Procter & Gamble (P&G) spends more money on advertising than any other company in the world. General Motors (GM) is one of the best known companies in the world. It must be a bad day if both P&G and GM decide to pull their endorsement from your television network. Black Entertainment Television (BET) had a bad day as both P&G and GM finally said 'enough is enough'. The two large corporations pulled ads from BET’s Rap City and 106 & Park programs.
Rap City features music videos and artist interviews and 106 & Park is a top 10 music video countdown. Both shows attract a large under-18 audience. A recent study completed by the Parent Television Council highlighted high levels of sex, violence and profanity in both programs and reported, among other things, that Rap City featured on average 31.6 instances of sex, 25.3 instances of explicit language and 11.7 instances of violence per hour.
Drumbeats can be heard all over the afrosphere in approval of decision by P&G and GM executives. Enough truly is enough! What say u?
22 comments:
Wow!! Hopefully this will send a message to BET, the other corporate sponsors of the channel, and the industry video makers and artists.
About Time! I've been saying it for a while that BET has lost its way. A network I once looked forward to as a teenager and my early twenties with quality programs such as Teen Summit, BET News (what happened?), and Tavis Smiley show.
Now, I wonder what is really going on? Nothing on the network identifies with who I am or becoming.
All I can say is, "It's about damn time!"
Stuck in my Head - Hopefully they will get the message. More importantly, I hope that each of us realizes the importance that we have in terms of our CHOICES on what to watch and what to target on our blogs and such. I encourage you to share this good news about GM & P&G pulling out with your blog readers or others if you have time or inclination...
AAW - Yeah, things were different back in the day. Of course, I remember waking up on Saturday morning anxious to see the cartoons. My kids don't have that same weekly joy (sigh)...
Marvalus - Amen!
Villagers, come on now. Don't be fooled.
GMs shares dropped to their lowest point in about ten years yesterday and Proctor and Gamble has similar financial problems.
They aren't pulling ads from BET bc of content.
They are going miner's canary on the black community a la Great Depression.
i.e.
Whenever company times get tough, who gets their jobs cut first?
*cricket, cricket*
This isn't a gift, a protest, or a message. Not even in a small way. It is a message on the economic recession we're in right now....
Good move.
I wonder if they pulled their ads from MTV or VH1.
Kismet - Your cynical view of the move by GM and P&G to pull ads off BET might be more credible if they simultaneously pulled out of other Black-owned publications or PR firms (like GlobalHue). Those other moves have not been made. This move was targeted to the bad publicity and negative consumer response that they rec'd for sponsoring BET. Many of us are saying 'Enough is enough'.
You may be right ... but, I prefer to congratulate them both for listening to the Black community on this one...
Mike - I haven't heard of such a move (VH1 or MTV)...
Omodudu - Amen!
This is GREAT news! Now there is actual research showing how offensive BET's programming is. Why should Black parents allow their children to be exposed to such filth. Don't Black children need to be protected and nurtured? This is a good thing!
Bronze Trinity - It seems rare that we see victories in efforts such as the ongoing protest against the programming decisions at BET. So, it feels especially nice to report on such a victory today. I invite you to share this 411 with your blog readers as well...
BET is embarrassing no matter your color or creed.
Hey there!
I think that those of us who SUPPORT this decision by P & G need to hear from the black consumers...
We represent $719 billion in buying power (according to Target Market News) and we need to make SURE that consumer products corporations know that the black consumer WILL NOT tolerate their support of degrading images of blacks any longer....
We have to begin asserting ourselves with these advertisers en masse...
Thanks for sharing this news with all of the villagers!
Continue to blow the trumpet!
Lisa
Woozie - I have missed you over the past few weeks. Hope you have a fantastic holiday weekend. BTW, I agree ... ain't nothin' worthy about BET!
LisaAmen! I'll keep doing my part as much as possible. I hope that others share this information with their blog readers as well. P&G and GM did a good thing. We need to give them credit for it ... as we need to give them grief when they support programming that is degrading to our community...
I ain't mad at them for pulling their money. But, its just another one of things that make you go Hmmm... This move is evidence that corporate sponsors can and do bow to agitation and criticism unlike what the Coke and Bud folks told me in an email regarding the Olympics, China, and Darfur. And it kind of funny that I'm still waiting for a response from all FAUX sponsors I wrote several weeks ago.
But, having said that, I'm still glad. What began as a good thing for the Black community has certainly deteriorated into to something that is mindless, exploitive, and just plain...better leave it at that!
Villager (and villagers)
I can appreciate your optimism, I am just much less so.
However, kudos! to the activism that HAS centered around making BET change their images of women from those here and other places lurking in. My comment was not to diminish THAT at all!
Wow...hopefully the drumbeats to "Upgrade" Entertainment programming will finally be heard.
Whatever the motivation, behind GM as well as P&G's decision to pull ads - don't know. It is surely one that will go a long way in sending a signal to the Owners that they NEED to DIVERSIFY if they want to truly represent the FULL Scope of BLACK ENTERTAINMENT.....
Oh Yeah!
It is about time! Maybe the station executives can hear us now.
This station has been a major disappointment as far as growth and development is concerned.
What could of been a powerful voice in broadcasting for AA's turned out to be a real pain in the a**.
My three sons stopped watching BET years ago. Once that was the station in their media eye.
When I asked them why they stopped~they reflected their mother's feelings on the type of programs.
Since they all have little girls now~it is not a station that they feel comfortable with having on period.
No matter what the motivation was for the move by P&G and GM, I am just glad to hear that they are hitting BET where it matters~in their corporate wallet.
Sojourner - We still have a month to get the Beijing Olympics sponsors to feel our ire if they don't use their influence to pressure China to better things in Darfur...
Kismet - I hope you visit with us more often. We'll work to elevate your optimism level over the coming days and weeks (smile)...
African Angel - I think this is first time you have shared your village voice with us. I hope you'll come back often. I share your thoughts on the BET issue!
Lady D - You ain't old enough to be a grandma?!?
I am ridiculously glad about this -- and haven't been able to post about it yet. Thanks for spreading the word, villager!
The battle is ON. It's time for BET to listen to consumers instead of trying to pass porno, criminality and ignorant stereotypes off as black culture.
High fives all around to everyone who called the Proctor & Gamble hotline. IT WORKED, Y'ALL!
SheCodes - This is a battle that all of us need to win. We simply need to ensure that it is no longer profitable to prey upon our community when it comes to media giants like BET...
Let me know if there is anything else that villagers can do to support you/your efforts...
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