am i the only one embarrassed by BET

Ms. Naughty,

Thank you too for you insightful comments

actually the owner of BET is now debra lee and i'm pretty sure she's responsible for the dumbing down of BET. i did write a letter to a BET associate awhile back and have yet to receive a response, but the best i can do is hope that either BET comes out of the darkness its living in or another black channel will be developed to offer something more productive than destructive to the black community. the part that makes me laugh is that, literally, 10 years ago BET was bashing all of the things that it now glorifies.

I remember when...

I watched BET too. I recall they had very good black history programs and some amazing jazz/soul performances I had never seen before by really top-class talent like Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, and I specifically recall seeing Herbie Hancock live in what appeared to be a jazz club venue. What I loved most though was seeing the history programs (which I'm addicted to on other channels). The American history classes in my school discussed slavery, Harriet Tubman, GW Carver, etc., but didn't really offer a uniquely black perspective of American and world history. Americans know little of history anyway, but even less about the history of sub-Saharan African cultures and BET had a few programs on the ancient Mali, Zimbabwe, Dahomey, and Lunda empires which I found fascinating. There were also a few good chat shows about contemporary issues (there was a fantastic round table debate on ebonics I remember) and arts that I found informative and just plain enjoyable.

I was sorry to lose all that when BET sold-out. It was great to a TV station that didn't think the only black leaders are Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. From my WASPy upper middle class perspective, I have to say BET was a jewel of a calling card for the black American cultural experience to a part of America that is rarely exposed to it by any facet of mainstream media.

Darling,

Debra Lee does not own BET, she is merely its CEO. ViaCom owns BET, a big difference. Be that as it may she is at its helm and is ultimately responsible for much of what we see. Have you checked out TVOne? I have enjoyed some of the programming there.

THank you for your kind comment darling. I dont know how insightful I am but I try. Thanks for noticing.

i dunno if i have that or not. and with timewarners new cable format i can't even do a search for the channel. WAAAAH!!! WAAAAH!!!! oh, wait, is that the channel that shows throwbacks like martin and the pj's??

PS u know what i meant about debra lee

*flips past BET*

....Get Rich or Die Trying....

*sighs and shakes head*

now thats some good wholesome family fun. be a gangster kids so you can have a story for your rap album.

One with an extremely predictable ending, seeing as how one of the two options would make it rather difficult to come out with a album and play live shows.

amen. BET makes me so sad now, did u see the episode of boondocks where debra lee was trying to destroy the black community?? HILARIOUS.

haha nope i should find it on youtube

lol

i wish they would bring comicview back

I have not watched BET in about 10 years. The commercials make me more upset than the programming (and that is saying a lot).

won't find it on youtube, the episode was banned probably cuz debra fought tooth and nail, but yahoo-search and google it cuz its posted on a few websites. and HILARIOUS. there's a meeting where debra's mad that bet isn't destroying the black community fast enough, she's REALLY upset that she'd seen a black person reading earlier in the day. and i think she's holding/petting a dead rottweiler in her lap.

unless the syndication is different, on my BET comicview comes on twice a night, at 9 and 12.