| Black Entertainment Television |
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Information AboutBlack Entertainment Television |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT BLACK ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION | |
| bet networks | |
| american television networks | |
| television channels and stations established in 1980 | |
| companies based in washington, d.c. | |
| music video networks | |
| african american culture | |
| usa network shows | |
| charlotte bobcats | |
Black Entertainment Television is an American Cable Network based in Washington, D.C. targeted toward African-American and urban audiences in the United States . The network is commonly referred to as '''BET''' and most of its programming comprises Hip-hop and R&B Music Videos as well as religious programming and urban-oriented movies and series. HISTORY BET was founded by Robert L. Johnson , a former cable industry lobbyist, on January 25 , 1980 after getting a $ 500,000 investment from then- TCI president John Malone . The network was initially a weekly, two-hour Friday night block airing on the USA Network from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. (EST). The programming was mostly older movies and music videos, creating an outlet for an untapped market in the then-young cable industry, African-Americans. In May of that year, BET invested $1 million for the production of Black collegiate sporting events and expanded an hour. In November 1980 , BET added two half-hour shows, ''Black Showcase'' and '' The Bobby Jones Gospel Show '' (the latter is still on the air today). On June 26 , 1983 , BET premiered '' Video Soul '', a music video series hosted by popular D.C. DJ Donnie Simpson , one of the first marquee series on the network. On October 1 , 1983 , after finding additional funding courtesy of Home Box Office , BET launched a 24-hour schedule with a viewership of 7.6 million cable subscribers. Throughout the decades, BET has grown in viewership and expanded beyond television. In ), a pay-per-view network called BET Action, and, along with John Malone's Liberty Media , BET Starz!, which became Black Starz! after the Viacom takeover and renamed Starz InBlack in 2005. BET also offers two other music channels, BET Hip-Hop, and BET Gospel, both of which are offered on digital cable platforms across the nation. BET also airs African-American interest specials and introduced public service campaigns. The ''Rap It Up'' campaign is dedicated to preventing the spread of , 2005 , to raise funds for those affected by Katrina. More than $11 million was raised for Katrina victims. PROGRAMMING Entertainment On weekdays and Saturdays, BET focuses mainly on urban music programming with shows like '' 106 & Park '' and '' Rap City '', while also airing Sitcoms such as '' The Wayans Bros. '', '' The Jamie Foxx Show '', '' Girlfriends '', and '' The Parkers ''. Dramas including '' Soul Food '' and '' The Wire '' air Sunday nights and early mornings and the stand-up comedy program called ''Comic View'' airs throughout the week. BET has recently introduced reality programs like '' College Hill '', collegiate sporting events, and various movies and specials. BET also created a short-lived animated comedy series called Hey Monie , after partnering up with The Oxygen Network . On Sundays, BET carries Gospel Music and other religious programming for the greater part of the day such as '' The Bobby Jones Gospel Hour '', ''Video Gospel'', and ''Lift Every Voice''. Religious programming also airs in the early morning hours every day from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. EST. BET also airs the ''BET Awards Show'' each year. The show honors African American entertainers, athletes and actors. It is usually BET's highest rated show of the year. News ''BET Tonight'' was relaunched as a daily newscast, ''BET Nightly News with Jacque Reid'', which began in 1999 as an extension of its news coverage. BET's news coverage became a part of the network in October 1986 . After the nightly newscast was removed from the lineup in the summer of 2005, it returned in October 2005 delivering news updates on BET throughout the day and, in 2006 , as a Sunday afternoon news hour. CRITICISM Many prominent media critics, including of '' The Boondocks '', have protested BET's programming and actions. One of the most commonly-heard complaints is the fact that BET's programming is mostly music entertainment, particularly Hip-hop and rap music, and does not focus on the public affairs of the black community. The channel has been scrutinized by members of the Black community who feel that the channel perpetuates harmful black Stereotypes by primarily airing hip-hop videos that often have Misogynistic , Materialistic , and/or Violent themes. As a result, BET heavily censors suggestive content from the videos that it airs, often with entire verses removed from certain rap videos. Detractors also point out the Irony they see in the network's choice to show strong religious (primarily Christian) programming. Not long ago, people began referring to the acronym BET as standing for "Black Exploitation Television."http://www.emergingminds.org/magazine/content/item/1426 BET has been criticized by some Christian Evangelicals not primarily for music videos, but for its morning religious lineup. Each morning, BET broadcasts evangelical TV shows, and hosts include Robert Tilton , Don Stewart , and Peter Popoff , who have been criticized for their money-brings-miracles Theology and who have had spats with the law (Popoff's ministry's Tax-exempt Status was recently revoked in Canada ). COMPETITORS BET's success, and the controversy over its content, has spawned a few smaller competitors aiming toward the African-American market. Although some like NUE TV (New Urban Entertainment Television) had little success, others like TV One and Black Family Channel (formerly MBC) have thrived and succeeded, mostly by eschewing BET's music-based programming for more family-oriented fare. However these networks are mostly watched by older African-Americans and BET continues to be mostly watched by the youth. INTERNATIONAL BET UK See Also: BET UK BET International Inc was given a license to broadcast in the will be a mix of content from the main BET channel and locally produced shows. BET Canada The Canadian feed is the same as the American feed with the only exception being movies. Most movies are replaced with music videos in a similar format to the daytime show BET Now with the exception being that there are limited commercial breaks and the bet logo doesn't appear in the bottom right corner. The majority of music videos being aired in place of movies are ones that were released during the summer of 2006. POPULAR ORIGINAL BET SHOWS
NOTES Screen Scene SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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