As soon as BET was bought out by Viacom they dropped their black news/opinion shows and brought in Trent Lott apologies. That says a lot about the fate of information in this country.
TP
alternet.org
Viacom's $3 billion deal to buy BET
The deal, announced at the end of 2000 but completed in early 2001, was a wakeup call to other media companies that the hottest cable and TV properties would soon be gone. With its 62.4 million households in the U.S., and 24-hour Jazz Network channel that's seen in 14 other countries, Black Entertainment Television has established itself as the preeminent media outlet for the African-American audience. Given BET's steady revenue stream from cable subscribers, the purchase was also a hedge against Viacom President Mel Karmazin's strategy of betting on advertising revenues.
Viacom's BET deal soon sent buyers to Hispanic TV broadcasters Univision and Telemundo, which, like BET, serve fast-growing niche audiences. NBC bought Telemundo, while Viacom is still lusting after the larger Univision. The price BET got from Viacom also prompted Haim Saban, Fox Family Channel's 50%-owner, to force News Corp. to put their jointly owned channel up for bid, which was bought by Disney.
|
