Revolution Televised.pdf

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What You See Is What You Get 59 tural catharsis and a release from the narrow roles of Sidney Poitier, were often scripted and directed by white Hollywood studio personnel. 9 Therefore, although the films often spoke the politics of black empowerment, because of the production environment they proved less exemplary of the mandates of Black Nationalism at its many levels. 10 The significance of black radio was exemplified on the night that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Radio provided a source of calm and reason in the nation’s black communities. As Del Shields, jazz deejay on New York’s WLIB, describes: [O]n the night Dr. King was killed, all across America every black station was tested and everybody who was on the air at that time, including myself, told people to cool it. We tried to do everything possible to keep the black people from just exploding even more than what they were. . . . When America looked at black radio in that particular period, it suddenly hit them that this was a potent force. If, in every major city, a black disc jockey had said, “Rise up,” there would have been pandemonium. 11 The impact and influence of black radio, and the understanding of the strength and community created among deejay, music, and audience, brought Don Cornelius from black radio to television and the concept of Soul Train. Soul Train: The Oral and Visual Tradition Don Cornelius began his broadcasting career as newsreader and swingman, a deejay who covered open slots at Chicago’s WVON in the 1960s. Frustrated by his inability to garner his own show, he began to look for another creative outlet for his work. As Cornelius explained, “It was with the advent of black radio that I thought black people would watch music television programs oriented toward themselves.” 12 He began a second job at WCIU-TV, a local UHF station that was developing some minority programming. Cornelius worked as sports anchor on A Black’s View of the News and formed a relationship with the station owners, to whom he pitched the idea of a black dance show patterned after Dick Clark’s American Bandstand. Cornelius invested his own money to create a pilot for Soul Train, which he then took to the merchandising manager for the five Sears, Roebuck stores located in
60 What You See Is What You Get Chicago’s inner-city community. With Sears as a sponsor and with an agreement from WCIU-TV, Soul Train premiered in Chicago on August 17, 1970. Whereas the combination of black dance and music was historically relegated to segregated or black and tan clubs, Soul Train brought this aspect of black life into the very public forum of television. Cornelius describes his vision of Soul Train: Our responsibility, as we see it, is to present to the black market visually what they’ve been hearing on the radio. And to give exposure to those artists that don’t get invited to do any other free television. 13 I formatted it to be the radio show I always wanted to have. . . . To this day, it’s still paced in the direction of a radio show. It never really slows down or engages in discussion or long interviews. . . . I started to interject some of the schtick I liked to use on radio. It came off kind of different for television, given what the eye and ear is used to. 14 The low-budget technical aspects of the early series did not prohibit the show from hitting a nerve in Chicago. Soul Train filled the need for a recognition and celebration of blackness. 15 According to Cornelius, “Overnight, everyone in Chicago knew who I was. . . . the show was the talk of the town.” 16 Cornelius then made efforts to syndicate the show nationwide. Many sponsors ignored Soul Train, but Cornelius received the support and advertising dollars of Johnson’s Products, the primary manufacturer of black beauty products. In October 1971, Soul Train made a debut in eight markets and was very successful. However, television stations were difficult to convince about the possibilities and profitability of niche marketing. Of the 15 markets we initially had tentative agreements with, only eight really came through. But we increased our projections gradually and within a year we were in 25 markets. In two years we were probably in 50 and after three or four years, we were up to a hundred markets. . . . The difference, was that our markets were just hard in coming. . . . It was simply because I [Cornelius and the show] was Black! . . . It took us three years or so to get New York. And you must have this market if you are to be taken seriously. 17
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Revolution Televised
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Revolution Televised Prime Time and
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This book is dedicated to Ailsa Jea
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Contents Acknowledgments ix Introdu
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Acknowledgments Revolution Televise
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Introduction Dy-no-mite! What’s h
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Introduction xiii texts were chosen
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Introduction xv in black television
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1. Reading the Roots of Resistance
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Reading the Roots of Resistance 3 t
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Reading the Roots of Resistance 5 p
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Reading the Roots of Resistance 7 t
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Page 44 and 45: Was the Revolution Televised? 27 sc
Page 46 and 47: Was the Revolution Televised? 29 Bu
Page 48 and 49: Was the Revolution Televised? 31 ta
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Page 52 and 53: Was the Revolution Televised? 35 th
Page 54 and 55: Was the Revolution Televised? 37 fo
Page 56 and 57: Was the Revolution Televised? 39 in
Page 58 and 59: Was the Revolution Televised? 41 Af
Page 60 and 61: Was the Revolution Televised? 43 ma
Page 62 and 63: Was the Revolution Televised? 45 di
Page 64 and 65: Was the Revolution Televised? 47 wo
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Page 68 and 69: Was the Revolution Televised? 51 li
Page 70 and 71: Was the Revolution Televised? 53 ca
Page 72 and 73: What You See Is What You Get 55 ces
Page 74 and 75: What You See Is What You Get 57 VCR
Page 78 and 79: What You See Is What You Get 61 Wit
Page 80 and 81: What You See Is What You Get 63 bac
Page 82 and 83: What You See Is What You Get 65 MTV
Page 84 and 85: What You See Is What You Get 67 and
Page 86 and 87: What You See Is What You Get 69 asp
Page 88 and 89: What You See Is What You Get 71 str
Page 90 and 91: What You See Is What You Get 73 “
Page 92 and 93: Reverend Leroy is a critique of the
Page 94 and 95: What You See Is What You Get 77 Fli
Page 96 and 97: What You See Is What You Get 79 Joh
Page 99 and 100: 82 What You See Is What You Get Whe
Page 101 and 102: 84 What You See Is What You Get wit
Page 103 and 104: 86 This Ain’t No Junk my idol, I
Page 105 and 106: 88 This Ain’t No Junk In an era i
Page 107 and 108: 90 This Ain’t No Junk bought his
Page 109 and 110: 92 This Ain’t No Junk garnered el
Page 111 and 112: 94 This Ain’t No Junk activities
Page 113 and 114: 96 This Ain’t No Junk Aunt Esther
Page 115 and 116: 98 This Ain’t No Junk but tells h
Page 117 and 118: 100 This Ain’t No Junk where they
Page 119 and 120: 102 This Ain’t No Junk Another ep
Page 121 and 122: 104 This Ain’t No Junk it would b
Page 123 and 124: 106 This Ain’t No Junk fred: Hey
Page 125 and 126: 108 This Ain’t No Junk embarrassm
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110 5. Respect Yourself! Black Wome
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112 Respect Yourself! This was the
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114 Respect Yourself! actors and bl
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116 Respect Yourself! voice of the
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118 Respect Yourself! may not have
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120 Respect Yourself! white schools
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122 Respect Yourself! races.” She
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124 Respect Yourself! Julia’s poi
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126 Respect Yourself! spaces. These
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128 Respect Yourself! the fact that
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130 Respect Yourself! the father, w
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132 Respect Yourself! poverty and g
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134 Respect Yourself! The character
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136 Respect Yourself! disparity in
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138 Respect Yourself! down in the m
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140 Respect Yourself! 1978), J.J. b
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142 Respect Yourself! and white con
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144 That Nigger’s Crazy at the cl
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146 That Nigger’s Crazy ’bout,
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148 That Nigger’s Crazy Crazy, Pr
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150 That Nigger’s Crazy stereotyp
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152 That Nigger’s Crazy chase: Sp
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154 That Nigger’s Crazy Pryor as
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156 That Nigger’s Crazy network r
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158 That Nigger’s Crazy The first
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160 That Nigger’s Crazy action, w
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162 That Nigger’s Crazy judge coo
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164 That Nigger’s Crazy Episode t
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166 That Nigger’s Crazy and the d
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168 That Nigger’s Crazy being dru
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170 Conclusion: Movin’ On Up Cont
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172 Conclusion States at the time,
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174 Conclusion Indeed, contemporary
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176 Conclusion Cerebral and black
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178 Conclusion and this film recogn
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180 Conclusion under the constant s
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182 Conclusion You know how I can t
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184 Conclusion Connerly to speak on
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186 Conclusion HBO to discuss socia
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188 Conclusion the interviewees are
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190 Conclusion credit montage estab
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192 Conclusion Shut the fuck up! Wh
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194 Conclusion saying every black p
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196 Notes to Chapter 1 within U.S.
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198 Notes to Chapter 1 Guerrero dis
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200 Notes to Chapter 2 47. Thomas C
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202 Notes to Chapter 2 45. Black Pa
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204 Notes to Chapter 3 Listening to
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206 Notes to Chapter 3 46. John Kie
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208 Notes to Chapter 4 4. This Ain
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210 Notes to Chapter 5 9. I specify
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212 Notes to Chapter 6 14. McPherso
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214 Notes to Conclusion 7. See Omi
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216 Notes to Conclusion where he le
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218 Bibliography Gender and Contest
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220 Bibliography Eisner, Joel, and
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222 Bibliography Hodges, Ann. “La
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224 Bibliography Mitz, Rick. The Gr
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226 Bibliography Shapiro, Joseph P.
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230 Index and TOBA, 11; and transfe
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232 Index education, 132, 133-36, 1
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234 Index 2, 21, 78, 107-8, 149, 20
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236 Index Roots, 163, 171-72 Russel
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238 Index Williams, Al, 100-101 Wil
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