BET’s Reginald Hudlin defends upcoming program, “Hot Ghetto Mess”

By Tanya Kersey
BlackTalentNews.com
(June 16, 2007) At yesterday's meeting of the Television Critics Association in Beverly Hills, Reginald Hudlin, BET's President of Entertainment, defended the network's not-yet-aired but already controversial program "Hot Ghetto Mess" amidst charges that BET is perpetuating negative images of African Americans and on the heels of at least two advertisers pulling out.  Hudlin says he will prove detractors wrong when the series finally premieres on July 25.  "It's unfortunate that people are making an erroneous presumption based on absolutely zero information," he said.  

Hosted by funnyman Charlie Murphy ("Chapelle's Show"), "Hot Ghetto Mess" is adapted from the web site HotGhettoMess.com, which features photos and video footage of African American engaged in behavior or dressed in attire considered by many to be embarrassing and socially unacceptable.  The six-episode series is a compilation of viewer-submitted home videos and BET-produced man-on-the-street segments showing black people said to be exhibiting excessive hip-hop and inner-city culture.

Hudlin noted that none of those criticizing the show had even seen it and claims the show wasn't screened for the bi-annual gathering of national television critics because it wasn't finished yet.

"That's unfortunate that they are making a presumption about a show they haven't seem and one of things I feel confident about is everyone who has seen a rough cut of the show says its nothing like it is presumed to be," went on to say.

The show builds on the Web site's effort to take "a hard look at some dysfunctional elements of our community," said Hudlin who went on to make an analogy between "Hot Ghetto Mess" and Bill Cosby.  "The intent of the show is no different than what Bill Cosby is doing as he's going across the country and lecturing as he talks about the problems of the (black) community that we need to address," he said.

Speaking to reporters, Jam Donaldson, creator of the website and executive producer of the series said, "The show has exceeded my expectations. It's so much more than this name that everyone finds so objectionable.  I don't think the name dictates what the show is."

"Everyone that sees the show will be pleasantly surprised," Donaldson added.  Hudlin agreed saying “The biggest critics are going to be the biggest fans."


Go to Target Market News homepage

 

 Order the Workbook_



Get the Summit Workbook
with presentation decks from: Arbitron
Burrell Communications
E. Morris Communications
Ethnic Print Media
GlobalHue
Hunter-Miller Group
Nia Enterprises
Nsights Worldwide LLC
R. L. Polk
Results Inc.
Target Market News
The Media Audit
U.S. Census Bureau
UniWorld Group
Click here for info
on how to order


Sponsored by




    
_________________________________________________________________________________________

 13th Edition Now Available 
New Buying Power report shows more spending by black consumers on 'necessities'

Thanks to economic gains in the past two years, black households across the U.S., especially middle-class families, are increasing their purchases of lifestyle and leisure items.

According to the newest edition of “The Buying Power of Black America,” there are indications that black households are feeling more confident about making purchases that...
Story continued...

_________________________________________________________________________________________

ATTENTION BOOK CLUBS
AND BOOK LOVERS!
    
Black Issues Book Review presents the National Book Club Conference - Chicago to be held on Friday and Saturday, August 24 and 25, 2007, in downtown Chicago at the InterContinental Hotel .

Hundreds of book club members will be engaged in dialogue with some of the nation's leading African American authors, including Tina McElroy Ansa, Mary Morrison, Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant.

Click here for more information and to register

________________________

The African-American
Book Publishing Authority

Now in its eighth year of publication, Black Issues Book Review is the only nationally distributed magazine devoted exclusively to covering the latest news and reviews on black books. BIBR also provides up-to-date news on forthcoming author signings, book fairs and book clubs.
Want this issue? Get it with your new subscription.
Click Here

A TARGET MARKET NEWS PUBLICATION
_________________________



Click here to read more

________________________

  SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 


The trade publication for
in-depth coverage of Black
Consumer Marketing
and Media news