I don’t know how many saw this yesterday, but at 8:51pm Mr. Bill O’Reilly took time on his show to highlight the BET Hot Ghetto Mess situation. While there was a guest (I forget her name but believe it was Mary Katherine Ham) that was trying to explain the position BET has taken, even Mr. O’Reilly realized that this was sensationalism and exploitation for the benefit of gaining money.
Even he was able to note that a television show of this nature was an “inner city freak show” on display. I’m sure some are too liberal to accept anything Mr. O’Reilly states, but I am not. And even if that is how you may feel, it has to make an extreme point when he sees what this show is.
The executives at Viacom should take note. Even conservative White Americans disagree with this proposed program. They can see the exploitive and greedy nature of this program. African Americans have seen this nature in the programming at BET for years.
It is a matter that will cost Viacom profit and shareholders. If nothing else will get their attention, not dozens of bloggers, huge amounts of negative internet attention, the loss of at least 2 advertisers (BET is keeping the name of the advertisers for this program quiet), and now a respected (mostly) television pundit with international reach, then it will have to be the shareholders. Loss of revenues from advertisers that WILL be protested will hit the bottom line in the next earnings release, and the one after that. A reduced earnings to price ratio drops a stock haeavily. Missing earnings forecasts will kill a stock.
Viacom executives be warned, this isn’t going away. This will affect more than just one division of your company. It will affect your stock and the shareholders. The best thing that can be done is to remove the program. There is no corner of America that I am aware of that agrees with you on this. That’s why no one, including television critics and advertisers, have been able to see the program. You know what will happen. Just be proactive and stop now.
2 comments:
Thank you for sharing this information about Bill O'Reilly. I saw earlier in the week the HGM controversy was part of a show on MSNBC as well.
I join in the protest against the show by encouraging my villagers to participate in the HGM watch parties to identify the companies that actually have audacity to advertise on this show.
peace, Villager
Thank you for commenting Villager.
There is some pressure mounting on this issue. Newsweek had an article as well, mentioning how they asked for a preview of the program and were denied. It's just that kind of thing that makes me so sure we are right about the program.
Hopefully we will get this show off air quickly, and future decisions by BET will be influenced by this.
I emphasize the fact that we need to place pressure on Viacom as well. They are the owners of BET. We will get this program removed, either by our words, or forcing advertisers to pull their ads. But unless we make a strong impact on Viacom, they will just place another similar show on BET after this is gone. Also making them remeber that we don't support programing like this will help stop programs like Hot Ghetto Mess and Flava of Love, et al. from appearing on the other cable divisions of Viacom (like VH1 and MTV).
I'm glad all our efforts are gaining attention, it's just a shame we have to use them on something like this.
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