This weekend I had a flashback of time when BET was hammered by Black folks for its production of the show “We Got to do Better“. All over the net, BET became the unofficial whipping boy of the Black elite (yes I said “Black elite”) as protests were formed and demands were made to sponsors of the show to pull their advertising.
While bashing BET and calls to drop not just the show, but the entire network became easy fair on the yap circuit, I could not help but notice that the shows out there that were produced, directed and featured Black folks that were acceptable to the elite do not get nearly as much support. While it’s easy to sound off when shows don’t reflect personal taste or just get canceled, I think we should be just as vocal and supportive of shows that have a lot of potential.
Now I do not have the time to go through the entire television grid, but here are some television programs worth checking out. If you know of more, please add them.
BETJ (So what if it isn’t Black owned?)
Urban Livin’
Parallel Paths
The Truth With Jeff Johnson (BET)
BETJ Black Stories (this show gives Black independent filmmakers the opportunity to showcase their work on a national stage. As far as I know, no other Black-themed channel does this.)
The Best Shorts (another show that highlights Black independent filmmakers)
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TV One
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Food Network
Big Daddy’s House
Road Tasted With The Neelys
Cooking For Real
How’d That Get On My Plate?
Sugar Rush
Recipe For Success
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HGTV
Spice Up My Kitchen
Save My Bath
Myles Of Style
If folks like Howard Witt can gin up the Black blogosphere anytime he needs a story about Black anger, surely we can use the same vehicle to make some positive noise to the networks for these shows while they are still on the air. Dropping a simple e-mail to the producers to show your appreciation may not be a bad idea.
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