REPOST: The Revenue vs the issue: Love and Hip Hop Atlanta

ORGINAL POST: AUG 30, 2012

#LoveandHipHopAtlanta

                    

     So lets talk about Love and Hip Hop Atlanta...Everybody say in our Stevie J voice... HHMMMMM.
That's how I feel  when I think about this show. There has been so much entertainment news buzzing on the Internet lately relating to this show. I went from simply watching a bonus clip on vh1.com to being stuck to my computer for 2 hours going from link to link discovering more. Lets break down what I discovered.

1st order of business- The revenue!

Reported on scabee.com VH1's "Love and Hip Hop Atlanta" along with the help of "Single Ladies" made the network the #1 cable network for women 18-49 on Monday night for 13 weeks straight! Cynopsis, a entertainment based newsletter, reported "Love and Hip Hop Atlanta" comfortably floated in the top 10 cable programs each week and ended the traditional season as cables top reality series of the summer for adults 18-49 and women 18-49! This show brought in millions of viewers each week for the Monday night premiere. ON A POSITIVE NOTE RAISE YOUR GLASSES TO A BLACK FEMALE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER BE PART OF SUCH STRONG VIEWER RATINGS! But then again the controversial discussion is the material of the show.
     As a Television Production Major this brings great interest to me and I am torn. Should we as a black community celebrate such impressive ratings with a all black cast and a black female in the executive producer camp? Or should we look at the success as a set back for African Americans in the entertainment industry? This is the way I look at. Solely as a production professional I applaud them. The team of "Love and Hip Hop Atlanta" fused the right characters and told the right stories to make the season a brand of its own.  The drama stayed turned all the way up for the most part which brought more and more viewers in each week. Also understand this is reality TV, there is a huge difference in investing in a reality TV show verses a scripted program. First, there is no traditional scriptwriters that's  about ten if not more eliminated expenses, no costuming, no renting studio space and I can go on but you get the idea. With the right chemistry a network can double what it cost to produce the show.
    Now as a African American viewer the show did not show strong black relationships excluding Rasheeda and husband Kirk Frost. But then again they had their moments as well. Each episode included some form of cheating, back-stabbing and non trustworthy behavior. For a person who does not interact with African Americans this can stand as a poor portrayal of our reality.  In turn, those same people will place judgment on the race along with the other portrayals on cable television. But with all that being said an intelligent individual will understand that the reality being portrayed is not that of all African Americans, but is the reality of those characters on the program.
As a aspiring Television Production Professional I support the delivery of positive African American images in the media but I feel the art of entertainment can get lost when trying to be to careful. Yes the drama of reality TV is entertaining and yes I feel without it TV would be boring. We have to remember African Americans are not the only one's on reality TV acting up. A good example is the crazy girls on Bad Girls Club which shows all races acting crazy!  I believe the issue is in the balance. Non- minorities have a balance of suggestive material being produced. I can not say the same for full minority casted shows. I believe if we produced a good balance of this entertainment based high drama shows similar to "Love and Hip Hop Atlanta" along with shows similar to "The Cosby Show" and "A Different World", this controversial issue can be solved.
I take back my last statement... the issue will not be solved but can progress.