Debra Lee is Ticked Off At the Washington Post :Ignore the Critics and Watch Your Ratings

We are changing, improving and serving the needs and aspirations of our viewers -- aspirations that are more often than not ignored by other networks. Debra Lee, CEO of BET

The NAACP giving you an image award makes me laugh.If that's what BET needs to make them feel okay with continuing to be the worst thing that has happened to black people in the last 25 years then ignore the critics and watch your ratings.
Marla, a commenter on WAPO.com in response to Debra Lee

Remember that article in the Washington Post profiling Reggie Whatshisname ("Channel Changer")? Well apparently Teresa Wiltz didn't get the memo that the Washington Post is BET's mouthpiece. After monitoring news coverage for over a year, its clear that in times of crisis, BET turns to the LA Time's entertainment reporter, Gregg, and somebody at the WAPO. Even though Wiltz didn't do the usual litany of BET criticisms, apparently she left out the important BET talking points. For those who have been following BET's toxic MESS clean up over the last year, it goes something to the effect of "blah blah blah GOSPEL SHOW blah blah blah HIP HOP VS. AMERICA blah blah blah GOSPEL SHOW and repeat."

So in response to Wiltz's article, Debra Lee penned a letter to the editor. Debra Lee wants y'all to know that the NAACP gave their gospel show an Image Award:

Nor does she [Wiltz] mention that BET has won seven awards for its news programs in the past year; that BET won the NAACP Image Award for its annual "Celebration of Gospel" (the highest-rated religious program in television the past two years); that BET Networks received an Emmy Award for its long-standing "Rap-It-Up" campaign, which promotes HIV-AIDS awareness; or that the annual BET Awards show has been the No. 1 show in African American households for several years. Debra Lee

In all fairness I could have written a letter to the editor complaining as well because Wiltz left out my quote about BET being a multimedia crack dealer and all of its original programming was the low-rent version of its corporate cousins, MTV and VH1, but you didn't see me whining about that. Let me translate Debra Lee's letter:

Dear Washington Post,

Yes, we sell multimedia crack cocaine, but we also hand out frozen Thanksgiving turkeys once a year. We only sell multimedia crack between the hours of 10 and 2 and we take Sundays off. What happened to those talking points we sent over? Why didn't Teresa Wiltz plug any of our Gospel shows and our once a year Awards show and those three episodes of Hip Hop vs America where we featured some members of the Civil Rights Industrial Complex and BET Honors Recipient, Cornel West ?

Who cares if y'all got an NAACP Image Award last year? Didn't the NAACP also nominate an accused child predator for an Image Award? Didn't the NAACP give Tyler Perry and Award for his role as "Madea" in "Diary of a Mad Black Woman"?

The Rap-IT Up reference is ironic because they are running PSA's about responsible sex practices, yet turn around and feature videos glamorizing debauchery and irresponsibility. Wasn't there a a College Hill episode where the interns were humping each other on a pool table? Debbie call me when you start running PSA directed at young Black girls that say "You Are Not the Sum of Your Body Parts .... Even though we tell you otherwise every hour on the hour." Run a PSA that says "Stripping is hazardous to your health....Even though we tell you otherwise every afternoon between 3 and 6" Run a PSA that says "Drug Dealers are not Heroes, they are traitors to the race."

If I were her, I would stop mentioning "A Celebration of Gospel" before some angry church folks start targeting the gospel artists appearing on the show. I can hear some enterprising young preacher now giving a sermon about "singing in Pharaoh's Choir" or some stuff like that. "Paging Rev. Rollo Goodlove, where you at?" Because if they scare off all the gospel artists, what's left to deflect criticism? Take the Cake? Hell Date? Stop hiding behind the Lord's shirttails, you can't tell me videos talking about B*tches, Bullets and Bling are biblical.

Perhaps most unfairly, the story focused on a few programming misfires -- what network has none? Debra Lee

Um programming misfires? You gotta love Debbie's penchant for the understatement. Let's be clear, the reason you have has a year long spate of negative newspaper articles isn't because of a few programming misfires, but because of a massive public relations blunder of the EPIC variety. You let ONE show overshadow an entire season of shows. You followed that up with a
lewd cartoon you tried to pass off as a PSA which made you an even riper target. Instead of heading off critics at the pass and coming up with something to temporarily appease them, you chose to call them names in major news publications and send them condescending letters and hired a consulting firm to "monitor" them. If you were smart, which every indication is that you are not, you would have scheduled a series of meetings and formed a meaningless committee to make folks feel as if you were listening to their concerns and giving their concerns thoughtful consideration.

To be fair *cough* Debra Lee went to Viacom and asked them to reinvest the hundreds of millions of dollars that BET brings in. The whole reason Viacom purchased BET was because BET was and continues to be a CASH COW. Despite Black folks and advertisers forking over hundreds of millions of dollars, Bob Johnson bled BET dry and didn't reinvest a fraction of what he was pulling in. That is why they relied on music videos for so long. Because videos were cheap. Unfortunately for them, VH1 came along and realized that while music videos are cheap, so is reality television.

BET couldn't very well let VH1 become known as the destination for Black audiences because how would they convince advertisers that the road to Black audiences is through BET? SO what did they do? They started trying to play catch up. Only one problem, you have a DAMAGED brand. DAMAGED. Say BET to a group of regular Black folks and watch what happens. Not only are they a DAMAGED brand, but their own executives are contemptuous of their own audience or too money hungry trying to ink production deals with their buddies that even with 100 Million dollars of Viacom's money, they churned out dud after dud and defended the flops as they went down in flames. That's not bad programming, that's plain old bad business judgment. Notice that Debra Lee didn't mention a single scripted show in her letter. Everything is videos or reality television. In other words, high school seniors with HD cameras could produce most of BET's current programming.

BET does not have a programming problem. It has a cultural problem. Let's take her at her word *wheeze* that music videos only comprise 20% of their programming, that still does not account for the contempt with which they hold their audience. What irritates me most is that BET's talking points keep referring to the regime of B*tches Bullets and Bling as "Black Youth Culture." There is no WAY that an executive at MTV, CBS, ABC would ever say drug use, stripping, violence, and anti social behavior was synonymous with "Black youth culture." They would be gone! Out the door! The NAACP wouldn't be handing them an Image Award, the Hollywood Chapter would be beating down the doors demanding an apology, yet BET repeatedly says this over and over again. What is worse is that they have had advertisers like McDonalds parrot BET's garbage talking about "we're trying to reach a certain demographic." So what is McDonald's saying about Black people?

I applaud those who have have recognized that the only people BET will listen to are advertisers. You can lay siege to their homes and they will still ignore Black folks. P&G is talking about "moving" their ads from BET's soft porn in the afternoon disguised as music videos. I don't know if that means they are pulling the ads completely or just moving them elsewhere on the network, but McDonald's and GM would be hard pressed not to follow suit.

I think Teresa Wiltz was downright heroic to write this article. Somebody must not have told her that BET runs the Washington Post. I bet she knows now. Y'all feel free to write a letter to the editor in response or post comments to Debbie's letter. There are only 4 comments on the Washington Post right now. See what we can do to at least take that out to 20 comments. Most of the comments... okay ALL of the comments are critical of BET and Debbie Lee.

There are some who will get their view of black life entirely from the one station that touts itself as being for blacks. I am not impressed and I hope that other black stations that are morally sound will arise in your place and that BET no longer will be the voice of black america because it stopped representing us along time ago. The NAACP giving you an image award makes me laugh. If that what BET needs to make them feel okay with continuing to be the worst thing that has happened to black people in the last 25 years then ignore the critics and watch your ratings. Marla from the WAPO Comments in response to Debra Lee's letter.

Marla, they can't ignore the critics, the critics have finally figured out a way to to mess with their "paper." BET is a damaged brand. DAMAGED and as soon as Comcast figures out who to partner with to target African Americans between the ages of 12 and 18, BET's target audience, you will be able to sit back and marvel at the implosion. It is coming. They have already taken aim at "older" Black folks. They are about to start a 24-hour Black news network. Like I said, BET is a damaged brand.

Time to End the Siege of Debra Lee- and Apology

Is there a more UNSYMPATHETIC woman in the African American community than Debra Lee, the CEO of Black Entertainment Television? To hear folks tell it, she’s a combination of Mary Magdalene, Hester Prynne, Tituba, Leona Hemsley and Imelda Marcos- a Black woman of questionable values who is rich and lives in a castle.

Considering my own history with THAT NETWORK, I didn’t lose any sleep six months ago when a Maryland pastor announced that he would begin protesting outside the home of Debra Lee. Each Saturday, hundreds of church members gather to march in a circle and chant that they have had enough of BET’s programming. Six months later, they’re still marching.

At first I used my blog to promote these protests. No one cheered louder. Although I didn’t agree with the strategy, I supported the Saturday morning demonstrations because I was excited to see so many people take to the streets and become actively engaged in combating negative portrayals of African American women in popular culture. I touted the protests as something reminiscent of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. I put up video and photos of the protesters when mainstream media would not. In my excitement about what I thought was a burgeoning form of activism, I failed to recognize that this sort of moral crusade isn’t new at all. History is replete of examples of religious leaders targeting the despised, the ridiculed, the reviled. It takes no courage to besiege someone or something that is unpopular an thus we all are vulnerable to the tendency to target the unsympathetic figure because in our eyes, they deserve it.

We hosted the organizer of the protest on our podcast, the Black Women’s Roundtable on October 11, 2007. When challenged as to what it was he wanted Debra Lee to do in order to end the siege, the leader of the said , “We want her [Debra Lee] to follow her own programming guidelines” (25:00)

While I didn’t demand specifics six months ago, I am demanding them now. Which video, show or segment was so egregious as to merit besieging Debra Lee’s home for five months?
The time has some for the campaign leaders to tell the world which programming standards BET is currently violating. I challenge them to state, with specificity:

a. What specific video , segment or show did BET air this week that violates their own programming standards and in what way does content violate BET’s programming guidelines?
b. When did the specific content air on BET?
c. Which advertisers paid for the content by running ads before, during, and after the objectionable content?

We all know that BET is unresponsive to the concerns of ordinary African Americans, however, they appear to be responsive to the concerns of their advertisers. If content is so egregious as to merit besieging a personal residence, surely no self respecting advertiser would want to be associated with it. Let the world know who is funding the foolishness.

I share concerns about the depiction of African Americans in popular culture, however on every occasion where I have objected to content, I have disclosed the offending content, providing pictures, videos, and links to allow everyone to review the specific content and judge the content for themselves.

If the protest is based on a generalized dissatisfaction with the depiction of African Americans in popular culture, then why should one woman bear the burden for an entire industry ? I’ve learned recently that the methods you use to wage a campaign is as important as the victory you seek. Once the campaign identifies the specific content which is objectionable and the advertisers who are paying for the content, I would be more than happy to contact those advertisers.

Criticize Debra Lee. Confront her. Contact her advertisers, continue to demonstrate, but please let the world know what exactly it is that BET aired this week to merit continuing the siege. I’m not saying you have to go home, just show us why you’re out there six months later.

The test of our character is not how we treat the people we like. The true test of our character and our faith is how we treat the people we do not like; such as Debra Lee. To the extent that I encouraged anyone to pick up a pitchfork and torch, I apologize for leading you astray and now urge you to put them down until you have some concrete reason to continue besieging the home of Debra Lee.

Despite all of her faults, Debra Lee is a human being and I now question whether the reason she was targeted first was because the protesters knew that few would rise publicly to her defense. That made her a vulnerable target for those who wish to exploit the hot topic of decency and the exploitation of African American women in popular culture for their own purposes. I apologize to her in that we should have demanded more specific explanations on the front end of this situation. Perhaps some hard questions at the beginning would have avoided the impression that the only purpose of the protest is to promote protest leaders. To all those who chortle with glee at the prospect of continuing the siege of Debra Lee, remember that when they get through with her, they could come for you or me.

Heading into the sixth month of perpetual protest, we still don’t know exactly what the Enough is Enough Corporation has had enough of. When it comes to what is and is not offensive, I am no longer willing to substitute your judgment for my own.

To my readers who may be perplexed as to why I would issue such a statement, I don’t make a distinction between BET’s exploitation of Black women and the exploitation of Black women by those who use the War on Black women as a promotional tool. For all we know, the original offending content has already been pulled. A specific list of content makes plain to the world why exactly the protests should head into their sixth month.

I look forward to seeing the list of content, broadcast times and the advertisers who paid for it. If that list cannot be provided in short order, the protesters need to get off of Debra Lee’s petunias until they can provide such a list.

P.S.- Don't worry. When BET screws up, I am still willing to call them on their crap, but I at least have to know what the crap is and after 6 months without specifics, I think we're entitled to know.

The Winter of our Discontent

BY: Shecodes, WAOD Contributor

YEAH, THEY’RE STILL IN FRONT ON DEBRA LEE’S LAWN…

And are showing up in front of Philippe “The Puppetmaster” Dauman’s brownstone, too

It’s going to be a battle of wills this winter, y’all. It looks like our favorite pastor and his crew are in it for the long haul.

So in case you were wondering, the ‘Enough is Enough’ protests are still going on in front of Debra Lee (president of BET)’s house in Washington, DC, and also in front of the swanky residence of Phillipe Dauman (CEO of Viacom) in Manhattan.

I went to the Big Apple two weeks ago to join in on the festivities in front of Philippe’s house. It’s a pretty modest crowd – comprised of about 60% teenagers. (Where are their parents? And why aren’t they protesting right alongside them?)

The first thing I noticed was a heartbreaking contrast between these working-class, sign-wielding African American youths, who were shivering out in the cold -- and the profound privilege and comfort of the white neighborhood children, who were peering out of the windows. It was an object lesson in Economic Disparity, 101.

Anyway, Philippe ‘The Puppetmaster’ Dauman’s neighbors didn’t seem to mind the ruckus at all. Most went about their business, but several people stopped by to take leaflets and ask about the protest. All of the residents that I spoke to expressed sympathy and support for the cause. (Or, maybe they didn’t have the guts express disapproval to an afro-wearing blogger who would take their picture and tell their business in a hot minute).

Since Viacom has been belligerently unresponsive to the pleas of the African American community to quell their lust to depict Blacks as hoes, thugs, and pimps, some strategists believe that it’s time to start hitting them where it counts – by exposing the decision makers and financers of these stereotypical and degrading images to the world.

At this point, my main concern whether the blast of winter cold will crumble the resolve of these protesters. We shall see.

For new readers, the Enough is Enough campaign is part of a comprehensive strategy designed to demand accountability and correct unequal standards concerning the stereotypical and demeaning images of African Americans and women in the media.

I might roll up there again tomorrow to see how they are doing… if it ain’t too cold.

posted by contributor SheCodes

The "MONTGOMERY" of Our Generation begins - The Revolution Will Not be Televised...It Will be Blogged! - What went down at Debra Lee's Castle

I heard a first hand account from a WAOD reader who went to the rally yesterday that nearly brought me to tears. If you want to see pictures of the rally., go here. Folks, this battle with Viacom is my generation's Montgomery. Did you know BET is Viacom's most profitable property? The reader who attended said Debra Lee lives in a compound surrounded by high steel walls and that they had so many marchers that they ended up wrapping all the way around the block that her home consumes. They said it was like walking around Jericho.

This Video is AMAZING! "What Do We Want? CHANGE! When Do We Want it? NOW!" Have we EVER seen something like this aimed at Viacom before? And this was the FIRST WEEK!

More video of the Enough is Enough protest.

"I believe in freedom of speech, but if you really want to have an impact, the best way is to have a conversation - not to protest in front of someone's house," Lee said. "I'm always willing to talk to our viewers."

OH REALLY? Yes she really does like to talk to viewers to tell them that she is going to do absolutely nothing because "BET is better than ever because BET is making more money than ever" the way that she talked to the Spelman students? No, the best way to have an impact is to impose economic sanctions on foolishness. If making money is all that matters to Debra Lee, according to her statements to Spelman students, then conversations are not what are needed. Folks tried talking to Debra Lee and BET, they wouldn't listen.

The AP has picked up the story.

The WAOD reader also said that Pastor Coates is the real deal and unlike some "preachers," this man is passionate about this and he and other church leaders are serious about this. There will be no back room brokered deal to hush them up. In fact, BET tried to halt the march by "agreeing" to meet with Pastor Coates on the condition that he cancel the march! NEWS FLASH DEBRA LEE AND BET- When all this is over, you are going to be begging to meet with the pastor. You aren't doing the pastor a favor by agreeing to meet with him. You better hope he's willing to meet with YOU without any crazy preconditions. I'm loving it. Keep dismissing your critics as CRAZY and detached from reality. That is why I didn't even talk to BET during the whole brou ha ha over that show. They would have brushed me off the way they brushed off the students at Spelman and their letter writing campaign. In the end, BET was the one sending back channel communications to ME, not the other way around. I'm the one that told them how to get out of the MESS over that SHOW. They didn't come up with the name change on their own.

There will be no "corporate" donation that is going to make these Pastors shut up or go away and that has to scare the HELL out of Viacom.

The reader said (I'm cloudy on this so somebody correct me if I am wrong) that a group came down form New York and in a few weeks, the group in DC is going to go to New York to march there so all of you whining about focusing on Viacom instead of BET, A) BET is just the beginning B) if BET is Viacom's most profitable network, when you focus on BET, you ARE focusing on Viacom! They said that pastors and churches that we have never heard about are beginning to organize and they are preaching about this from the pulpit. JUST LIKE THEY DID IN MONTGOMERY!

This thing is growing not shrinking. So you can expect the attacks on this blog to increase. Our little Bull Connors have been very busy, but what they don't understand is that all WAOD did was show that Goliath was not invincible. This thing is so much bigger than me. So they can take me out, but it is already too late. People have been awakened and no amount of donations or meetings with the League of the Immorally Indifferent are going to put folks back to sleep again.

Here is an early scoop from the Washington Post, one of BET's favorite papers.

I got this message from Pastor Coates yesterday from Enough is Enough. As soon as we get footage, I'll get it for y'all. To all my readers who went to the rally, GIVE US THE 411!!!

Today's rally was a tremendous success!!! We had about 500 people participate in the rally. We were joined by representatives from the National Congress of Black Women, the National Organization of Women, the Feminist Majority, local activists, and readers of the What About Our Daughters Blog. There is supposed to be an article in the Washington Post tomorrow (Sunday) about the campaign and the rally. CNN was there, and I believe they are going to air some footage as well (Paul would know more about this.)

We will have video footage of the rally on our website (hopefully) by close of business on Thursday (that's the best we can do). We will be back there next Saturday, same time. We need people to spread the word, let our voices be heard, so that we can be taken seriously. It's time for change. Enough Is Enough.

Thanks Pastor Coates! To my fellow congregants at Bedside Baptist, if you are in his area, you should take a Sunday field trip to see what he is about.

Y'all enjoy this hysterical post from over at Average Bro called Enough is Enough Better Stay Off Debra Lee's Petunias.

Read a Letter from Debra Lee to Pastor Coates prior to the Enough is Enough rally.

UPDATE: Stanley Crouch has noted a change in the "Mood" in his editorial "IT's Getting Hard Out Here For a Chump"

Protest in front of BET CEO Debra Lee's House Saturday, September 15th at NOON with 600 other folks

Folks if you live in DC, Philly, Baltimore, seriously consider taking out a few hours of you day to go chill out in front of BET CEO Debra Lee's house with about 600 other people. For more information, you can go to the Enough is Enough website.

The story has been picked up by EURWEB.

At some point, the folks at Viacom might figure out that people who criticize BET might have some legitimate concerns instead of brushing us aside as "CRAZY" or detached from reality.

Yep, anyone who disagrees with BET in any way is anti-Black and CRAZY! Reginald Hudlin said as much on his message board in response to my argument last week that BET's executives "HATE BLACK PEOPLE." In case y'all haven't figured out, for as many BET haters that read this site, I can assure you that BET employees, fans and executives monitor the tiny little site as well. paranoid much? For those wondering how I would know that Hudlin has resumed his "She's A Crazy Anti-Black Cat Lady!" routine, I noticed that ONCE again, I am getting hits from his message board. So being nosy, I had to read the latest. Now to refresh y'allz memory, Mr. Hudlin was the chief public defender of THAT SHOW and was the one who said "THAT SHOW" was "so doggone goood". The AP disagreed. I believe they called THAT SHOW, "tepid" and "tired." That is ancient history, however. Let's talk about BET's latest attempt to "teach" Black America a lesson, "Read a m)$(^#@ Book!"

Per his usual M.O., Hudlin dismisses any criticism of BET as being completely without merit or a RANT. He then trashes the CNN piece ( which I kinda have to agree with him on. Tony Harris was awful, let the guests speak. Where is Soledad when you need her?) But anyway, I want to thank BET's minions for reading this site with devotion.... Your page clicks count too. I really do want a break from y'all till January, unless you do something else stupid, which is highly likely! I waited weeks before I delved into the whole "Read a Book" foolishness just to avoid the headache. Here's what Reggie has to say about us this week:

That woman [THAT WOULD BE ME!]is disconnected from reality. One of the first things Debra Lee did when she took the reins of BET is to cancel BET UNCUT. And she won't acknowledge it because it undermines her rant.

Yes, the director of the animated short and creator of the song were intelligent and well spoken...too bad the "moderator" was anything but. That was the most biased piece of reporting I've seen in a while. The low point had to be when the director was saying how he, like a lot of kids grew up reading MAD and CRACKED, so don't presume kids don't understand satire...and "host" jumps in and threatens to cut his mike off......

Malcolm X, Richard Pryor and Jonathan Swift could have appeared in support of READ A BOOK and it would not have made a difference.

Reginald Hudlin, From the Hudlin Entertainment Message Board

Oh poor downtrodden and picked on BET? It must be so hard to be you. Boo. Hoo. Let's review the record shall we?

“It was a great show for a segment of our audience, it was always controversial because it took videos to a different level,” said BET CEO Debra Lee yesterday at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, CA. “Because of all the new programming we’re doing, my view was it was time for that show to end.”
Debra Lee Speaking About the end of Uncut.

Took videos to a different level? Hmm is that what you call BET Uncut. So Debra Lee, Black Jesus' "What Dat Smell Like?" is your idea of taking videos to another level? Or perhaps it was " I got that Drank" that you thought was taking videos to a higher plane. Or Debbie, was it "Fresh Pair of Panties?" Folks, that is who Viacom has in charge of their 3 Billion Dollar Burro.

Note a pattern here. Even when they screw up, they won't admit to it. THEy are the ones who won't "acknowledge" legitimate concerns from Black people. When students at Spelman were in an uproar about Uncut and some of BET's other programming selections, Debra Lee was the one that arrogantly flicked the students' legitimate concerns aside and said BET was doing better than ever because BET was making more money than ever. She was still touting the virtues of Uncut even as she pulled the cord. Doesn't sound convincing to me? Notice she didn't say "BET Uncut was insulting and degrading to a large number of the members of our target audience and I find it inappropriate and it will not continue under my leadership."

Hudlin's posters, seem to think that I have said that BET Uncut is still on the air. I never said that and I link to the encyclopedia article indicating that it was taken off air. What I did say was that the decision-makers that aired Uncut for SIX YEARS are still there, INCLUDING DEBRA LEE. So no, I ain't gone trust the folks that brought us Cita's World and BET Uncut to be trying to encourage Black folks to read a book. You need to do a PSA called " Throw a Brick Through Your TV! So You Can't See our Tawdry Programming!"

Anytime Mr. Hudlin wants to take on the CRAZY CAT LADY from WAOD, he is welcome. We'll have a whole Special Edition of the Black Womens' Round Table where he can take apart each and every one of my arguments. Not. Going. To. Happen. Why? Because our arguments aren't CRAZY! They're valid. You might not agree with them, but they aren't completely without any basis and he knows that. That is why he keeps dismissing public dissatisfaction. That's why his supporters and employees stoop to libel. The bigger they are.....

Maybe BET would benefit from recognizing that those who disagree with their programming decisions aren't a bunch of crazy Black folks out to"bully BET," as one of their employees has stated. Maybe folks have a legitimate belief that your channel has done and continues to do considerable harm to the Black community. Maybe at some point you'll get that every complaint isn't a "rant". Probably not because up to this point, you haven't been acting very bright( Just for clarification, I just called him stupid y'all). But that just makes things easy for the CRAZY folk. BET keeps pitching 5 mph balls over the plate. Don't be surprised if someone takes a swing.

So when can we expect the next BET PSA Reggie? What is the topic going to be? "Don't Do Drugs?" " Look Both Ways Before Crossing?" "Stop Drop and Roll" " Don't talk to Strangers?"

Keep 'em coming BET Geniuses! But could you mind holding off until January 2008? I am sooo tired of talking about your lunacy, I really need more time to "Read a m&*$^*&@ Book!"

BTW. If We're all CRAZY, apparently your sponsors are CRAZY too, because they seem to realize, unlike you, that some of your programming decisions are well past poor. As far as being anti-Black, Who was it that thought it would be a wonderful idea to parade a bunch of poor Black folks on international cable television and brand them all with a derogatory label so that in their shame and humiliation they could learn to "DO Better?" Who was it that thought a blackface cartoon would make a good punchline? That would be YOU!

Until next time....I can assure y'all there WILL be a NEXT TIME.


P.S. I keep trying to tell y'all that this is the beginning of a movement. This is not going away, it is only getting bigger and the internet is helping to connect folk for change.

Taking it to BET- Protesters to Rally Outside BET CEO's House September 15th!

Snap. crackle. pop. Folks are y'all paying attention? I keep telling yall the okie doke aint working these days. Grassroots activists are doing it for themselves. Protesters are going to picket outside of Debra Lee's house.

Determined to stop the entertainment industry from portraying negative images of black men and women, the “Enough is Enough!” Campaign will hold its first rally and demonstration at the Washington DC residence of Debra L. Lee, Chairman and CEO, Black Entertainment Television Networks.

If you are in the Washington, DC area on September 15th, get on the bus and head on over to Debra Lee's house with the folks from Enough is Enough. Y'all know Debbie is gon' be out of town that weekend. I wonder how BET will spin this?

I am telling y'all this is a multi front war and the internet is evening the playing field. We could not have done this stuff ten years ago. We don't need Rev. Al and Jesse, they've have been bought off anyway. One of yall in DC has just got to go to give the WAOD readers the 411.

now let me go back to finish writing this book.

Stop Funding Foolishness!

How Long Could You Live Without Cable? 381 days?.... Yes, BET Executives REALLY HATE BLACK PEOPLE (Again, I didn't stutter)

"Another woman has been arrested and thrown in jail because she refused to get up out of her seat on the bus for a white person to sit down. It is the second time since the Claudette Colvin case that a Negro woman has been arrested for the same thing. This has to be stopped. Negroes have rights too, for if Negroes did not ride the buses, they could not operate. Three-fourths of the riders are Negro, yet we are arrested, or have to stand over empty seats. If we do not do something to stop these arrests, they will continue. The next time it may be you, or your daughter, or mother. This woman's case will come up on Monday. We are, therefore, asking every Negro to stay off the buses Monday in protest of the arrest and trial. Don't ride the buses to work, to town, to school, or anywhere on Monday. You can afford to stay out of school for one day if you have no other way to go except by bus. You can also afford to stay out of town for one day. If you work, take a cab, or walk. But please, children and grown-ups, don't ride the bus at all on Monday. Please stay off all buses Monday."Flyer from the Women's Political Council on the Eve of the Montgomery Bus Boycott

I've been silent on the whole "Read a Book" Brouhaha, but I have been aware of it from the beginning. As you can imagine from my dealings with THAT NETWORK about THAT SHOW. My inbox has now become the repository for every bad act committed by THAT NETWORK. I get instant updates on a never ending basis. Don't stop sending them, just realize you are not the only one.

Quite frankly, after spending the entire month of July living and breathing all things BET I was tired of talking about them and heck I am sure some of you were tired of me talking about them too. So I actually wanted a six month BET break where I basically ignored them until January or so. However, one of my guest editors asked a question in her Monday post here on WAOD and on Why Black Women Are Angry. She asked if we can do anything to protect our children from BET? The answer is YES, but how many of you are willing to go THERE? Before I go into what you would have to do, let me explain WHY you ought to do it.

There is "Satire" and then there is " JUST TIRED"

Folks have been comparing Bill Cosby to BET all summer long. As you know, the theme of BET's new original slate of programming is "We have to Teach Black Folks!" So we've had a slew of shows that BET has purportedly offered up as "social commentary."

I get satire. I love satire. I engage in satire on a regular basis on this blog. (See the Devil's Response to Bishop Thomas Weeks). As much as I love satire, I know that the messenger is just as important as the message and the context is just as important as the content.

Now when evaluating the whole "Read A Book" episode, ignore why the original artist created it ( he by the way did not do the ANIMATION!). The real question is WHY BET decided to distribute it in the manner that they did. You can't ignore BET's track record when analyzing what THAT NETWORK puts out. Throughout history, well meaning men, good men and women with something important to say or who have made great discoveries have had their work hijacked for nefarious purposes.

So to the folks who are buying BET's attempts to hide behind Bill Cosby's coattails, I ask you to consider the source and their body of work. ( Yes, I am aware of Cosby's "issues"- another post folks. Another Post)

Bill Cosby - "I Spy"
BET - "Cita's World"
Bill Cosby - "The Cosby Show"
BET- "BET Uncut"
Bill Cosby - "A Different World"
BET - "College Hill"
Bill Cosby - "Cosby"
BET - "Hot Ghetto Mess"
Bill Cosby- $20 Million to Morehouse
Bob Johnson - Produced "Who's Your Caddy"
Bill Cosby - "Little Bill"
BET- "Read A m$*&^#*ing Book!"

In the words of Sesame Street, "one of these two things does not belong!" BET isn't interested in TEACHING Black America a dayum thing. the same woman-hating, elitist, sociopaths that brought us BET Uncut unappologetically for SIX YEARS are still there. This latest scam of cranking out their same garbage under the guise of "learnin' the ignant Blak folk sum nawlege" is pure subterfuge ( I learned that word and a bunch of others from watching "A Different World!").

I share with many of you a great deal of distress at the behavior of many within the African American community. I too want to address the foolishness and ridiculousness, but please don't assume that because I am not falling for BET's latest scam to try to wipe the dirt from their hands that I don't see that Black folks have some SERIOUS issues.

Let's stop playing games here. Imma make it plain. BET. HATES. BLACK. PEOPLE!

BET's executive leadership HATES BLACK PEOPLE. Harsh, but true. Unlike Bob Johnson who was your garden variety multimedia crack dealer and was merely exploiting Black folks because there was money to be made, this current crew is motivated by a WHOLE OTHER beast all together. They really do think you are stupid. They think your children are stupid too and they have told you so about a dozen times, this summer alone, but for some reason folks aren't hearing them. So excuse me for scoffing when a network that thinks you and your children are stupid and that cranks out soft porn in the afternoon while you are at work claims to be the least bit concerned for the welfare of your family.

Isn't the entire tone of this year's original programming line up that BET has to "TEACH" the "ig'nant" Black folks! Go back and review their comments. I didn't have a problem with THAT SHOW's purported intent, I had a problem with the fact that BET's executive leadership was trying to hide behind "teaching Black America a lesson" in order to indulge in their hatred and contempt for working class Black people. That entire argument was preposterous considering the foolishness they were continuing to air in their afternoon line up. Again, it is like a crack dealer running a rehab center.... out of the back of the crack house.

The intent of the messenger sometimes is MORE important than the message. You see Bob Johnson admitted that he was a multimedia crack dealer and was in it for the paper and nothing but the paper, but this new crew, their M.O. is to try to hide behind giving Black folks "a book learning" while engaging in their fantasies that working class Black folks are stupid and Black women are animals put here for their own entertainment. Am I the only one that has picked up on that?

So let's be clear. Debra Lee... Hates Black people, Black women in particular. Reginald Hudlin... Black people hater, middle and working class Black people in particular. Stephen Hill..Hates Black people. Now all executives at BET might not HATE Black folks, but they are indifferent and that is just as bad. If they were not indifferent, they would not work there in the same way that I am not going to ever do work that violates my core principals and beliefs.

The Klan believes you and your children are inferior. Debra Lee and her executive team believe you and your children are inferior and stupid. Did I mention they think Black folks are stupid? While Debra Lee would not dirty her hands to drag you out of your home and hang you from a tree( I HOPE), Debbie would drive by the tree you and your kids are hanging from and keep going on her way to the country club. Then she would let Regional Hudlin turn the story of your tragic death into a cartoon with a catchy beat, after all, that's the only way "weeze ig'nant BAMAs can get a book learnin.'"

Don't misunderstand me when I say this because I am definitely pro education. However, trust that there are Black people who believe that other Black people are inferior to them in every way. They think we're stupid "Bamas." They think we are a poor reflection on them and in the same way that White racists want us gone, they would be more than happy if we "undesirable" Black folk dropped dead, yesterday so they "wouldn't look bad" to the majority population. That is why they don't have any problem throwing you and your children overboard so they can get a good laugh and a few more pieces of silver in their pockets. So what if your children die, drop out of school, get knocked up or locked up. BET has been planting tiny burning crosses on our front lawns. Right in front of our children and WE LET THEM DO IT!

Let's review the record shall we:

• BET Execs reject video as "too intelligent for our audience."
• BET Airs BET Uncut; promoting violence against Black women and taking the degradation and objectification of Black women to new cable television lows.
• Reginald Hudlin says that the only way the BET audience can absorb a socially relevant message is through laughter, rhythm, and humiliation.
• BET offers up "Read a Book" again, under the guise that the BAMAS can only absorb information encapsulated within rhythm, laughter, and humiliation and it is a bonus if they can laugh at the exaggerated anatomy of Black women in the process. THAT is just GRAVY to the folks that brought us BET Uncut.

You all have your own examples so don't take my word for it.

Protestation is Relatively Futile

BET doesn't care about our protests and boycott threats. The only reason they changed the name of THAT SHOW was sheer embarrassment and the fact that white executives had to intervene on behalf of Black people. If Black people complain, we are just being ignorant incorrigible BAMAS. But if a white executive picks up the phone and tears their "multimedia ad agency" a new one, then people at BET start to move. Thank God for executives with common sense at these consumer goods companies. Currently, they are our only defense against Viacom and its gutter bucket stepchild, BET.

So in your quest to undo the damage BET is inflicting, you will find no comfort from within the BET organization or its overseer Viacom. They hate you and your kids so appealing to any "moral conscience " is futile. The only way to reign them in is the almighty dollar. Unfortunately due to the current business structure of the cable television industry, targeting advertisers can only do so much

Viacom Cable networks, BET in particular, only derive a small portion of their revenue from advertisers. So while losing advertisers is embarrassing and costs money, if BET lost all of its advertisers, it could still function with ease.

Your Only Real Choice -381 DAYS Without Cable

Did you know that the first group to call for a boycott of the Montgomery bus system in 1955 was a group of women? They didn't have the internet. They had a mimeograph machine and handed out fliers. This was back in the day before the NAACP was more interested in banquets and conventions than it is in social justice. For 381 days, the folks in Montgomery hoofed it, car pooled and cabbed it. Have you had enough form Viacom and BET?

Those of you who are tired of BET and tired of VH1, you have a really simple choice; GIVE UP CABLE and SATELLITE completely! For 381 days Every month when you send in the money for the cable bill, a portion of your money goes to fund BET and VH1... WHETHER YOU WATCH THEM OR NOT!

GASP! But. But. Whatever will we do without cable? Read a book! hahaha No, for real, they are called "rabbit ears". You plug them into a jack in the back of your TV and viola, you have TV. But. But. But I live in a building with brick walls, I don't get good reception... hmmm that is a tough one, NOT! That would mean that you might have to make the grand sacrifice of not watching TV. Trust me, you will survive, Black American may not survive, however, if we don't draw a line somewhere in the sand.

When you call your cable company, let them know why you canceled. Tell them you are tired of BET pumping hate messages into your home. Tell them you are tired of VH1 burning a cross on your front lawn. Tell them that without the ability to choose which cable stations enter your home, you have made the choice not to let any enter your home.

Trust me. As someone who has NEVER paid for cable television a day in her life, you can survive without it. Anything noteworthy is on YouTube. Any show that is worth watching comes out on DVD or again, is on YouTube. Most networks offer their shows online. You can get most of the cable news stations on a broadband stream. So you don't miss anything and if something becomes watercooler fodder, chances are, they offer the episode or relevant portion online OR you can go over to a friend's house to watch it. Or better yet, just read the detailed recaps on a site like Television Without Pity. The recaps are often more entertaining than the actual show. Join the gym, take a class, meditate. Discover what life might be like if you threw a brick through your TV.

They don't call me "her royal cheapness" for nothing. With that $70 a month that you are not spending on cable, open up a ShareBuilder, MyStockFund, or high interest internet savings account like ING. In 382 days You'll have over a grand under any of those scenarios assuming the stock market does not crash into oblivion.

It isn't enough that you do this as an individual. We have to do this as a community. This means bringing it up to your pastor. Point out the role of the church in the Montgomery bus boycott. This means letting your friends know and your coworkers and involving your local community groups. This means picking a Saturday to go chill outside of the local cable company headquarters with a few friends and invite the local news to observe. Connect with your local organizations. Organizations that can't be bought off by Viacom for 14 Million dollars or paid off by the Universal Music Group with a $15,000 table at a banquet.

I'm just throwing it out there. I am crazy enough to believe after all the stuff we've done this year that we might actually be able to pull this off.

Read "Why I Canceled My Cable" from Mes Deaux Cents. Speak on it!