BET Will "Bring the Party to the People": Upfront News and Views

Venue amp160Playstation Theater on W 44th St near Broadway amp160Yes this is the belowthestreet showplace that gets a change of sponsor in the title every few years Nokia and Best Buy among them amp160What remains stable is the lavish subterranean environment outside the theater space itself in this case bars all around and a DJ booth near the escalators to the streetamp160 At this event the front area of the theater was filled with plush comfy sofas facing a stage with an enormous screen displaying the network39s motto quotYes To BETquot in a number of animated ways incorporating stardust blue puffy smoke and multicolor splashes amp160Water bottles were under all the seats and sofas amp160Grade 4 JacksPresentation amp160With the designation by parent Viacom that BET is considered one of its amp8220coreamp8221 networks highlighted right at the start network executives proceeded to work two messages to the max amp160First if advertisers want to reach the most AfricanAmerican viewers BET is the place Second this network will reward its audience with more original programming than ever before while respecting their culture and tastes amp160quotWhat is our rolequot BET Media Sales President Louis Carr above asked amp160quotBe the guardian of black history amp160Be the igniter of black dreams amp160Our audience wants us to shine a light on an issue or show accomplishments amp160They want us to be the heartbeat of black culture amp160You won39t hear this presented on any stage at any Upfrontquot amp160At one point Carr made his presentation interactive asking the entire audience to tweet the hashtag YesToBETamp8221amp160 For this coming season and beyond original content will strive to be relevant radically bold dope and fun promised Chairman and CEO Debra Lee pictured at top with Curtis quot50 Centquot Jackson amp160quotWe39ll bring the party to the peoplequot she declared amp160A variety of video clips all welledited and paced elaborated on both messages amp160Grade 45 JacksNews amp160A mindboggling amountamp160 For the first time in many years BET will introduce a variety of originals throughout its evening schedule in late night as well as primetime amp160That adds up to 47 percent more firstrun hours this year over last Lee said amp160What39s more the new latenight series will have formidable celebrities aboard as executive producers including Chris Rock Steve Harvey and Wanda Sykes Two series will move from VH139s primetime lineup to BET later this year The Breaks for its second season Hit the Floor for its fourth delayed for more than a year amp160Kevin Hart will executive produce the new halfhour comedy Divorce Saved My Marriage while the producers of VH139s Love ampamp Hip Hop bring forward unscripted hour Love Room amp160Following the success of The New Edition Story at least two more primetime limited series are planned fourhour The Bobby Brown Story over two nights and sixhour documentary Death Row Chronicles dealing with the controversial record label amp160Spike39s popular Lip Sync Battle will tape two special episodes this September connected to BET39s Hip Hop and Soul Train Awards respectively amp160The new latenight roster daystimes to be announced later include The Rundown with Robin Thede from Rock Mancave from Harvey Face Value from Sykes and 50 Central the Curtis quot50 Centquot Jacksonorganized variety series originally under development at AampampE amp160Separately sister channel Centric will become BET Her on October 1 reinforcing the service39s target audience of AfricanAmerican women 2554 amp160Full details on that reboot are forthcoming amp160Special note The departure of longtime programming chief Stephen Hill and a key executive on his team a few weeks ago may have impacted how much BET could share about new originals or what39s under development amp160Don39t be surprised if more 201718 primetime series are announced when new programming leadership takes command amp160Grade 5 Jacks amp160Pictured above left to right Actress and comedienne Robin Thede TV personality Jeff Johnson BET Senior Vice President of Music and Specials Connie Orlando Wanda Sykes Curtis quot50 Centquot Jackson Debra Lee Louis Carr and actor Deon ColeHost amp160Lee getting more stage time than usual due to Hill39s exit displayed class and fun on the fly while Carr celebrating his 15th Upfront presentation continued his streak as one of the most effective and fashionable speakers of any Upfront season amp160We39re still waiting for him to host his own seriesamp160 Heamp8217s a natural amp160Both Lee and Carr were supported in the funny department by turns from Thede and Sykes Grade 4 JacksStar Time amp160Rapper Schoolboy Q pictured above commanded the stage and for an extended time the front rows pulling executives into his performance amp160Who knew that Viacom CEO Bob Bakish has got movesamp160 Grade 4 JacksCuisine amp160Mix of afterpresentation appetizers and a taco station near one exit amp160Best eats tomato pizza slices and pulled porkmushroomchicken tacos amp160Worst eat the taco shell itself amp160Worse than bland especially without juice or sauce from the chicken or pork to liven the taste amp160Could have used that Asian BBQ dressing from Freeform39s event amp160Grade 2 Jacks Note amp160Cuisine ratings do not figure into the overall Jacks gradeData Insight amp160There are now 250 television series with African Americans in lead roles or that showcase black culture in some manner according to Carr39s commentary amp160In social media BET Centric and sister diginets receive more than 15 billion impressions a year amp160Snapchat initiatives alone generate 225 million global unique users amp160Grade 35 JacksInnovative Opportunity amp160Participation in and following a study of black culture involving Twitter amp160The study will get underway next month and disseminate results at a special BETTwitter joint event in June Grade 35 JacksOverall Grade 4 Jacks Clear messaging and a variety of new content offerings on display throughout presented in an entertaining mannerAnother special note amp160Sooner or later it was bound to happen yours truly experienced an Andy Warhol moment of Upfront fame or infamy amp8230 when Wanda Sykes pointed me out in the middle of her routine amp160Here39s how it went downSykes You marriedMe NoSykes Mother issues Audience laughterPerson to My Right amp160Give her 5 JacksNext up On to the Digital Content NewFrontsOur Jacks rating systemamp160amp1605 Jacks amp8211 Excellent 4 Jacks Very Good 3 Jacks amp8211 Good 2 Jacks amp8211 Fair 1 Jack amp8211Poor 0 Jacks Don39t go thereClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this article are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggers

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BET Will "Bring the Party to the People": Upfront News and Views

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Simon Applebaum

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BET Will "Bring the Party to the People": Upfront News and Views

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