Cross posted at What About Our Daughters.
I am aware that members of the Alliance for Diversity in Programming have recently sent you letters regarding a la carte cable pricing indicating that a la carte cable pricing might somehow strike a blow to programming diversity. I wanted to offer a different perspective.
As an African American woman I question their definition of programming diversity. I would submit that s Nickelodeon’s “ Nick at Nite” offers far more “diverse” programming featuring African Americans than Viacom’s BET ( Black Entertainment Television). I believe that BET’s current and past programming choices are not worthy of receiving subsidies from cable subscribers who don’t watch BET.
At every turn, the concerns of the negative portrayals of African Americans promoted by Viacom’s networks has been ignored. In response to a public outcry from students at Spelman Collgege, BET CEO Debra Lee said that in her eyes BET was better than ever because BET was making more money than ever. Viacom and BET are not concerned with diversity, only collecting as many cable subscriber fees as possible. This business model is aided by compulsory consumer subscriber fees.
Black Entertainment Television is Not Diverse
Just because a cable channel is called Black Entertainment Television does not mean that it is diverse. In fact , BET is far from diverse. BET has relatively no public affairs programming and offers very few programming options that are not available elsewhere. Its main offerings are soft porn in the afternoon, disguised as music videos which air in the after school hours when parents are hard at work to pay for the cable that is streaming misogynist, pro-prison, pro-pimp, pro-drug, pro-violence, anti-education, anti- authority messages into their homes. Please don’t let these executives fool you into believing that because they are people of color, their programming is diverse or that their programming in some way provides a service to African Americans.
“Cable Choice” Would Force Networks to be More Responsive to Subscriber’s Concerns
Viacom and BET have selected a business model premised on the idea that there is nothing too abusive to be aired on its networks. There is no gutter too dirty, no pit too dark, no cultural cesspool too toxic that BET won’t crawl into. Requiring cable consumers to subsidize BET whether those viewers watch BET or not allows BET’s executives to continue to arrogantly dismiss serious concerns about the effect of BET’s programming choices on African American children. BET is a parasite which has profited off of African Americans while holding their own target audience in contempt.
BET’s Programming is Morally Repugnant
For years BET aired a music television show called Uncut, which contained highly sexualized and drug use imagery. Uncut featured such cultural gems as “No Panties (On the Dance Floor)” by Wax-a-million, “Shake That S**t” by Preacha, “P****y Poppin'“ by Ludacris feat. Shawnna and Lil Fate, Lil' Flip , “You'ze A Trick - I Don't Give A F*ck” by Lil' Jon & The Eastside Boyz, “Smoke With Me” by The Firemen(unlike other videos, this one focused on smoking marijuana), “I Got That Drank” (this one focused on the rising trend of the drug codeine cough syrup ) by Frayser Boy feat. Mike Jones and Paul Wall, and perhaps most famous of all “Tip Drill” by Nelly.
I don’t expect you to know how vile and pornographic these videos are, but I am sure your staffers can pull them up on YouTube so that you can see the level of depravity within the ranks of Viacom and Black Entertainment Television. Why should a cable subscriber have to subsidize this type of programming just to have access to cable? If one of the main arguments against a la carte cable is a decrease in programming diversity, my question is diversity for the sake of what? What are these cable networks putting out in our names?
BET Holds Its Own Audience in Contempt
BET’s most recent example of why cable subscribers should not be forced to subsidize BET’s programming will debut on July 25, 2007. The show is called “ Hot Ghetto Mess.” That is not a typo. The show is called HOT.GHETTO.MESS! BET describes the show as “ a car wreck you can’t look away from.”
The logo for the show is a blackface cartoon character. The logo indicates that the creators of the show believe that African Americans deemed “ghetto” are “Sambos“, “Golliwoggs” or “Picaninnies.” No other cable channel could get away with this.
BET encourages viewers to take photographs and videotapes of African American subjects who those viewers hold in contempt. The more humiliating and embarrassing the better. BET will in turn collect the pictures and broadcast them for the whole wide world. The African American poor, mentally ill, emotionally unstable, and delusional, all packaged in a neat bundle for all the world to laugh at. Is this what the Alliance for Diversity in Programming believes African Americans will be robbed of if Congress allows consumers to chose which television programming will enter their homes? Good riddance!
When he became aware of protests regarding the show “Hot Ghetto Mess,” BET’s programming chief, Reginald Hudlin, cast aside complaints, saying “ Hot Ghetto Mess” was “ so doggone good.” The creator of “Hot Ghetto Mess” has said “to all of you who are angry at me for airing our dirty laundry—good I’m glad you’re angry.” This level of contempt is possible because under the current pricing scheme, no matter how many African Americans boycott BET, the network still gets paid. Thus, the arrogance and contempt from BET’s top decision-makers. What BET knows is that it has burned so many bridges in the African American community that the thought of actually asking us to pay them directly for their programming is terrifying.
Most of the African Americans who visit my site indicate that they gave up on BET years ago. Those African American cable subscribers shouldn’t have to subsidize “Hot Ghetto Mess” with their cable subscriptions. The next time you receive a letter claiming that a la carte pricing would decimate minority programmers who air programming focused on African Americans, I urge you to actually REVIEW what these programmers are airing. I then ask you to decide if the “diversity” that these programmers are offering is worthy of receiving a subsidy from cable subscribers. In the case of BET, the answer must be a resounding “No!” If people want to pay for crack cocaine of the multimedia variety, let them pay for it…. a la carte.
If you have any questions, you can visit my site What About Our Daughters at whataboutourdaughters.blogspot.com .
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