Doing Dumb $%&@
Coretta Scott-King, the iconic widow of slain civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was laid to rest on Tuesday. Coretta, as she has been so affectionately called furthered the cause of her husband after his untimely death and made sure to keep the struggle for civil rights at the forefront of American society.
You see, Coretta (she attained one name status long ago), was concerned about the direction of this country and hoped that progress and strides could be made to reach the elusive equality her husband fought and ultimately gave his life for.
Progress, hope, and optimism. That was Coretta.
It was for these reasons that CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News Channel (!!!), broadcasted the funeral live for their viewers.
“You can find me in DC…” - Notorious B.I.G. “Kick In The Door”, 1997, Life After Death
Not on Tuesday you couldn’t.
Because BET decided “to offer a different experience for BET viewers.” (link via Poplicks)
Sometimes I feel as if I’m beating a dead horse here, or preaching to the choir, or kickin’ tires and lightin’ fires.
However, how is it that TVOne and the Black Family Channel (a station I didn’t even know existed), both stations catered to the “black experience”, would decide to broadcast the funeral but BET, the one station with the most reach, opts to run music videos.
And let’s be real, its BET, it isn’t as if they were running a political analysis of Bush’s budget proposal. They did run a 30-minute taped tribute later that night, but whoopty damn doo.
“If BET erred, we erred on the side of giving viewers a different choice… . We wanted people to have access to this wherever they were - at work, at home, traveling, at school. The online experience would give them that.”
No…you erred on the side of being yourself. It seems like they intentionally TRY to do things that are in direct conflict with what makes sense. I swear, if we ever elect a Black President…BET will probably decide to go to a country music format.
Non-sequitor? Clearly. That is BET in a nutshell.
So BET ran the funeral online.
By a show of hands, who here actually goes to BET’s website???
*crickets*
And excuse my fuckedupedness, but why would you? In fact, hold on one second…
*going to BET’s website to see what’s actually on there*
Umm…feel free to whistle while you twerk…er…work. Ah fuck it, it’s BET…that’s what you saw instead of the funeral anyway.
*back*
Just like I thought…there is no good reason to go to BET.com. It isn’t like there’s any news there or anything. News that affects black people. No, you can just go to BlackAmericaWeb for that…and even that isn’t all that stellar.
It’s strange, when I think of finding out what’s going on with black people in America, BET doesn’t even come onto the radar. Hell, they quit running “Day-Late-And-Dollar-Short” News last July. Apparently people still watch BET though…and I’m not shitting on anybody’s religion, but okay. However, deciding to run the feed on their site, largely a HAZMAT-like destination, and offer on their TV station videos and Burger King (guess that was close enough) commercials…which reaches a vastly larger audience, was…how do you young kids say this nowadays…
…oh yes…stupid as the fuck.
And the justification…even worse. I feel like they have the staff of chimps that the careerbuilder.com commercials are using, running shit.
And I’m not calling black people monkies. Plus, I’m not white…you can’t fire me.
To be fair ABC, NBC, and CBS all streamed the funeral on their website. And you know what, I’ll bet people watched it there…from work. I go to abc.com. I got to CNN.com at least 4 times a day. I watch TV on my computer ALL the time at work…while I’m, ya know, working.
“While acknowledging that BET “has not satisfied what every viewer would want” in regard to King’s funeral, the network provided “an informative, enriching experience,” (Michael) Lewellen says.
The experience won’t hurt BET’s image, he insists.”
You got that right, jack. In fact, I don’t even think anybody noticed. Or cared. Hell, I only found this out, after the fact. You can’t hurt an image that’s high point is BET:Uncut.
You just can’t.
I do however wonder about which “informative, enriching experience” he was speaking of. It’s BET…when was the last time you watched BET and you felt more informed or enlightened?
I’m well aware that BET is well within it’s rights to not show anything substantive on its station. And they exercise that right very well. In fact, I’d say they were tops in the industry at pointless programming intended to do nothing to further the cause of its intended audience…however…
…it’s Coretta.
An icon of not only Black, but American culture. Hell, four US presidents were there. Including the one “black” President we’ve had…President William “Slick Willie” Clinton.
And BET aired the Ying Yang Twins.
So, with that, I’d like to suggest that when the NAACP gets together to change their name (hopefully sometime before I die), BET also be invited to the Re-Naming Committee Board meeting and come up with something more appropriate.
Like, NUT. Nothing Useful Television.
At least that would be honest.
In other news, Kanye got robbed at the Grammy’s in the Album of The Year Category. I’ve heard U2’s album, it wasn’t that great. I just hope that this causes Kanye to once again, create an album that can’t be denied. Because at some point, the RIAA is going to have to acknowledge him.
And somebody tell Sly Stone that McDonald’s wants its Golden Arches back.
February 9th, 2006 11:36
two nights ago, i was just in an out-of-nowhere uproar about BET, ranting and raving to anyone who would listen, concerning their horrid programming. it’s sad for the only national black television station (with respect to TVONE and Black Family, but i’m not familiar with the latter, and TVONE is not in all areas if i’m correct) devotes a large chunk of their on-air time to video after video and repeats of shows. The repeats aren’t that bad, but don’t they have the money and connects to create some original programming as well? And no, i’m not taling about that “college hill” type madness either. you just hit a nerve and i’m happy to see someone other than myself is waiting for BET to catch up with the rest of the cable networks.
February 9th, 2006 12:35
I actually went to an audition for the Black Family Channel, back when it first started. The sheer ghettoness of the audition made me wonder did it get on the air. Robert “Duck from the 5 heartbeats” Townsend is the “CEO”, if that tells you anything.
and the only tolerable thing on BET in recent years was AJ and Free on 106 and park, always bad , now its reached the depths of hell.
February 9th, 2006 12:57
Doesn’t that cat Reggie Hudlin run BET now? My man has time to scribe Marvels Black Panther comic, produce Bernie Macs show on FOX, but he can’t get down with a proper view on Coretta? He’s slippin’. Someone correct me if he’s not the one on point at BET now. Black Enternatinment Television. You’d think on the night it mattered it could have been Black Education Television.
February 9th, 2006 13:19
It’s almost like you expected the funeral to be in. I know you didn’t!
February 9th, 2006 13:24
I think that is obscene. Yet BET had no problem showing Rap BEEF for like a week straight. We are DOOMED….
February 9th, 2006 13:41
@Vagitis: I actually like Robert Townsend. I’ve been a fan since The Five Heartbeats. And he’s directed some alright movies. I can’t name any right now, so maybe I’m losing that argument against him.
@TAP: You know, I didn’t expect it to be on BET but I wasn’t looking for it either. However, their logic is what has me puzzled. The reason they came up with for NOT showing it seems just damn dumb. If you ain’t gonna show it, don’t show it, but don’t come at me with no “informative, enriching” BS…especially since you are BET…and those aren’t adjectives anybody would use in your favor.
@Clarence: I think Reggie Hudlin is running things…though I have no concrete proof on that. If so though, you’re right…he is slippin’. I think Debbie Lee is the CEO, or whatever she is, but Hudlin makes the programming decisions. And if he does…may he be subjected to hours of William Hung re-runs.
February 9th, 2006 14:04
*ignoring the BET rant, cuz it is what it is…Boorish Endless Trash*
Letter to the Editor:
Dear Mr. Martian,
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) doesn’t uhmmm…give out Grammys. They just certify album sales. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) gives out Grammys. Kanye just didn’t get enough votes from his peers to walk away with Album of the Year.
That Bono’s a classy guy! he shook e’ry nominees hand b’fo gettin’ up on stage and claimin’ the award. He even told Mr. West, “You’re next!”
sidenote: Did anybody else think Kanye West looked like Kool Moe Dee’s illegitimate child last nite with them glasses on?
Make nice with the RIAA b’fo the file charges against your daughter for sharing music with her MySpace friends through her iTunes. It’s not there fault…
…that is all.
February 9th, 2006 14:19
@builtfromwax: Thank you Mr. Wax (is it okay if I call you Mr. Wax?). I was mistaken, and frankly had no clue who the Academy was. So, needless to say they can both kiss my ass. The RIAA for getting down on bootleggers, and NARAS for voting an album that even Bono was surprised won to the top of the 2006 totem pole.
February 9th, 2006 15:50
Yep! Kanye got robbed…AGAIN, if you ask me.
@builtfromwax: I said the same damn thing about ‘Ye and his Kool Moe Dee shades!
February 10th, 2006 08:12
I think they would have covered it if they had ads to sell. They didn’t want to come out of pocket for uninterrupted coverage.
February 10th, 2006 23:30
I DID watch the 25 most fucked up moments in black history (or whatever the show was called) only to be REALLY disappointed when the creation of BET wasn’t the #1 moment.
February 11th, 2006 13:43
Stepping in to defend Robert Townsend, director of:
10,000 Black Men Named George
Little Richard
Hollywood Shuffle
Eddie Murphy: Raw
and heck yeah, The Five Heartbeats!
(I can forgive him for BAPS, because I just have a forgiving heart like that. And I liked Meteor Man.)
Also, Reggie Hudlin is President of Entertainment for BET which means he does control the programming, scheduling, etc.
February 13th, 2006 16:37
*Applauding*
Great post Panama! BET will never change… Sly was a walking advertisement for “Just Say No to Drugs”… Mariah/Kanye were ROBBED… and someone needs to tell Ms. Aguilera that excessive runs do not come with Donny’s “A Song For You”. Argh…
PS Michelle from Destiny’s Child has my full permission to beat Tina Knowles with a bejeweled shoe. Her ‘72 wig was frightful at best. Lol