" music video. Brown's barber (DC Young Fly) is distracted by the girls that will appear in the video and accidentally cuts off a chunk of Bobby's hair. This left a slant in Bobby's hair that Bobby irately compares to "Gumby." Without time to fix it, Bobby is forced to debut what would become his signature look in the video instead.

Bobby and New Edition are generally able to work well together on the tour, which also features singer Al B. Sure! (Josh David). Despite this, Bobby bristles a bit when "his" supposed lead vocals on Jealous Girl and Mr. Telephone Man will be both sung by Johnny even after Bobby originally offered to sing them himself. After a Washington, D.C. performance, Mike agrees to listen to a group of young men from Philadelphia sing one of New Edition's songs for him outside the tour bus. Impressed, Mike gives them a business card and encourages the group that will become Boyz II Men to call him.

In 1989, a party to celebrate the success of the tour, revealing how the group split up again. Jheryl is leaving his job at MCA Records to take a major role at Motown and convinces Johnny to come with him and record his self-titled third album - the one Jheryl promised he would support if Johnny recorded Heart Break with New Edition - at Motown. Ralph's similarly promised solo album will be released by MCA but must be re-recorded because Ralph and the executives felt that it would sound too much like Bobby's Don't Be Cruel album. Ralph is annoyed, because his album was originally ready to be released before Heart Break. However, it was delayed in favor of the New Edition album. As for Ricky, Mike, and Ronnie, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis suggest the trio start their own group, which would become Bell Biv DeVoe, based on their last names. Finally, the arrogant and disrespectful Bobby, who made a scene by sticking his hands into both of the party's cakes, is angry despite his individual success and being surrounded by attractive women. He almost showed constant jealousy looking out at his former group members.

In March 1990, all six members of New Edition reunite by making an appearance for "Video Soul" with Sherry Carter. There is clearly awkwardness and tension during the interview, with barbed comments flying all around, particularly between Ralph and Mike (still not yet over inviting Johnny to the group without consulting Ralph), as well as Bobby and everyone else. The show also airs each of the separate acts' music videos: BBD's "Poison", Ralph Tresvant's "Sensitivity", and Johnny Gill's "My, My, My." When the host asked the most anticipated question, "Would the group ever reunite for a new album?," Ralph suggested there was a possibility to record a reunion album in the coming future.

Are we "Home Again" or not? - 1996-1997

The reunion album is made six years later, in 1996, after the various independent acts somewhat fizzled. This left several in debt, or at least precarious, financial position, especially Ricky (Elijah Kelley). Several of the group members, now approaching their 30s, are also dealing with personal issues: Ralph is struggling with the passing of his mother, while Bobby is no longer the only member with drug and alcohol issues. Also, Ricky is secretly using cocaine, popping pills, and drinking heavily, hiding his problems from his wife as well as the rest of New Edition.

As the group prepares for a tour of Home Again, Brooke is amazed at their expenses - separate tour buses, large entourages, lots of luggage - despite their limited success as independent acts, as well as being less professional than when they were kids. While the group will perform New Edition songs, they will also perform the songs of their various respective acts. Unfortunately, this tour does not go well, with Bobby's penchant for missing various interviews and even performances annoying the rest of the group and interfering with scheduled performance times. At one stop, Bobby arrived after the rest of the group had finished performing but decided to close the show solo instead. Bobby claimed that he felt like singing, because the crowd was chanting for him.

The tour arrives in New Mexico, where the miniseries began, though with some additional details on what would lead to the massive brawl. Bobby - on time for a change - decided to sing an extra song, at least partially because Bell Biv DeVoe couldn't go on as Ronnie (Keith Powers) was late. Bobby assumes that he was the real star of the tour. Thus, when Ronnie charged onto the stage to cut off Bobby, Bobby was partially angry, claiming that he was covering for Ronnie by doing an extra song. Storming backstage angry, Bobby tries to blast Bell Biv DeVoe with water from a fire hose but can't get the emergency device to work. Instead, he and his bodyguard march onstage, which brings in the various entourages for a chaotic scene, finally culminating with a gun shot that scatters everyone.

In the chaos, Brooke stumbles away and has a heart attack before being found by one of the members of the Bell Biv DeVoe entourage. An ambulance arrives to take him to the hospital, but won't allow Ronnie (who is Brooke's nephew) in with him. Instead, both Ricky and Mike try to keep Ronnie calm while waiting for a car. Ralph and Johnny get filled in, but Ronnie nearly loses it when Bobby appears to ask what's going on. He angrily blames Bobby for starting the fracas that led to his uncle having a heart attack. Bobby, on the hand, counter-argued that he would never hurt Brooke and that it was Ronnie who provoked the situation. Ronnie angrily storms off for good this time, saying he's done with the tour. Also, he's fed up with Ralph and Johnny always coddling Bobby. Bobby walks off, stating that he was doing everyone else a favor by agreeing to the reunion, but Johnny snaps at Bobby stating that he did nothing for him. Bobby angrily lashes out and Johnny, saying the group is deceased and finished. Ralph leaves after getting into it with Mike, and Johnny was fed up wasting his time with the hostility. A panicked Ricky asks Mike what they are going to do with so many shows left, and Mike essentially says the tour and the group are done.

Souls falling apart / Finding myself - "1998-2004

In the years after the tour, the New Edition members largely stay out of contact and have their lives go in different directions.Ricky eventually has an overdose, but his wife finds him in time for help to arrive and save him. At rehab, Ricky admits that what he was chasing was the feeling of fame, fortune, and popularity that he had years prior, as well as trying to fight the fear that the feeling wouldn't come back.
In 2004, Ronnie's wedding planning isn't going well, with his latest concern being wasting money for inedible flowers on the wedding cake. His fiancée, Shamari, gets him to admit that his real issue is not having reunited New Edition, either as a musical group or to be his groomsmen for his rapidly approaching wedding. Concerned that their egos and behavior will both prevent any of them from showing up, Ronnie is convinced to at least invite the other five members to his wedding so that he won't have regrets.

I am my Brother's Keeper / BET 25th Celebration - "2005"

The day of the wedding, Ronnie is in his prep room, on his own, accepting that he's going to be at the altar without any groomsmen. He hears a knock on the door and "Police!", only for it to be Bobby in a dazzling all-white tuxedo. Although Bobby thanks Ronnie for the invitation to be a groomsman, he declines an offer for a drink, saying he has cooled on drugs and alcohol. The rest of New Edition arrives, including a sober Ricky, with Ralph and Mike at least able to be civil to each other. The final arrival is Brooke, back to normal, after his heart attack at the disastrous tour and ready to see his nephew Ronnie get married.

At the reception, Ralph and Mike have a longer conversation, with Mike apologizing for starting the group's break up by bringing in Johnny to replace Ralph. Ralph counters that the group faced bigger problems than that, citing that the problems, which the members were only ready to deal with now that they were older. Rather than just a temporary truce, Ralph and Mike seem to have rekindled their friendship, ready to move forward without dwelling on negative events from the past.

Brooke toasts Ronnie and his new wife and includes New Edition in his toast by reminiscing about raising Ronnie and the other members of the group, encouraging them to be thankful for their success as a musical group and as men. New Edition reunites to serenade Ronnie's wife with their first hit song "Candy Girl." A BET producer approaches Brooke with the idea of having a New Edition reunion at the channel's 25th anniversary special. Brooke advises him to move quickly, as he does't know the next time the group will be together like this. The producer, however, does move quickly enough, as the group agrees to reunite for the BET special.

At the special, New Edition begins to perform a medley of hit singles: "If It Isn't Love," "Can You Stand the Rain," "Candy Girl," and "Cool It Now" before introducing Bobby Brown to perform "Mr. Telephone Man" with them. After Bobby gives a solo performance of his solo classic hit single "My Prerogative," Bobby then invites the group along to perform a medley with him, with highlights of the miniseries airing as the group sings. They all take a bow and give props and credit to BET for giving their long standing partnership as a final sendoff.

In August 2015, it was announced that BET commissioned the television film that would air as a three night miniseries. Five of the group's members--Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe, Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant, had signed on as co-producers, while Bobby Brown did not. In addition, the band's longtime manager Brooke Payne had also been tapped as a co-producer and the film was to be written by Abdul Williams who wrote the 2010 film "Lottery Ticket". Jesse Collins of the network's "Real Husbands of Hollywood" would serve as executive producer. Collins later reported that production would air in 2017. In April 2016, it was confirmed that Brown had also signed on as co-producer. It was also announced that "ATL" director Chris Robinson would direct the film. In November 2016, it was announced that iconic producers Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis had been recruited to oversee the music production.

Casting for the series began in Boston in January 2016. In April 2016, the network announced that "Empire" star Bryshere Y. Gray would portray Michael Bivins. The rest of cast included actor and singer Elijah Kelley as Ricky, R&B singer Luke James as Johnny, Algee Smith as Ralph, Keith Powers as Ronnie, and Woody McClain as Bobby Brown. In addition, Dante Hoagland, Caleb McLaughlin,
Myles Truitt, Jahi Winston, and
Tyler Marcel Williams would portray younger versions of Michael, Ricky, Ronnie, Ralph and Bobby respectively. In May 2016, La La Anthony, Yvette Nicole Brown, Monica Calhoun, Lisa Nicole Carson and Sandi McCree would join the cast as the mothers of the group members: Flo DeVoe, Shirley Bivins, Patricia Tresvant, Mae Bell and Carole Brown. Several others joined the cast later that month including Wood Harris as Brooke Payne, Michael Rapaport as Gary Evans, Wallace Smith as Jeff Dyson, Faizon Love as Maurice Starr, Duane Martin as Louil Silas, singer Tank as Jheryl Busby and actress/rapper Bre-Z as Peanut Bell.

The first trailer for the film was unveiled on June 26, 2016, at the 26th annual BET Awards. In July 2016, BET released a photo of the cast recreating the group's iconic album cover for the 1996 release "Home Again". In September 2016, BET announced the official premiere date for the film which would air on January 24, 25 and 26, 2017. The network also released an extended trailer which highlighted the legendary onstage brawl between Bobby Brown and Bell Biv DeVoe after Brown went solo. The UrbanWorld Film Festival hosted an exclusive screening of several clips.

The film's premiere was watched by 4.2 million viewers, making it BET's most watched premiere since the 2012 season premiere of the sitcom "The Game", which drew 5.2 million. The second and final episodes brought in 3.96 million and 4.23 million viewers respectively, making the miniseries the top rated cable program for three consecutive nights.

"The New Edition Story" has garnered positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, the series holds a score of 76 out of 100. It currently has a 100% rating, with an average score of 7.2/10 on Rotten Tomatoes, along with the consensus being, ""The New Edition Story" colorfully showcases its subjects with honesty and clarity while offering an entertainingly paced overview that leaves room for plenty of the group's greatest hits". The film received rave reviews for the child actors who portrayed younger versions of New Edition in the first part of the series. Sylvia Obell of Buzzfeed praised the casting as "absolute perfection" and rated it an A+. Obell compared the film to another iconic television miniseries -- "it is on its way to being the best black TV biopic since """ which aired on ABC in 1992. The most talked about similarities is the uncanny "jawdropping" striking resemblance of the young Bobby Brown, portrayed by Tyler Marcel Williams, who nailed the looks, demeanor and Bobby's most iconic "body roll". Also another uncanny resemblance were of the vocals of the young Ralph Tresvant, portrayed by Jahi Di'Allo Winston. For viewers, hearing his first lead solo appearance in the film singing "Candy Girl" gave chills for nailing every note. Trey Mangum of Blavity said that BET "outdid" themselves, saying "With the warm reception and open arms that the world received The New Edition Story with, it's clear that this story needed to be told, and this was the perfect time." Mangum complimented the "spot-on" casting of both the young and adult casts, as well as the fact both casts recorded their own vocals, a rarity for musical biopics.

During an interview with Bell Biv DeVoe on the radio show, "The Breakfast Club", co-host Angela Yee described the casting for the film as "fantastic." Michael Bivins praised Algee Smith's portrayal of Tresvant and said he was "real nice, sliding into the most difficult spot." Smith did an outstanding job portraying Tresvant, especially for his first major role, and displayed amazing vocals somewhat similar to Tresvant's himself. Bivins' own mother pushed for Gray during the casting process. In another interview, Ricky Bell along with Bivins praised Elijah Kelley for his portrayal of Ricky in the film. Bell further praised young actor Caleb McLaughlin for his portrayal as well. Bell was amazed by McLaughlin's attention to detail.

In June 2018, it was announced that "The New Edition Story" will stream on Hulu.