BET J
Encyclopedia
Centric is a spin-off cable television
channel of BET
(Black Entertainment Television), created originally to showcase jazz
music-related programming, especially that of black
jazz musicians. It is now a general interest channel geared towards African-American adults. Centric is available in 28 million homes on DirecTV
, Dish Network
, Verizon FiOS
, AT&T U-verse, Time Warner Cable
and many other digital cable
providers as part of the MTV Digital Suite. The channel is additionally an associate member of the Caribbean Cable Cooperative.
BET on Jazz launched on September 21, 1996 as a spin-off channel to sister station BET
. In 2002, it was renamed BET Jazz. On March 1, 2006, the network was re-branded as BET J and the focus shifted from a pure jazz channel to a more general interest service. While jazz music still remained the stated primary focus, programming expanded to include a block of Caribbean programs as well as some R&B
, neo soul
, reggaetón
, and alternative hip hop
. To a lesser extent, BET J also focused on go-go, electronica
, and alternative rock
. Programs included My Two Cents with Keith Boykin
, Bryonn Bain, Crystal McCarey Anthony and Staceyann Chin
, The Best Shorts hosted by Abiola Abrams
, Living the Life of Marley about Ky-Mani Marley
, My Model is Better Than Your Model with Eva Pigford and The Turn On hosted by Charlotte Burley.
On April 24, 2009, BET announced it would rebrand BET J as Centric, which would be programmed as a general-interest adult African-American network which would compete equally with TVOne and leave BET to exclusively target younger viewers. The rebranding was completed on September 28, 2009.
and the associated awards show
, which will move from syndication and WGN America, whose corporate parent
formerly distributed Soul Train.
As of 2010 the channel now airs its own original series' such as Keeping Up With The Joneses
, Model City, Leading Women/Men, Urban Livin', Lyric Cafe, Lens on Talent, Soul Sessions, Centric Hits, and Retro Centric.
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...
channel of BET
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 Entertainment Television), created originally to showcase jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
music-related programming, especially that of black
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...
jazz musicians. It is now a general interest channel geared towards African-American adults. Centric is available in 28 million homes on DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
, Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
, Verizon FiOS
Verizon FiOS
Verizon FiOS is a bundled Internet access, telephone, and television service which operates over a fiber-optic communications network. It is offered in some areas of the United States by Verizon Communications. Verizon was one of the first major U.S...
, AT&T U-verse, Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
and many other digital cable
Digital cable
Digital cable is a generic term for any type of cable television distribution using digital video compression or distribution. The technology was originally developed by Motorola.-Background:...
providers as part of the MTV Digital Suite. The channel is additionally an associate member of the Caribbean Cable Cooperative.
History
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...
. In 2002, it was renamed BET Jazz. On March 1, 2006, the network was re-branded as BET J and the focus shifted from a pure jazz channel to a more general interest service. While jazz music still remained the stated primary focus, programming expanded to include a block of Caribbean programs as well as some R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, neo soul
Neo soul
The term neo soul was originally coined by Kedar Massenburg of Motown Records in the late 1990s as a marketing category following the commercial breakthroughs of artists such as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell...
, reggaetón
Reggaeton
Reggaeton is a form of Puerto Rican and Latin American urban and Caribbean music. After its mainstream exposure in 2004, it spread to North American, European and Asian audiences. Reggaeton originated in Puerto Rico but is also has roots from Reggae en Español from Panama and Puerto Rico and...
, and alternative hip hop
Alternative hip hop
Alternative hip hop is a sub-genre of hip hop music. Allmusic defines it as follows: -Origin:...
. To a lesser extent, BET J also focused on go-go, electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
, and alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
. Programs included My Two Cents with Keith Boykin
Keith Boykin
Keith Boykin is an American broadcaster, author and commentator. He is editor of The Daily Voice, a CNBC contributor, and a co-host of the BET TV talk show My Two Cents.-Biography:...
, Bryonn Bain, Crystal McCarey Anthony and Staceyann Chin
Staceyann Chin
Staceyann Chin is a spoken word poet, performing artist and LGBT rights political activist. Her work has been published in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Pittsburgh Daily, and has been featured on 60 Minutes...
, The Best Shorts hosted by Abiola Abrams
Abiola Abrams
Abiola Abrams is an American TV host, internet personality, art filmmaker, and author. She is the author of Dare, a love story retelling of Faust set in the hip hop world and creator of a lifestyle blog and web video series at AbiolaTV.com....
, Living the Life of Marley about Ky-Mani Marley
Ky-Mani Marley
Ky-mani is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist whose east African name means Adventurous Traveler. The only child of table tennis champion Anita Belnavis and reggae icon Bob Marley, Ky-mani Marley was born in Falmouth, Jamaica...
, My Model is Better Than Your Model with Eva Pigford and The Turn On hosted by Charlotte Burley.
On April 24, 2009, BET announced it would rebrand BET J as Centric, which would be programmed as a general-interest adult African-American network which would compete equally with TVOne and leave BET to exclusively target younger viewers. The rebranding was completed on September 28, 2009.
Programming
It features music, movies, reality shows and specials for adults, along with the rights for Soul TrainSoul Train
Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...
and the associated awards show
Soul Train Music Awards
The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show which previously aired in national television syndication, and honors the best in Black music and entertainment...
, which will move from syndication and WGN America, whose corporate parent
Tribune Entertainment
Tribune Entertainment was a television production and syndication company owned and operated by Tribune Broadcasting in the mid-1980s. Many programs offered from Tribune Entertainment have been broadcast on the company's television stations....
formerly distributed Soul Train.
As of 2010 the channel now airs its own original series' such as Keeping Up With The Joneses
Keeping up with the Joneses
"Keeping up with the Joneses" is an idiom in many parts of the English-speaking world referring to the comparison to one's neighbor as a benchmark for social caste or the accumulation of material goods...
, Model City, Leading Women/Men, Urban Livin', Lyric Cafe, Lens on Talent, Soul Sessions, Centric Hits, and Retro Centric.
Syndicated Programs
- American GangsterAmerican GangsterAmerican Gangster is a 2007 American biographical crime film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Steve Zaillian. The film is based on the criminal career of Frank Lucas, a gangster from La Grange, North Carolina who smuggled heroin into the United States on American service planes returning...
- The A-TeamThe A-TeamThe A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
- Baldwin Hills
- The Cosby ShowThe Cosby ShowThe Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
- Daddy's GirlsDaddy's GirlsFor the 1994 sitcom, see Daddy's Girls Daddy's Girls is an American reality television series and a spin-off of the MTV show Run's House. The series debuted January 5, 2009. Daddy's Girls follows Vanessa and Angela Simmons For the 1994 sitcom, see Daddy's Girls (1994 TV series)Daddy's Girls is an...
- GirlfriendsGirlfriendsGirlfriends is an American comedy-drama sitcom that premiered on September 11, 2000, on UPN and aired on UPN's successor network, The CW, before being cancelled in 2008...
- Harlem HeightsHarlem HeightsHarlem Heights may refer to:*Harlem Heights, Florida*Morningside Heights, New York City*Harlem Heights , reality docu-drama series on BET...
- Hell DateHell DateHell Date is a popular dating show on Black Entertainment Television with a unique twist.-Plot:The show starts with one unsuspecting dater telling the viewers who his/her ideal mate is. This individual thinks that he/she is on a standard dating show, such as "Blind Date", where both daters have...
- Homicide: Life on the StreetHomicide: Life on the StreetHomicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
- In Living ColorIn Living ColorIn Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century...
- In The Heat Of The NightIn the Heat of the NightIn the Heat of the Night is a 1967 mystery film based on the John Ball novel In the Heat of the Night published in 1965, which tells the story of a black police detective from Philadelphia who becomes involved in a murder investigation in a racist small town in Mississippi. The film won five...
(fall 2012) - The Jamie Foxx ShowThe Jamie Foxx ShowThe Jamie Foxx Show is an American television sitcom that aired on the WB Network from August 28, 1996 to January 14, 2001. The series starred Jamie Foxx, Garcelle Beauvais, Christopher B. Duncan, Ellia English, and Garrett Morris.-Synopsis:...
- Keyshia Cole: The Way It IsKeyshia Cole: The Way It IsKeyshia Cole: The Way It Is is R&B singer Keyshia Cole's own reality show, which aired on BET. The series was filmed in Atlanta, Georgia. The series debuted July 12, 2006 and concluded on December 30, 2008...
- MartinMartinMartin may refer to:-In Europe:Croatia* Martin, Croatia, a village in SlavoniaSlovakia*Martin, SlovakiaSpain*Martín, a tributary of the Ebro river*Martín del Río, a town in Aragón, SpainSwitzerland*Martin , a town in Val Poschiavo...
- Miami ViceMiami ViceMiami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
- MoeshaMoeshaMoesha is an American sitcom series that aired on the UPN network from January 23, 1996 to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Mitchell, a high school student living with her family in the Leimert Park neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles.-Overview:The show...
- The ParkersThe ParkersThe Parkers is an American sitcom . A spin-off of UPN's Moesha, The Parkers featured the mother-daughter team of Nikki and Kim Parker . The Parkers' signature "Heeyyy" greeting made its way into popular vernacular in the early 2000s.-Premise:The series centered around a mother and daughter who...
- The Proud FamilyThe Proud FamilyThe Proud Family is an American animated television series that premiered on Disney Channel from September 15, 2001 to August 19, 2005.-Production:...
- RocRocA roc or rukh is an enormous legendary bird of prey, often said to be white.-Eastern origins:...
- Run's HouseRun's HouseRun's House was an MTV reality series. It showed the family life of rapper and hip-hop music pioneer Joseph Simmons, also known as Rev Run....
- Sister, SisterSister, Sister (TV series)Sister, Sister is an American television sitcom about identical twin girls Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell , who were separated and adopted at birth, when one day they come face-to-face after 14 years apart....
- Smart GuySmart GuySmart Guy is an American sitcom created by Danny Kallis. The series ran on The WB for three seasons from April 2, 1997 to May 16, 1999.-Premise:The show centers on the misadventures of boy genius T.J...
- Soul TrainSoul TrainSoul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...
- The Steve Harvey ShowThe Steve Harvey ShowThe Steve Harvey Show is an American sitcom that aired for six seasons from August 25, 1996 to February 17, 2002 on The WB Television Network. It was created by Winifred Hervey and directed by Stan Lathan.-Synopsis:...
- Sunday BestSunday BestSunday best or Sunday Best can mean:* Sunday best clothes, traditionally reserved for wearing to church on Sundays* Sunday Best * Sunday Best...
- The UnitThe UnitThe Unit is an American action-drama television series that focuses on a top-secret military unit modeled after the real-life U.S. Army special operations unit commonly known as Delta Force...
- The Wayans Bros
- 227227 (TV series)227 is an American situation comedy that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, until May 6, 1990. The series starred Marla Gibbs as a sharp-tongued, inner-city resident gossip and housewife, Mary Jenkins...