'Our World With Black Enterprise' launches as 'America’s Black Forum' successor

By Demetrius Patterson
Chicago Defender
(August 17, 2006) A joint venture between Chicago-based Central City Productions Inc. and New York City-based Black Enterprise magazine company has created a new informative television show that will infiltrate the nation's television market in late September.
 
"Our World with Black Enterprise," hosted by renown African American journalist Ed Gordon (above), will fill in many of the syndicated timeslots left vacant by the now defunct "America's Black Forum," said Derrick Godfrey, vice president of business development for Graves Ventures LLC.

"We bought 'America's Black Forum' in December of last year," Godfrey told the Defender from his New York office. "Black Enterprise and Central City Productions formed New Millennium Media Partners (LLC). That company formed in December. That company purchased the assets of 'America's Black Forum' from a company called December Ventures.

"We chose to instead of replacing 'America's Black Forum' to launch this new program called 'Our World with Black Enterprise' hosted by Ed Gordon."

Technically, "America's Black Forum" (ABF) doesn't exist in broadcast fashion, Godfrey said. He said the show is not in syndication, but depending on the market, some viewers may find some old "ABF" shows still airing.

"‘Our World’ is designed to be driven by human interest, public interest, economic and political issues," Godfrey explained about the new show. "Those are the platforms we will examine. Our intension is to capture the spirit of extraordinary African Americans across a wide spectrum of interests and disciplines."

Gordon, an Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist renown for his one-on-one interviews on Black Entertainment Television (BET) with O.J. Simpson, President Bill Clinton and Minister Louis Farrakhan, among others, told the Defender that he's looking forward to his new job.

"It is an exciting venture," Gordon said. "There are some great stories out there; there are some great people out there; and there are some great perspectives out there that we will be able to share, although it is under the auspice of Black Enterprise.

"And I know that [Earl] Butch [Graves Jr., publisher of Black Enterprise] is moving it in the direction to expand the Black Enterprise brand in various ventures."

"Our World with Black Enterprise" is scheduled to air Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 on various television networks throughout the United States, Godfrey said.  The show will be a syndicated program and will tape two weeks in advance if its airdate. Production for the first two shows will start in about two weeks.

"We will have all of the network options up on www.ourworld.blackenterprise.com," Godfrey said.

"I think that it's important to note that this program is a 30-minute program that is part of a one-hour block of programs that we produce nationally," Godfrey added. "I think that it's safe to say that we are the only African American-owned providers that produce weekly (information/news) shows with an hour block of time."

"Black Enterprise Report" is the other show Godfrey referred to. He said some markets will have the shows paired together, and other markets might have the shows on at different times on different networks.

Gordon, who is also the host of "News and Notes with Ed Gordon" on National Public Radio, said "Our World with Black Enterprise" doesn't conflict with other jobs he has.

"The mode of operation for broadcast journalists today is to be a little bit of everywhere," Gordon said. "But I think that it is important that people understand that this is more than just a business show. It will look at new issues, entertainment, sports and even what's going on in the world of hip hop."

"We're going to focus on a wide variety of issues," Godfrey added. "I think that the subject matter will be very diverse. And we will focus on people more so than issues.

Godfrey said "Our World with Black Enterprise" will have entertainers and athletes on the program that will be recognized for things that viewers aren't familiar with. As an example, Godfrey made reference to the September cover of Black Enterprise magazine that features models Iman and Tyra Banks, and of the cover story on how they are building their own financial empires beyond their high fashion modeling careers.


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