Operations Unfiltered

Audio Only - All Participants: Welcome
to Operations Unfiltered, the podcast

that takes you behind the scenes of
influencer and talent management.

I'm your host, Zarina, and on episodes
when I'm not joined by a special

guest, I like to do a deep dive into
topics that have been top of my mind.

Today's episode, we're going to
dive into something that hits close

to home for a lot of us, the rise.

And slow decline of BET programming.

Yes, we are going there.

So get comfy because I've got thoughts.

So for those of you who
don't know, BET is Black

Entertainment Television.

It was founded in 1980 by
Robert . Johnson, and it became

the first cable television network
targeting the Black audience.

In its heyday, BET was
the cultural epicenter.

If you were Black.

Into music, or just wanted to see
something other than the mainstream, sort

of cookie cutter media, BET had your back.

They brought us iconic programs like
Rap City, where we first saw hip hop

videos before they were mainstream.

Comic View, a whole vibe, giving
us comedy from Black voices

like Cedric the Entertainer, D.

L.

Hughley, and some more.

Back when comedians were
super raw and hilarious.

And, of course, we can't forget 106 Park.

We'll talk more about that later.

But let's just say it was one of the
shows we all raced home to catch.

BET was also known for its award shows.

The BET Awards, the hip hop
awards, the gospel awards.

It was a time where the culture came
together to celebrate Black excellence.

People used to throw watch parties.

I mean, I remember being in high
school and all of my friends would get

together at one person's house and we
would pop popcorn, watch the outfits.

I mean, we all remember that
iconic moment when Nipsey

Hussle slapped a security guard.

It was truly a time.

But somewhere along the line,
BET kind of lost its magic.

The shows started disappearing one by one.

College Hill, gone.

The Game, shipped off to another network.

Y'all remember that
dating show, Hell Date?

Good times, but it didn't last.

Even 106 and Park ended in 2014.

And that's when a lot of us
started side eyeing BET like,

what is happening over there?

I mean, I was sick of the
constant reruns of baby boy.

Like enough is enough.

Fast forward to today and the
decline is pretty obvious.

Especially when you look at how they
handled the recent BET Hip Hop Awards.

Lauren La Rosa mentioned
it on The Breakfast Club.

She mentioned that it was filmed on
October 8th and aired on the 14th,

but nobody even knew it was happening.

Like, no shade, but how does your audience
not know about it until after it airs?

It was just honestly a lack
of promotion, and I personally

feel like that was a flop.

It's like launching a new
product without telling anyone.

How, BET, how?

And don't get me wrong,
I have love for BET.

So much love and admiration for the
old regime, and even this new regime.

I think they're doing the best that
they can in this modern society.

But I remember when Stephen Hill was
running things, that man gave us some

of the most iconic cultural moments.

I mean, Beyonce's jaw dropping
performances, Monique as the host.

Steve Harvey as the host, Michael
Jackson tributes, Prince tributes,

just legends honoring legends.

We used to gather around the TV like it
was a Black family reunion every year.

The BET Awards weren't just a
show, they were an experience.

And now it's like, oh,
it's coming on still?

When?

What?

I missed it?

Like, it just doesn't hit the same.

This brings me to 1 0 6 and park.

Y'all.

Can we have a come to
Jesus moment about this?

I don't know about you guys, but
for me, 106 and Park was life.

After school, I remember rushing
home, plopping down on the couch

and watching the countdown of the
hottest music videos, interviews

with artists, the live performances.

If you were an artist and you made
it on 106 and Park, you had arrived.

Everybody, tuned in to see
who made that top spot.

It was truly more than a show.

It was the pulse of Black youth culture.

We had AJ and Free, Terrence J
and Roxy, Tigger and Julissa.

Everybody held it down.

, the wild interviews, the
wild fan interactions.

Y'all remember that kiss
between Bow Wow and Tyra Banks?

That was hilarious.

, 106 in part created a space
where the audience was involved.

And that's something
that we're missing today.

Which brings me to this point.

BET, we need to bring back 106 in part.

, we just need it.

We need it as a marketing
moment for these artists.

And a little bit of nostalgia, honestly.

Imagine the power of these
artists being able to debut

their music live on air again.

Connecting with fans in real time.

I know we have Twitter, we have threads,
we have all of that, but real time, in

front of an audience, that emotion, that
engagement, that community, the same

way that 106 Park was doing it before we
had Instagram Live and TikTok Trends, I

truly feel like artists need that space
again to interact with their audience.

And what better way than with
a legendary show like 106 Park.

Now, the host.

I know some people are, AJ and
Free, Team Terrence, Jay and

Roxy, Big Tigger and Julissa.

I'm not mad at that.

Terrence is a pro, Tigger is a pro, but
I think they're all in different stages

of their life, and it would be great to
have them come back as, like, guest hosts.

But maybe we could spice it up
with some new energy, some people

that we might be familiar with.

I'm thinking maybe Nyla Simone.

She's young, she's fresh.

She knows the culture.

I don't know if you guys
are familiar with her.

If you listen to The Breakfast Club,
she does Pass the Ox on Friday.

She has her podcast.

She just truly gives me A& R vibes.

So I feel like she would
be a great host for that.

And Ivy Rivera.

She's another one of Charlamagne Tha God's
nieces, but she has her ear to the street.

Great A& R vibes, and I think she
already has a relationship with BET.

So, if you guys are looking for
hosts, those are my two candidates.

And, of course, Lauren La Rosa,
but I think she's good where

she's at on Breakfast Club.

They need to give her a fourth seat.

But that's neither here nor there.

All in all, all of this
ties back to marketing.

Like when we look at the BT's
decline or slow decline, we're really

talking about a breakdown in their
project management, in my opinion,

and I could be completely wrong, but
Hey, this is operations unfiltered.

We're looking at this through
a project management lens.

And in my opinion, Running a
network like BET is no different

than running a brand campaign.

You've got to manage timelines,
keep your audience engaged, and

of course, promote your content.

BET really used to be the king of that.

Like, like I said, the BET
Awards was a cultural moment.

We all knew it was coming.

We all were sitting watching
the countdown shows.

It was really a time.

Now it feels like someone forgot
to send a Slack reminder about it.

Like, how are you going to
throw a party of the year and

forget to send the invites?

Honestly, I feel like they
could use a project manager

on deck or maybe Stephen Hill.

Hey, where are you at?

Give me a timeline, a
marketing plan and some hype.

We could be rolling out teasers,
creating campaigns with influencers,

doing countdowns, the whole nine yards.

I mean that whole get ready
with me trend would be great.

Could you imagine how many cross
collaborative opportunities would be

available for marketers if we really
engaged them the way that they needed

to be engaged for these big moments?

And let's not forget the potential
for 106 in part to also be a huge

marketing tool for artists today.

It's old school TV meets
modern digital marketing.

Honestly, if BET gets it together
on the project management front,

they could be at the forefront of
blending nostalgia with the new era.

I mean, TRL might be making a comeback
after 106 Park revival, right?

All right, fam, that's
all I've got for today.

Let me know what you think.

Should BET bring back 106 and Park?

Should Terrence J make a comeback?

Or should we get some fresh talent
like Nyla Simone and Ivy Rivera?

Drop your thoughts on Instagram at the
Live More Agency or Ladies East Says.

Make sure you hit that subscribe button
and share this episode with your crew.

Until next time, y'all, I'll see you for
the next episode of Operations Unfiltered.