(www.nexttv.com)
Hello my lovelies, it's been awhile. I've moved to a new place recently, so it took me awhile to get adjusted, including all the packing and stuff. I've also decided not to get cable because it's too expensive and frankly, it's overrated. Especially when you got so much streaming services (now getting very crowded) to choose from. Speaking of cable, there's one cable station which has major importance in the black community and that's BET. However, over the years it has become less relevant to black viewers and I'm wondering if BET is losing its steam and concerns about its relevance in these times.
To understand why BET is the way it is now, we have to go back in time in its creation. BET was created by Robert Johnson, who wanted to launch a cable network for black audiences. He received a $15,000 loan and $500,000 investment from John Malone, an investor. This new network, named Black Entertainment Television was launched on January 25th, 1980 and the famous logo was created by Cheryl D. Miller. It didn't start as its own network per se, it was broadcasted for 2 hours a week on USA Network, which was called Madison Square Garden Sports Network back then. BET's lineup at that time consisted of music videos and black sitcoms re-runs. BET became so popular with its audiences that it became its own cable station in 1983 (Wikipedia).
Trying to add variety in the network, BET added BET News starring Ed Gordon in 1988. BET's talk show BET Tonight debuted in 1996 with Tavis Smiley as host and in 2001 Ed Gordon replaced him as host. It also created other networks such as BET on Jazz (BET J) and BET Her. I didn't even know that BET was in the New York Stock Exchange in 1991! Sadly, in 2001, BET is no longer black owned and it was purchased by Viacom for $3 billion, which also has MTV, CBS and VH1 in its wings. BET also had BET Gospel and even went international, in places such as Canada, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Robert Johnson eventually retired from the network and Debra L. Lee became president of the network. Sadly, things went downhill from there (Wikipedia).
Now don't get me wrong, BET does have some gems, especially in the 90s. Growing up, I would watch some music videos from R&B and Hip-Hop stars in the day. I also looked forward to the show, Video Soul, hosted by the foine Donny Simpson. Teen Summit, Caribbean Rhythms, Rap City and 106 and Park, and the hilarious Cita's World and Comic View were my go to shows. Despite the success of these shows, BET was beginning to lose its luster, especially since Viacom took over the network.
(www.wikipedia.com)
Naturally, there were many critics of BET. Many has accused BET of promoting negative stereotypes of black people. Critics such as rapper Chuck D and filmmaker Spike Lee accused the network of upholding negative stereotypes in its programming. Aaron McGruder of the famous The Boondocks, also protested the network by cleverly creating two episodes, "The Hunger Strike," casting Debra Lee as the villain and "The Uncle Ruckus Reality Show" where the main character, Uncle Ruckus criticizes the network and its portrayal of black people. Many viewers were also outraged when BET didn't show Coretta Scott King's funeral in 2006. Instead, it played music videos. Now, that was a disrespectful thing to do in her honor. The same woman who supported her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King jr. in his fight for equality and this is the thanks she got. Malcolm X really said the most disrespected woman is a black woman and sadly Mrs. King was no exception especially by a network which was supposed to show positive aspects of African-Americans.
Even Sheila Johnson, who was the co-founder, was "ashamed" of the network and she and her kids don't watch it. Can't really blame her when the network has become a joke sadly. There are shows such as Being Mary Jane, starring Gabriel Union which was a hit but quite frankly, it was not enough to save the network. BET got into the streaming game by creating BET+ in collaboration with Tyler Perry Studios and BET: ViacomCBS. Might as well call it Tyler Perry+. At this point, BET is a shell of its owner self and it's in danger of becoming irrelevant. The same can be said for MTV. With the younger generation turning to social media, especially TikTok, BET has been struggling to attract younger viewers. Then again cable itself is losing its grasp in viewership, not only is it expensive, it has to compete with a lot of streaming services which portrayed exciting shows which are definitely talked about in the media. Game of Thrones anyone? When was the last time anyone has so much excitement about a show on a cable network?
It might be too late for BET but it can still play an important role in black society but it still has to adapt to attract all viewers in today's times. Can y'all bring back Teen Summit in this day and age? A wide variety of topics can be discussed on the show such as racism, sexuality, police brutality etc. Bring back Comic View please...never mind, cancel culture will not have it, so comedians have to be careful with what they say. Lastly, create a show to expose viewers to the African diaspora and its culture with Afrobeat and Kwaito as examples. Viewers should also be exposed to other Caribbean music such as Soca, Calypso, Kompas, Zouk, Bouyon etc. Caribbean Rhythms was a good start but it mostly promoted Reggae and dance-hall music. Maybe create a travel show to show places and culture around the world, including the diaspora. Has BET gone through? Not necessarily. It is not as relevant today as it was in the past but it still plays an important role in the entertainment industry. Hopefully, this time BET will do the right thing and stop putting black people in a negative night, after all, it was black people who made BET the way it was before it was sold to Viacom. Hopefully it can adapt before it's too late!!
