TheLoop21.com

By: Carlton Hargro (Add to your loop)
Sun, 10/04/2009 - 10:15

Debra Lee, Chairwoman and CEO of BET Holdings.

I admit it -- I was excited when I heard that Black Entertainment Television (BET) was planning to launch the brand-new network Centric.

My excitement was derived from the fact that, according to BET press materials, this new channel would target “middle-aged” African-Americans (25 to 54 years old). Since I’m now 39 and can’t in good conscience watch the juvenile crap on BET anymore (Except for Keri Hilson videos, sue me!), I was hyped to see what Centric was all about.

Yeah, I was hyped until I actually tuned in — and found out that Centric is nothing more than BET J with a new name.

BET J, for the uninitiated, was another BET satellite station; it was formerly known as BET Jazz but, over time, became a channel that aired mostly soul and reggae music videos, as well as lifestyle (cooking, decorating, travel) programs.

So when Centric debuted, it merely took over the space on cable that used to be held by BET J. And that’s fine. Keeping the two networks would be redundant, I suppose. The problem, however, is that Centric didn’t just take BET J’s space — it also seemingly inherited all of BET J’s awful programming.

If you’ve ever seen BET J, you know what I’m talking about: the crappy decorating show, the boring travel-oriented shows, the horrible fashion/style shows, etc. Centric is, for all intents and purposes, just window dressing around the same ugly house. New name, new logo, new graphics … same old mess.

If there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it’s that there is reportedly some new programming on the horizon. Centric launched with a few Michael Jackson-focused specials, so expect to see those aired many more times. And on Oct. 9, the network will start to air classic episodes of Soul Train — which is great. If you had a chance to catch some of these classic shows when they originally hit TV screens back in the 1970s or when they were syndicated about a year ago, you know it’s good material.

That said, I won’t write off Centric completely -- yet. If all else fails, it’ll just be another one of the 300 channels I turn to when I can’t find anything else to watch.

Carlton Hargro is editor-in-chief of Creative Loafing in Charlotte, NC. He produces the podcast Audiofloss and is working on a comic book.