The Image of BET is Challenged in Wake of "Don't Sleep!" Cuts

"Someone needs to take on BET, and it needs to be all of us. BET is owned by people who care almost nothing for our community, for their only goal is to maximize the bottom line."

-Dr. Boyce Watkins responds to the cuts recently made to the BET information entertainment program "Don't Sleep" with host TJ Holmes.

"Last week, TJ Holmes, host of the new BET show “Don’t Sleep!” took a trip to Power 105.1 in New York City to speak about his new show and the challenges of developing a new audience.  Charlamagne Tha God, one of the hosts of the show (“The Breakfast Club”), sent me a copy of the interview (which you can see below), for he shares my concern with what BET has chosen to become."


"I’ve  respected Charlamagne since I met him in 2006, when I appeared a few times on the Wendy Williams Experience.  He treated me with tremendous decency long before anyone knew or cared who I was.  He’s also an honest  advocate for the challenges of the black male in America, which makes him an important ally in the struggle for black liberation and advancement."



"I watched the interview curiously, impressed by the honesty with which TJ Holmes went about sharing his challenges with the new show, and how his network is both supporting him and fighting with him.   His courageous decision to speak so honestly about the difficulty of developing quality content and a good audience for BET..." Read more at the Thy Black Man website