Black Family Channel
Encyclopedia
Black Family Channel was a network for African American
families and the only black-owned and operated cable television
network (BET, as seen below, is owned by Viacom, while another African-American oriented channel, TV One, is co-owned by Comcast
). The network's schedule included a variety of programs including religious
programs, sport
s, music
, talk show
s, and children's programs
.
The network was started by attorney Willie E. Gary
, baseball legend Cecil Fielder
, four-time heavyweight boxing champ Evander Holyfield
, Marlon Jackson
of The Jackson 5
, and broadcast television veteran Alvin James.
BFC would effectively be run by actor/director Robert Townsend who developed original programming for the network, including its most notable effort -- the children's educational game show, The Thousand Dollar Bee, in which children would participate in tournament-style rounds of spelling challenges toward which the champion would receive a $1000 bond for his or her college education.
Unlike its primary rival, the Viacom
-owned Black Entertainment Television
, Black Family Channel avoided rap and hip hop
-based programming (they showed gospel music
instead). The network was available in up to 16 million homes in the US.
On April 24, 2007, BFC announced that they would cease as a cable channel, effective April 30, 2007, as part of a deal in which BFC's programming and subscriber base would be sold to the Gospel Music Channel
. On May 1, 2007, they did.
The station was an associate member of the Caribbean Cable Cooperative.
serving the Jackson, MS media market
, and WRCX-LP
, which serves the Dayton, Ohio area. W23BC has since affiliated with Colours TV
and (more recently) America One
. WRCX has since affiliated with Ion Television.
, Rainbow Brite
, The Get-Along Gang
, Dennis the Menace
, Popples
and Ulysses 31
.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
families and the only black-owned and operated cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
network (BET, as seen below, is owned by Viacom, while another African-American oriented channel, TV One, is co-owned by Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
). The network's schedule included a variety of programs including religious
Religious broadcasting
Religious broadcasting refers to broadcasting by religious organizations, usually with a religious message. Many religious organizations have long recorded content such as sermons and lectures, and have moved into distributing content on their Internet websites.While this article emphasises...
programs, sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
s, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
s, and children's programs
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
.
The network was started by attorney Willie E. Gary
Willie E. Gary
Willie E. Gary , once a migrant worker, is an attorney, motivational speaker and cable television executive. Gary has earned his reputation and nickname as "The Giant Killer" by winning suits against some of America's most well known corporate giants, such as Disneyland and Anheuser-Busch, on...
, baseball legend Cecil Fielder
Cecil Fielder
Cecil Grant Fielder is a former professional baseball player who was a noted power hitter in the 1980s and 1990s. He attended college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas . He played with the Toronto Blue Jays , Detroit Tigers , New York Yankees , Anaheim Angels and Cleveland Indians...
, four-time heavyweight boxing champ Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield is a professional boxer from the United States. He is a former undisputed world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, earning him the nickname "The Real Deal"...
, Marlon Jackson
Marlon Jackson
Marlon David Jackson is an American entertainer singer, dancer, former member of The Jackson 5, and elder brother of American pop stars Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson.-Personal life:...
of The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
, and broadcast television veteran Alvin James.
BFC would effectively be run by actor/director Robert Townsend who developed original programming for the network, including its most notable effort -- the children's educational game show, The Thousand Dollar Bee, in which children would participate in tournament-style rounds of spelling challenges toward which the champion would receive a $1000 bond for his or her college education.
Unlike its primary rival, the Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
-owned Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
, Black Family Channel avoided rap and hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
-based programming (they showed gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
instead). The network was available in up to 16 million homes in the US.
On April 24, 2007, BFC announced that they would cease as a cable channel, effective April 30, 2007, as part of a deal in which BFC's programming and subscriber base would be sold to the Gospel Music Channel
Gospel Music Channel
gmc is an American satellite and cable television channel, known from its 2004 launch until February 1, 2010 as Gospel Music Channel. It is also available in high-definition as a separate channel called gmcHD ....
. On May 1, 2007, they did.
The station was an associate member of the Caribbean Cable Cooperative.
Over-the-air Coverage
The network was also carried on two low-power television stations, W23BCW23BC
W23BC is a low-power television station in Jackson, Mississippi. It is owned and operated by Jackson State University. The station currently carries some programming from America One....
serving the Jackson, MS media market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
, and WRCX-LP
WRCX-LP
WRCX-LP is a low power television station in Dayton, Ohio, broadcasting locally on channel 40. Founded August 24, 1987 as WUCT, the station is owned by Ross Communications, Ltd.-History:...
, which serves the Dayton, Ohio area. W23BC has since affiliated with Colours TV
CoLours TV
Colours TV was a multicultural American TV network produced by the non-profit organization Black Star Communications. Programs focused on the cultural and educational issues of the Hispanic, Black, Asian, and Native American communities. Some examples of programming included video...
and (more recently) America One
America One
America One is an over-the-air television network in the United States. The network serves over 170 LPTV, Class A, Full Power, Cable and Satellite affiliate stations...
. WRCX has since affiliated with Ion Television.
BFC Kids TV!
BFC Kids TV! (formerly MBC Kids, MBC for Kids, Kids on MBC and Kids MBC) is a children's programming block on Black Family Channel, launched in 2006, including programs like Aqua Kids, Thousand Dollar Bee, Blue PeterBlue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
, Rainbow Brite
Rainbow Brite
Rainbow Brite was a character franchise introduced by Hallmark Cards in 1983, with the animated television series starting the following year....
, The Get-Along Gang
The Get-Along Gang
The Get Along Gang were characters created in 1983 by American Greetings' toy design and licensing division, "Those Characters from Cleveland" , for a series of greeting cards...
, Dennis the Menace
Dennis the Menace (1986 TV series)
Dennis the Menace is an American animated series produced by DIC Entertainment , based on the comic strip by Hank Ketcham....
, Popples
Popples
Popples is a series of fantasy characters created by Those Characters From Cleveland , a subsidiary company of American Greetings. Popples resemble brightly colored teddy bears or marsupials , and have pouches on their backs that they can go into and resemble brightly colored balls.-History:Susan...
and Ulysses 31
Ulysses 31
is a Franco-Japanese animated television series that updates the Greek mythology of Odysseus to the 31st century. The show comprised 26 half-hour episodes and was produced by DIC Audiovisuel in conjunction with anime studio Tokyo Movie Shinsha...
.