Yes, I have heard that there is:

BEN TV

MTV BASE

CHANNEL U

Trouble (75% Black, if you count theYank shows )

But I am very disappointed that in 2006, two of those channels play music videos all day, one shows any US Black comedy they can get their hands onONLY because it appeals to their target audience and the other has no clout outside of Sky TV. I don't even know if they carry it on other cable providers.

Amazingly, I was looking up the budget of the stations, but I couldn't find them. But I did find out that a station like BBC Three had over £ 90 million to play with last year. Granted it's financed by the BBC, but they must have an incredible belief in it, that it has an audience.

I mean I can't take any of the Black channels mentioned above seriously.

In fact this has been echoed in the past and present by many Black actors, actresses and producers.I made this post, after reading what Ellen Thomas said in the New Nation this week (w/c 10-4-06).

Why haven't we got an established high-quality Black TV station?

I'm talking about:

NEWS and CURRENT AFFAIRS

SPORTS

MOVIES

DOCUMENTARIES

CARTOONS and KIDS SHOWS

RELIGIOUS and EDUCATIONAL

COMEDY: SITCOMS AND STAND UP

MUSIC SHOWS among other things

If the most serious and influential Black producers, directors and executives could come together and persuade investors to put in a serious budget like:

£ 50 million

Then I can't see why they would fail. If they could launch the channel on Freeview you could reach any Black family who can buy a box for only £50!

Black people have contributed so much in music, literature and film in the modern world, yet White people are always controlling what is seen.

We're not expressing ourselves enough in the UK (and don't even mention BET USA...).

PASSSION TV

OBE

BEN

A TV outlet established on a mass market basis will have to imitate the existing channels to get noticed enough to earn revenues to continue - even if advertisers could be persuaded to spend their money there. Not much point in more of what we already have...

I'd have more hope in smaller, perhaps web-based outlets, to capitalise on an increasingly fragmented TV/broadcast media market, where technology allows people to personalise their viewing habits (think Sky+ when it works, Electronic Programming Guides and the like). Also needs a thriving independent production sector with people who have the right programme-making skills, to make money from selling programmes rather than trying to run a station.

I'd also have more hope for radio than for TV - the economics make more sense if you're going into it as a business.

Have to agree with SoulRebel, online is the way to go. With things like podcasts people can download stuff and watch it when they want. The only problem is new technology sometimes does not reach older members of the community, and also the cost of computers and MP3 players, which I suppose can be solved by a greater utilisation of libraries.