BET network to start weekly news program

NEW YORK — BET starts a weekly news program today described as a cross between Keith Olbermann and Bill Maher with a black perspective.

"The Truth With Jeff Johnson" will air at 11 p.m. Fridays. Its debut is timed for the Democratic National Convention.

BET, the most-watched network aimed at blacks, also will air Barack Obama's speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination on Aug. 28 live, just like its competitor TV One. Neither network is airing John McCain's acceptance speech at the Republican convention the next week.

Besides election coverage and commentary on the week's news, Johnson said he wanted "The Truth" to address topics, such as the use of vouchers for private schools and health issues relevant to blacks.

BET has been criticized in the black community for cutting back on news-oriented shows. But Johnson said much of the criticism comes from people who don't watch BET, and don't see how news has been incorporated into existing shows. BET was one of the few networks to cover Darfur in depth, he said.

On the four nights of the Democratic convention, BET will run news specials focusing on how ex-convicts can't vote, on the top 10 issues facing black Americans, on the key moments leading up to Obama's nomination and on whether Obama could be considered a manifestation of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

While TV One is carrying live convention coverage for four nights and social commentary, BET's only live coverage will be of Obama's speech.

The networks' focus on Obama is understandable given polls showing overwhelming support for the Democrat among black Americans. (A poll taken in June for AP and Yahoo News found blacks favoring Obama by a margin of 90 percent to 3 percent, with 6 percent unsure.) But is it necessarily fair?

Paul Porter, a former BET program director and news anchor who runs the Web site Industryears.com, said it isn't fair. He believes the networks' coverage decisions are being made for financial reasons, not journalistic ones.

Johnathan Rodgers, TV One's network president, said he tried doing some news programming when he was an executive at Discovery and the audience preferred to get their information elsewhere.

Both Rodgers and Johnson said they're covering Obama's speech live not necessarily because it's a news event, but because it's a historic moment for blacks.