Bounced Out of Contention

Bounce TV is a new television station scheduled to launch on September 26th. It is majority-owned by and will cater to black people. Being that I'm black, you would probably think I wouldn't have a problem with this, now would you?

Well, I don't. Kinda.

First, let me get out the good things about the station: it claims that it will feature positive programming for black people which is something that is lacking on television now. Pretty much every show on TV that stars a majority black cast is usually a comedy. They did try a crime-time drama on NBC last year called "Undercovers," but let's be honest, that show just sucked. I've seen better writing on bathroom walls than what their script contained. At least they tried, right?

And let's not talk about B.E.T. That station is junk and has been for over a decade as far as I'm concerned. B.E.T. was once a reputable media outlet for black people to be entertained, but it eventually turned into an outlet that is detrimental to the black community (along with mainstream radio). Their only focus now is broadcasting as much violence, materialism and sexual exploits as possible because of its selling power. So, although they're very successful in pushing crap into the black community, they fail to understand the concept of ethical responsibilities. But, I do think that black parents (or lack thereof) are the true failures when it comes subjecting our children to the media's poison. So, I'm not placing blame on B.E.T. for their selection of greed over cultural responsibility when I rant about them. And I also think Bounce TV can pick up the slack and possibly make B.E.T. even more irrelevant.

BET's meal ticket TV show, "The Game."

Having a TV station featuring movies like "The Wiz" and shows like "Judge Hatchett" isn't a bad thing at all. Mix in documentaries, specials, sports from HBCU's (historically black colleges/universities) and you have something positive for black people to watch, right?

Here's where the "kinda" comes in. I don't like media that is strictly marketed to black people and I'll tell you why and give you an example:

BlackPlanet.com
Over ten years ago (along with AsianAve.com and Migente.com for Hispanics), BP started and greatly contributed to what we now know today as social networking. Before MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, BP allowed you to have friends in a community in which to connect with on a regular basis. In fact, the creators of MySpace have even credited BP for influencing their site.

Now, MySpace, FB and Twitter each more than double BP's current subscription base. Why? I think it's because they didn't limit their marketing to one race.

That's what I dislike about black-owned medias. Why limit yourself to only one race? Imagine if BlackPlanet would have just been "The Planet." Could they have been the first Facebook? Could the story of Mark Zuckerburg been replaced by the story of BP founder, Benjamin Sun? It doesn't mean that the site could not have catered to and promoted black material, but why announce that a media outlet is for black people by black people and reduce the incentive for other races to join?

ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX don't carry what I would call "black programming," yet black people watch these stations just like everyone else. But, what if ABC changed its name to W.E.T. (White Entertainment Television)? How many black people would even bother to flip to that station to see what's on? I doubt that many would even give the station a chance. They would think that the station doesn't contain programming of their taste thus eliminating viewers who may have found something that they liked or at least given it a chance. Think of how many white people would have never seen "Sanford & Son," "The Jeffersons," "The Cosby Show," "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" or "The Bernie Mac Show" had they all aired on B.E.T.

Do you see my point?

"Hey, Uncle Phil!  Follow my man, Q's blog!"

So, Bounce TV, I wish you so much success. You're launching in quite a few households across the country, so a lot of people will have access to you. But, with the marketing targeting only black people in a country full of so many nationalities, how many people will watch? I hope that your early promotions catering to only blacks don't bounce you out of contention before you even get started.

Now that I think about it, I just don't see how we can ever find equality if we're still promoting exclusion.