| It seems that Robert Johnson, the founder & CEO, of Black Entertainment
Television (BET) has been under fire perpetually. The major complaint has
always surrounded the quality of the programming offered on the cable
station. But in the last few months things have reached a fever pitch first,
because he sold the cable outlet to Viacom and more recently because he fired
Tavis Smiley, host of one of the station's most proactive and productive
shows. Some of the criticism may in fact be short-sighted because media institutions
like BET, must operate in an economic environment that is defined by inequity
and systemic exclusions for black entrepreneurs. Clearly, Johnson has
personally made millions of dollars in business, but the fact of racism has
denied even he, full access. BET was actually $570 million in debt
when it was sold to Viacom. Why would the media giant assume this kind of liability? The reality is,
mainstream outlets like Viacom crave the black consumer because they
recognize our buying power. Yet they are unwilling to consistently pay
black-owned companies equitable advertising revenues to gain access to those
black consumers. So outlets like BET and Essence Magazine are forced to merge
with or sell-off to white companies in an effort to gain access to the
revenue they are rightfully due. What does this new partnership with or ownership of formerly black-owned
businesses by white business giants mean for the black consumer? There are
two major schools of thought. One group suggests that media outlets like BET,
Essence, BlackVoices.Com will ultimately lose their ability to effectively
tell our stories. They will be forced to offer information that is palatable
to the taste of the money brokers. Still others believe that gaining access
to the vast resources of these mega-corporations will in fact allow these
black companies to finally produce quality programming/information. They will
be able to do this without being forced to compromise the black voice, it is
suggested. At 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 2, 2001, Robert Johnson will be on hand to
discuss the issue. He will be participating in the Capital Press Club's
Newsmaker Forum at the Charles Sumner School Museum (1201 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC). Jake Oliver, president of the National Newspaper Publishers
Association (NNPA) and publisher of the Afro-American Newspapers will be the
evening's host. Registration: members - free, non-members - $10. Call 202-628-1122 ext. 4 for
additional information. |
