BET's marching to a different beat with upcoming season's programming

BET's marching to a different beat with upcoming season's programming

By Ed Bark
The Dallas Morning News
(January 12, 2006) Not too proud to brag, BET is entering its second quarter-century as the self-designated "new school" home of "everything cool in African-American culture."

As such, it intends to squelch upstart rival TV One, which will celebrate its second anniversary on Jan. 19.

The two networks aimed their latest pitches at TV critics Tuesday on day one of a midseason "press tour" that will keep going and going and going – through Jan. 22. BET's show of force began with the pulsating sounds of the Grambling University drum line, which marched into a hotel ballroom with a bang.

"Consider what you heard a wakeup drumbeat for the new BET," said president and CEO Debra Lee, who succeeded the network's founder, Robert Johnson, last June.

Seldom short on self-congratulatory rhetoric, BET proceeded to stage-manage its 45-minute session to the point of distributing printed, planted questions to some reporters. Popcorn and football-shaped cookies also were provided beforehand, with the day climaxed by a late-night BET-hosted hospitality suite. Sweet? Not if you didn't partake.

Ms. Lee also introduced new entertainment president Reginald Hudlin, who directed the first episode of UPN's much-acclaimed Everybody Hates Chris and is executive producer of Cartoon Network's The Boondocks. Its creator, Aaron McGruder, has been an outspoken critic of BET's programming lineup, which long has been dominated by music videos, standup comedy, broadcast-network reruns and infomercials.

"Aaron is a very talented social critic" whose opinions are his own, Mr. Hudlin said diplomatically.

"Just to have one critic out there or several critics is not a death knell," Ms. Lee added.

BET highlighted three new unscripted series as evidence of its bigger, bolder approach.

The six-episode Season of the Tiger, premiering in May, will document days and nights in the lives of Grambling's renowned marching band. Sunday morning's Meet the Faith, starting March 19, gathers religious leaders to discuss "the day's hottest topics." And the four-part Lil' Kim: Countdown to Lockdown chronicles the rap diva's last two weeks of freedom before she recently began serving a one-year, one-day sentence for refusing to cooperate with authorities in a shooting incident.

A promotional clip seemed to unduly laud Lil' Kim as being true to her principles.

"Is she a leader? Is she a victim? Watch the show and decide for yourselves," Mr. Hudlin then told critics.

He later assured, however, that BET will "take a very serious look at her life and her choices and the consequences of those choices. We do not look away from the hard truth that's going on."

After the session, Mr. Hudlin said he's eager to at long last launch BET's first scripted comedy series.

"We thought it would be a couple of years from now, but we're trying to see if we can put together an economic model to make it happen by the end of the year," he said. "We're very anxious to do something."

Ms. Lee discounted any rivalry between BET and TV One, which bills itself as a "lifestyles" network aimed at a more adult black audience.

"They're doing things we did 20 years ago," she said of TV One, which reaches 25 million homes. "Their promise of great new programming hasn't really materialized. Right now they're not our major concern in terms of competition."

TV One president and CEO Johnathan Rodgers said he expects BET to win any race to develop an unscripted comedy series.

"They're in 80 million homes and make about 20 times more than we do," he said.

TV One's new programming initiatives include a reality series about a west Oakland custom paint shop and documentaries on black theater.

There's also Cosmetic Surgery: The Changing Face of Black Beauty, a one-hour special on changing attitudes in the African-American community toward facelifts, nose jobs, etc.

It begs the question of America's most famously doctored African-American, Michael Jackson.

Dr. Monte Harris, who hails from Mr. Jackson's hometown of Gary, Ind., said that the King of Pop has been on the receiving end of "devastating results."

"In no way do I think he appreciates or wants to look the way he does," said Dr. Harris, director of Washington, D.C.'s Cultura Cosmetic Medical Spa. "Hopefully we won't make the mistakes that were made on Michael Jackson in the years to come."

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Click here for free delivery of the Target Market News Bulletin You'll receive news of breaking stories, exclusives, updates and headlines on the latest developments in African American marketing and media Black Stats Frequently requested data on African American consumers Black Buying Power: $679 Billion (2004) Black U.S. Population: 38.3 million Top Five Black Cities - New York - Chicago - Detroit - Philadelphia - Houston Top Five Black Metros: - New York-New Jersey - Washington-Baltimore - Chicago-Gary - Los Angeles - Philadelphia Top Five Expenditures: - Housing 110.2 bil. - Food 53.8 bil. - Cars/Trucks 28.7 bil. - Clothing 22.0 bil. - Health Care 17.9 bil. Click here for more stats from "The Buying Power of Black America." ______________________ Get quick access to key U.S. Census Bureau Data Click here to go to African-American Census Bureau data _____________________ Copyright `© 2005 by Target Market News Inc.` All rights reserved Business address: 228 S. Wabash Ave. Suite 210 Chicago, IL 60604 t. 312-408-1881 f. 312-408-1867 info@targetmarketnews.com	BET's marching to a different beat with upcoming season's programming By Ed Bark The Dallas Morning News (January 12, 2006) Not too proud to brag, BET is entering its second quarter-century as the self-designated "new school" home of "everything cool in African-American culture." As such, it intends to squelch upstart rival TV One, which will celebrate its second anniversary on Jan. 19. The two networks aimed their latest pitches at TV critics Tuesday on day one of a midseason "press tour" that will keep going and going and going – through Jan. 22. BET's show of force began with the pulsating sounds of the Grambling University drum line, which marched into a hotel ballroom with a bang. "Consider what you heard a wakeup drumbeat for the new BET," said president and CEO Debra Lee, who succeeded the network's founder, Robert Johnson, last June. Seldom short on self-congratulatory rhetoric, BET proceeded to stage-manage its 45-minute session to the point of distributing printed, planted questions to some reporters. Popcorn and football-shaped cookies also were provided beforehand, with the day climaxed by a late-night BET-hosted hospitality suite. Sweet? Not if you didn't partake. Ms. Lee also introduced new entertainment president Reginald Hudlin, who directed the first episode of UPN's much-acclaimed Everybody Hates Chris and is executive producer of Cartoon Network's The Boondocks. Its creator, Aaron McGruder, has been an outspoken critic of BET's programming lineup, which long has been dominated by music videos, standup comedy, broadcast-network reruns and infomercials. "Aaron is a very talented social critic" whose opinions are his own, Mr. Hudlin said diplomatically. "Just to have one critic out there or several critics is not a death knell," Ms. Lee added. BET highlighted three new unscripted series as evidence of its bigger, bolder approach. The six-episode Season of the Tiger, premiering in May, will document days and nights in the lives of Grambling's renowned marching band. Sunday morning's Meet the Faith, starting March 19, gathers religious leaders to discuss "the day's hottest topics." And the four-part Lil' Kim: Countdown to Lockdown chronicles the rap diva's last two weeks of freedom before she recently began serving a one-year, one-day sentence for refusing to cooperate with authorities in a shooting incident. A promotional clip seemed to unduly laud Lil' Kim as being true to her principles. "Is she a leader? Is she a victim? Watch the show and decide for yourselves," Mr. Hudlin then told critics. He later assured, however, that BET will "take a very serious look at her life and her choices and the consequences of those choices. We do not look away from the hard truth that's going on." After the session, Mr. Hudlin said he's eager to at long last launch BET's first scripted comedy series. "We thought it would be a couple of years from now, but we're trying to see if we can put together an economic model to make it happen by the end of the year," he said. "We're very anxious to do something." Ms. Lee discounted any rivalry between BET and TV One, which bills itself as a "lifestyles" network aimed at a more adult black audience. "They're doing things we did 20 years ago," she said of TV One, which reaches 25 million homes. "Their promise of great new programming hasn't really materialized. Right now they're not our major concern in terms of competition." TV One president and CEO Johnathan Rodgers said he expects BET to win any race to develop an unscripted comedy series. "They're in 80 million homes and make about 20 times more than we do," he said. TV One's new programming initiatives include a reality series about a west Oakland custom paint shop and documentaries on black theater. There's also Cosmetic Surgery: The Changing Face of Black Beauty, a one-hour special on changing attitudes in the African-American community toward facelifts, nose jobs, etc. It begs the question of America's most famously doctored African-American, Michael Jackson. Dr. Monte Harris, who hails from Mr. Jackson's hometown of Gary, Ind., said that the King of Pop has been on the receiving end of "devastating results." "In no way do I think he appreciates or wants to look the way he does," said Dr. Harris, director of Washington, D.C.'s Cultura Cosmetic Medical Spa. "Hopefully we won't make the mistakes that were made on Michael Jackson in the years to come." Go to Target Market News homepage	NEW! Search the entire contents of the Target Market News Web site! Looking for hard-to-find information on the African-American consumer market? Now you can easily search the contents of the leading source for information on African-American marketing and media. Scan our entire Web site for news, research and information using Google-powered keyword searches. Hundreds of articles, stories and report findings can be accessed for free. Click here to try it now! _____________________________________________________________________________________ 12th Annual Edition Available Latest 'Buying Power' report shows black consumers spending more on home life As the American economy continues to move sluggishly, African-American households are curtailing their spending in many categories, including food, clothing and basic household items, while investing more in home repair, home entertainment and consumer electronics. Although they are trimming back, black consumers are still spending more than their white counterparts on most of these products. According to the newest edition of “The Buying Power of Black America” report, African-American households are tightening their belts when it comes to dining out, expanding their wardrobes, and leisure activities out of the home. At the same time, they are increasing their spending on home repairs and remodeling, audio and... Story and statistics continued _________________________ SUBSCRIBE TODAY! The trade publication for in-depth coverage of Black Consumer Marketing and Media news ORDER THE WORKBOOK NOW! The sixth annual event examining the latest trends, findings and practices in marketing to African-American consumers Presentations from: America Online Arbitron Inc. Burrell Carol H. Williams Advertising E. Morris Communications Ethnic Print Media Group GlobalHue Hunter-Miller Group Images USA Nia Online NSights Worldwide LLC On Wheels Inc. R.J. Dale Advertising & P.R. Target Market News U.S. Census Bureau ...and more!