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Tonya
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Tonya
Post Number: 7344
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 02:04 pm: | 
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Former Congressman Hopes to Start a Black Cable News Channel
J.C. Watts sees something missing from the current cable news networks.
"When you look at all the channels out there, there's not many people that look like me on those channels," says the former Republican congressman from Oklahoma, reeling off the big names: CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, CNBC and Fox Business.
Watts, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003, is out to change that. He's developing the Black Television News Channel, an all-news network aimed at black viewers.
The timing seems right for such a project. Thanks in part to the historic campaign of Barack Obama, many cable news programs already are devoting more time to issues of race and relying on more diverse lineups of on-air pundits.
A lot isn't known yet about the proposed channel, which is set to launch in 2009. Watts isn't giving details about the financial backing. Decisions haven't been made about staffing.
"We're targeting the 25-54 demographic with round-the-clock news coverage, bipartisan commentary, information and educational programs that represent very diverse viewpoints," says Watts, speaking by phone from Oklahoma. "We hope to be the single destination for reliable, credible information resources for the African-American community."
At the moment, the two key networks that target blacks _ BET and TV One _ offer mostly entertainment. A few smaller channels like BET Jazz, the Africa Channel and VH1 Soul also draw largely black audiences.
Studies show blacks watch more TV on average than the overall population, and they devote a larger share of their viewing to cable. According to Nielsen Media Research figures from 2007, the share of viewing among blacks in prime time is 67 percent for ad-supported cable stations, compared to 54 percent for total U.S. households.
Media experts agree a cable news network for blacks is worth trying.
"On paper, it sounds like an interesting and potentially good addition to the news environment. There's a potential audience out there; there's a need for the voices that something like this could bring into the 24-hour news world. Now it's a matter of seeing how well it's done," says Robert Thompson, a professor of television and popular culture at Syracuse University.
"I absolutely think there's a place for it," says Cynthia Perkins-Roberts, vice president of diversity marketing and business development for the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau. "For too long, programming targeted to African-Americans has been sitcoms and reality TV and award shows. Yes, there's a place for those things. But there is a role within the African-American community for serious news and commentary."
But there's skepticism, too, because of Watts' strong ties to the GOP.
"It could be a black Fox News network," says Alicia Nails, director of the Journalism Institute for Media Diversity at Wayne State University in Detroit.
Such a channel won't be credible unless it represents "the full spectrum of African-American voices," stresses Nails.
Watts says he isn't looking for a left or a right slant to the news.
"The black community is very broad and very diverse and I think we've got an opportunity to create a channel that will be a venue for those diverse viewpoints to be articulated," he says.
The Black News Television Channel recently announced an agreement with Comcast Corp. to be carried in several key black markets. Under the deal, the proposed network expects to be added to Comcast systems in Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington, Atlanta and Baltimore.
Cable insiders say the deal with Comcast is a big step forward.
Watts says Detroit is a crucial city in terms of national news, citing factors like the auto industry and the roles of U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., as head of the House Judiciary Committee and U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Mich., as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.
He says a decision hasn't been made "as to whether or not there'll be a bureau" in the Motor City.
Currently, the largest black cable network, BET, reaches more than 80 million households. It's come under fire by critics for cutting news and public-affairs content while emphasizing youth-oriented and sometimes raunchy music and comedy fare.
TV One, which began in 2004, targets viewers in the 25-54 range and devotes about 25 percent of its time to documentaries or public affairs programming, says its president and CEO, Johnathan Rodgers.
It's available in more than 43 million households.
Rodgers says there's room for other black channels on cable, whether it's a family channel or one that's primarily for black women.
The challenge is to remind advertisers of the buying clout of blacks.
"We really are out there educating Madison Avenue about the value and spending power of the African-American consumer," he says. "It's less this person watches TV One or this person watches BET. It's more, 'Ad agencies, you need to pay attention to us because we have a trillion dollars to spend.'"
Perkins-Roberts says any news channel for blacks will need to include something for a wide variety of viewers.
"In order to cover the full spectrum of the population, we have to be able to talk to the hip-hopper, we have to be able to talk to the single mom, we have to be able to talk to the lower-middle-class family, the upper-middle-class family, the Republicans, the Democrats."
Watts, who now leads the J.C. Watts Cos. in Washington, and is on the board of radio conglomerate Clear Channel, told the New York Post that he and two cable veterans have bankrolled most of the start-up costs, and that the identity of private equity partners will be revealed later.
While he's aware of estimates that it could take $100 million to get a project like his off the ground, Watts says that figure sounds more in line with the price tag 20 or 30 years ago.
If you factor in improved technology and possible content partnerships, launching a network is more cost-effective than it used to be, he argues.
"When I went to Congress in 1995, blackberry was a fruit," he says to illustrate his point.
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(c) 2008, Detroit Free Press.
Visit the Freep, the World Wide Web site of the Detroit Free Press, at http://www.freep.com.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
_____
http://www.redorbit.com/news/entertainment/1438705/former_congressman_hopes_to_s tart_a_black_cable_news_channel/
(Not sure if it's a good thing or a really really bad thing. We need a Black news channel BAD...but is it wise to trust Watts to be fair and balanced or anything close to bipartisan? Hell no. The last thing we need is Watts and his ilk on a 24 hr loop. We got enough problems; we don't need his form of crack in our hood) |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 6956
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 20, 2008 - 10:17 am: |
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"It could be a black Fox News network," says Alicia Nails, director of the Journalism Institute for Media Diversity at Wayne State University in Detroit.
Such a channel won't be credible unless it represents "the full spectrum of African-American voices," stresses Nails.
Watts says he isn't looking for a left or a right slant to the news.
"The black community is very broad and very diverse and I think we've got an opportunity to create a channel that will be a venue for those diverse viewpoints to be articulated," he says.
(Right. He's gonna have all black right wingers on the show--which I would advise if he wanted it to be a hit) |
Ntfs_encryption
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Ntfs_encryption
Post Number: 3224
Registered: 10-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 20, 2008 - 12:00 pm: |
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""When you look at all the channels out there, there's not many people that look like me on those channels," says the former Republican congressman from Oklahoma."
Oh really? Hmmmmm....He didn't feel that way when he volunteered to be lawn jockey mascot for the Republican party. Why would he be concerned about black people or being represented in any capacity now? |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 6968
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 20, 2008 - 12:44 pm: |
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""When you look at all the channels out there, there's not many people that look like me on those channels," says the former Republican congressman from Oklahoma."
Oh really? Hmmmmm....He didn't feel that way when he volunteered to be lawn jockey mascot for the Republican party. Why would he be concerned about black people or being represented in any capacity now?
(OUCH! Don't be so MEAN!) |
Carey
Veteran Poster
Username: Carey
Post Number: 796
Registered: 05-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 20, 2008 - 02:38 pm: |
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"lawn jockey mascot" Man! ...that was a good one. Like I told kitty after one of her zingers...I am going to steal that. Is that yours? |
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