CARIBBEAN TODAY


 S/N T E R T Ai Il


BET targets Caribbean music, culture markets


 DAWN A. DAVIS
et another mainstream
 conglomerate has
 carved out a big piece
of the Caribbean entertain-
ment business.
 Recently, Black
Entertainment Television
(BET) in the United States
announced changes to its BET
Jazz television network. With
a new attitude and name,
BET J, the channel will
increase its Caribbean music
and culture programming in
addition to offering news from
the region.
 Launching its new format,
Cybelle Brown, vice president
of sales and marketing for
Events Production and BET
Digital Networks, said "there
will be a lot more Caribbean
coverage.. .We will be a true
home for Caribbean artists to
present their skills and talent."
Brown added "BET as a com-
pany has always recognized
the Caribbean as part of the
African American heritage
and culture. As a company
that targets this demographic
(African Americans), we feel
that it is critical to include
Caribbean programming on
our networks."
 The BET J executive
outlined that the channel has
created an entire day of
Caribbean programming,
adding: "Our audiences love
it, and we generate successful
business partnerships from the
region. There is a lot of
demand for this format and
we are currently exploring the
economic advantages of it."
 BET's move is not the
first foray into Caribbean
entertainment by a major


 Poetry g
Some 50 women are
 expected to come togeth-
 er in Jamaica over two
weeks beginning next month to
exchange literary skills, knowl-
edge and culture as a pre-cur-
sor to the publication of an
anthology celebrating the
bicentennial of the Abolition
of Slavery Act 1807.
 The annual Wilde
Summer Poetry Alliance
(WiSPA) will be launched in
Negril on June 30 as women


media outlet outside the
region as MTV launched its
Tempo network late last year
with a focus primarily on
Caribbean entertainment and
cultural activities. MTV held a
series of launches in several
islands, including Jamaica,
which set the stage for other
serious ventures into the
Caribbean market.
 Certainly not new to
BET, the primarily African
American-focused network
has always showcased
Caribbean music festivals,
such as the St. Lucia Jazz
Festival on its BET Jazz chan-
nel. However, this makeover
is designed to capture a huge
share of the Caribbean market
in South Florida, New York
and most of the region wher-
ever BET J is available.


Clarke


the current channel's market
share. These numbers should
boost the digital network's
"relationship with its
Caribbean destination part-
ners," according to the com-


ivicuregor


pany. Those destina-
tion partners include
Barbados, St. Lucia,
Anguilla, Cayman
Islands, Jamaica,
Antigua, Trinidad and
Tobago, and Turks
and Caicos.
 "We are pursuing
other partnerships
and look forward to
working with each
island to successfully
achieve their strategic
plans for their destina-
tion," Brown under-


 PARTNERSHIP scored. Asked about the per-
 BET Jazz has been work- centage of Caribbean viewers,
 ing hand-in-hand with its "sis- Brown said: "We do not have
 ter" MTV Digital Networks to a measure of what percentage
 help build its Caribbean audi- of Caribbean viewers watch
 ences. According to the com- the channel, however, what I
 pany, BET J's viewership is can say is that we are carried
 expected to shoot to an in every major U.S. market
 incredible 21 million house- where there are large
 holds, eight million more than Caribbean communities. In

joes Wilde in Jamaica


from Jamaica and the United
Kingdom collaborate in the
first International Black
Women Writers Retreat.
 The retreat is expected to
take the form of an explo-
ration of Jamaican people and
cultures, especially those that
strongly reflect their African
heritage; and a series of cre-
ative writing workshops. It is
scheduled to culminate in a
free two-day literary festival
for the public.


 WiSPA is the concept of
two U.K.-based arts organiza-
tions JustWrite, a communi-
ty writers group and
WILDE Network Ltd., which
have joined forces with
Positive Tourism in Negril.
 For more information on
the event, call 876-381-1591;
visit www.wilde2000.org.uk
or email Sharon Parris-
Chambers at sharon@posi-
tivetourism. corn
0


 Looking for a church home?
 Consider Metropolitan Baptist Church, an exciting, growing, muhi-etn-
 nic congregation, meeting at 7200 Davie Road Extension Hollywood, FL
 SUNDAYS: 8.30a.m & 11:15a.m. two morning worship services' with
 Sunday Scnool at 10 00a m Joyful worship, warm fellowship and
 anointed preaching await you'
 Visit us next Sunday for an experience of blessing!
 8:30a.m. & 11:15a.m. corner N 72nd Ave/Davie Rd Extension
 For more information call the Church Office: 954-963-0634
Dr. &" a ame, Pastor Ph iming Jesus Christ as Savior & Lord! f. a "swm A astar


New York for example, where
25 percent of the population is
Caribbean, we are carried by
Time Warner Cable (Channel
89) and Cable Vision, and we
are in 80 percent of the televi-
sion households in New York,
probably greater now with our
Direct TV launch."
 A subsidiary of Viacom,
Inc., BET Jazz is a 24-hour
channel that provides jazz
music, news, and information
for primarily a black audience.
It carries live concerts and fes-
tivals, in-studio events.

MIXED IMPACT
 Undoubtedly, Caribbean
entertainment producers have
taken note. How will this
seeming trend impact their
business?
 "The fact that BET is now
spotlighting Caribbean culture
and music is only going to
enhance it. I think it's a won-
derful opportunity. They are
finally realizing that there is a
wealth of information and
entertainment that has been
untapped," said Bobby
Clarke, chief executive officer
of New York-based Irie Jam
Radio and independent pro-
ducer.
 Clarke welcomes the
move by BET J because of
the attention it brings to the
genre, adding "it exposes what
we are doing globally... I must
commend them for finally see-
ing the light."
 He also had good words
for Frederick Morton, founder
of MTV's Tempo channel.
However, noted reggae artiste
and producer Freddie
McGregor disagrees.
 "BET is not doing this
because they think the
Caribbean has talent, they
see the Caribbean as a great


ome of the most talented
 female writers from the
 region will get together
for "The Caribbean Woman
Writer as Scholar" conference
between May 30 and June 3 in
South Florida.
 The 10th anniversary con-
ference, presented by Florida
International University,
will be held at the Westin
Diplomat Resort and Spa
in Hollywood.
 Haitian American
Edwidge Danticat will serve
as distinguished conference
host writer, while Jamaican
American Sylvia Wynter will
be awarded a special confer-
ence honor. Jamaica's Erna
Brodber will be the opening
plenary speaker.
 Among the invited
writers are Jamaicans Marcia


market where they can make
money," McGregor explained.
"It is all money driven."
 Referring to the network
as Black American Television,
McGregor continued, "BET
has never helped Caribbean
artistes. The few artistes who
manage to be shown on BET
is because they are signed to
major record labels (artistes
such as Sean Paul and Kevin
Little). BET does not respect
the Caribbean people."
 The outspoken artiste
stressed that BET does not
work with independent
artistes whose videos are not
on film, citing quality issues.
Explaining that the high costs
for producing on film is pro-
hibitive, the reggae artiste
admonished: "That cuts out
the entire Caribbean, and to
me that is racist!"
 For those who feel they
are being squeezed out of the
business Clarke had this to
say: "It is closed-minded to
feel that way. If you are confi-
dent in your product and what
you are producing, then noth-
ing can touch it."

IGNORED
 McGregor agrees that
there is great talent coming
out of the Caribbean, but
without a network of their
own few are acknowledged.
 "We yearn for assistance
from companies like BET, but
it never happened. So, there is
no real interest as far as I can
see. They just see money in
the Caribbean," he said.
 Although Clarke wel-
comed BET J, he explained
that local Caribbean networks
are doing a better job.
 "I have seen better pro-
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 17)


Douglas, Opal Palmer Adisa
and Olive Senior. Martinique's
Nicole Cage-Florentiny, and
Haiti's Evelyne, Myriam
Chancy, J.J. Dominique and
Joanne Hyppolyte have also
been invited. They should
be joined by Trinidad and
Tobago's Ramabai Espinet,
Merle Hodge, Eintou Pearl
Springer and Elizabeth
Nunez, along with Lelawattee
Manoo-Rahming of The
Bahamas and others.
 The conference is sched-
uled to include panel presen-
tations, poetry/spoken word
presentations and perform-
ance art.
 For more information,
visit www.fiu.edu/-
africana/lcaribbean., women
0


Caribbean's top women

writers for conference


May 2006


I