Viacom wants to crush compete with Kathy Hughes’ TV One (aka the only channel my momma watches religiously). I guess they figured out that most of the young people who are entertained by the abundance of neck rolls and fake arguments on Baldwin Hills don’t actually have as much money to spend as their parents. 

 

The channel, to be named Centric and scheduled to make its debut in October, will be formally announced at an event for advertisers Thursday night. Centric will complement BET, executives say, by appealing to an older and more affluent audience…

 

As Viacom considered the 25- to 54-year-old target demographic for Centric, it realized that “a perfect example would be” Barack and Michelle Obama, said Scott Mills, the president of BET. [NYT]

 

First off– “Centric??” I find the name a bit offensive. How is a station going to hint at being Afro-Centric when it’s not owned by black folks?  The name is also kind of corny. It conjurs up images of those mass-produced dashikis that white dudes wear when they go to African street festivals; it’s trying too hard to relate. Black people don’t need a product to scream “THIS IS FOR BLACK PEOPLE” to understand it’s for them. We’re pretty good at rooting out positive (and negative, sadly) images of ourselves and supporting them. And when a name does scream “THIS IS FOR BLACK PEOPLE” too loudly, it had damn well better live up to it, which is pretty impossible. Black folks are nuanced just like ever other ethnic group. This might come as a surprise to Viacom, but not even all “affluent blacks” are the same. A channel the purports to be in tune with the needs, wants and desires of such a large percentage of black folks is already facing an uphill battle.

 

If the name itself didn’t bring the whiff of fail to your nostrils, this should do it:

 

Centric will initially feature entertainment/reality fare, but Baker said it could offer some news and public affairs programming in the near future.

 

Some original shows already slated for the channel include Model City, a reality show revolving around African-American models in New York City, and Keeping Up With The Joneses, which follows the exploits of a Houston-based female entrepreneur. [Source]

 

They haven’t committed to anything but reality TV?? “Model City” sounds like E! Network’s “Candy Girls” to me. Barack and Michelle-types aren’t interested in video “models.” Hell, my momma doesn’t wanna watch that and neither do I (okay, I did watch “Candy Girls” once, but only to confirm that it was as bad as I thought it would be, don’t judge!). 

 

And if you still were holding out hope that Centric would appeal to the mature, educated masses:

 

[Television strategist] Doug Creutz said the African-American adult audience had “been underserved,” and pointed to the series of successful movies by Tyler Perry as evidence that “there’s money to be made at targeting that audience.” [NYT]

 

Any network that is created with Tyler Perry in mind makes me afraid. Very afraid.

 

I think the best course of action for Centric (besides ceasing and desisting completely) would be to invest in real dramas and sitcoms featuring black issues and talent. A large chunk of TV One’s programming are reruns. Why? Because black viewers are starved for real storylines that feature them, and TV One lets them watch everything from “Martin” to “Living Single” to “South Central” to “Half & Half.” We’re so black series-starved that folks monitor the fate of “The Game” like it’s the latest stimulus package. I tell everyone I know to watch The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency cause I don’t want it to go away.

 

We’ve had enough “reality” to last us for decades. And as much as I enjoy occasionally singing, “Danger, she smashed the homies,” VH1 isn’t giving me the positive portrayals I really need. Networks wanting loyal, educated black viewers should spend less money on creating catchy names and more on finding talented writers who can create quality, creative shows. Then I guarantee that my momma and em will tune in. 

 

And let us never forget this, LOL. (Slightly NSFW)

Tags: BET, Black Television, Centric, TV One, Viacom