Tips for J.C. Watts to Become The Black Ted Turner

Turns out that of all people, conservative Republican former Congressman J.C. Watts is trying his hand at what BET has said loud and clear that they didn't give a crap about: the news and black people.

So enter Watts and his new enterprise the Black Television News Channel, which he hopes will fill the void of African American-focused news and features. Great idea, actually. But it's not the first time someone has attempted to do news aimed at black people.

BET actually had an excellent news department that focused quality journalism on topics pertinent to our community, as well as throughout the African diaspora. However, once executives at the network decided to pull the plug on its broadcast news division, we were left without a major national television news outlet.
TV One, the black-owned media company headed by radio entrepreneurs Cathy Hughes and her son Alfred Liggins offers news programming through their daily schedule, as does BET, but not on the scale that Watts is talking about. This is a deal with Comcast Cable for a multi-city market to launch in 2009.

Now the question is: how will Watts successfully fill the gap left by BET when they decided to replace legitimate news with gold teeth and booty shaking?

Here's some tips for the BTNC that will help them to grab and keep a hungry black news audience ...

1) Understand who your audience is and take them seriously.

Watts could well have the first nightly national news anchors to report with cornrows and dreads, and it would be a welcome sight. But letting them be inarticulate or unprofessional in order to "keep it real" or on the other hand, introducing black versions of Michael Savage or Tucker Carlson would turn most black folks off. In fact, those two turn black people off, anyway.

2) Introduce several perspectives from the various corners of the black community.

I'm sick of black groupthink. The notion that we all have to vote Democrat, pray Baptist, speak country, screw hetero, eat greasy, work second shift, and dress pimpin' is preposterous. We are a very diverse people within a single ethnic group. That means our points of view will differ depending on where you go and who you talk to. Right now, television news seems to believe that all black people follow the loudest preacher blindly. Watts should commit himself to breaking that stereotype.

3) Report on more than black people.

We know that there is a world outside of our neighborhoods. There are people who are not black who pique our interests, and some of whom directly or indirectly affect black households and families. Non-blacks are our neighbors and friends, too. So a diversity of news would help the digestion of information you're giving us.

4) Don't be too preachy. And for God's sake NO STUPID TALKING HEADS!!!

I'm a grown-ass man. You don't have to tell me how to live my life. Give me the correct, useful info and I'll figure out who I should vote for. The opinions of pundits, most of whom are people just trying to self-promote as if they know things that we don't, are largely pointless and add nothing to my news experience. If you can bring some commentary that would add something new to a controversial topic that's one thing, but hour after hour of blathering idiots is a mistake that MSNBC, CNN and especially FOX News makes consistently and drives me to Comedy Central's The Daily Show.

5) Please make this a 24-hour NEWS channel.

And not a 3-hour news, 21-hour gospel channel. Rev. Cleophus PumpWave Gatorshoe from Collard Green Baptist Church and his minions have already purchased half of the airtime on every cable access station in the country. Not to offend the religious communities, but I'm not edified at all by scriptural interpretations that are on when I should be watching unprejudiced, secular journalism.

So let's see how ol' J.C. does and if he'll listen to what so many of us have been waiting for since they folded Emerge.

A message from Watts

Our Lens Sept. 1

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Omar Torres, AFP/ Getty Images

A long line of fire marches west towards the communities of Acton and Sunland-Tujanga on August 31 in Los Angeles, California. At least 18 homes were destroyed and 12,000 more homes and 500 commercial buildings are being threatened in the fire which already took two lives. The wildfire, which broke out Wednesday afternoon near a ranger station and the Angeles Crest Highway above La Canada Flintridge, has forced thousands of evacuations.

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Venus Williams of the United States reaches for a shot against Vera Dushevina of Russia during day one of the 2009 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 31, in Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

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A Kenyan Muslim child reads verses from the Quran, Islam's holy book, on the fifth day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in a Madrassa (Religion School), in Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, Aug. 26. Muslims throughout the world are celebrating the holy month of Ramadan, where observants fast from dawn till dusk.

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Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off from launch pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center on August 28, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Discovery is scheduled for a 13-day mission to the International Space Station.

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Host Vanessa Williams performs with dancer Gilles Marini onstage at the 36th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards at The Orpheum Theatre on August 30, in Los Angeles, California.

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Tom Wainaina recounts the events that lead to his being burned over most of his upper body August 26 in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya. Wainaina was burned by a group of men during post-election violence in Kenya's disputed 2007 presidential election. Ethnic-tribal violence left over 1,000 people dead. The non-governmental organization (NGO) Concern, in cooperation with local Kenyan groups, has launched a campaign to provide the urban poor with cash grants to start a business or get back on their feet after suffering disproportionately from post-election violence in 2007. The money is transferred to the recipients via a mobile phone which insures a safe and simple financial transaction to customers who don?t have bank accounts. Wainaina is one of dozens of Kibera residents to receive the assistance of a cash grant. Hairdressers, grocery stores and food vendors are just some of the businesses that have been financed through the program.

Spencer Platt, Getty Images

People standing near the grave of Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY) look at the grave of Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) at Arlington National Cemetery August 30, in Arlington, Virginia. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) was buried yesterday next to his brothers President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY) after he died of brain cancer on August 25.

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US President Barack Obama takes out his daughters Malia (R) and Sasha (2nd L) and niece Suhaila Ng (L) to shop in the Alleys general store on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, on August 30, 2009.

Jewel Samad, AFP/ Getty Images

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