By Jasmine Browley ·Updated June 13, 2023
Since the birth of our nation, Black love has been punctuated with pain.
Slave Narratives in the Articles of Congress state that Black men would be beat for visiting a loved one without permission, but they’d still take risk after being separated from their partners that were sold to different owners. Following theEmancipation, Black families torn apart by slavery had to fight to reunite and legally marry.
These early challenges have made depictions of African American romantic relationship sacred. No one get that more than Michelle Rice.
She leads operations as president of TV One, a subsidiary of Urban One, the largest Black-owned broadcasting company in the nation. Launched in 2004,TV One was created by its founder Cathy Hughes to depict images of all facets of Black life, with heavy emphasis o the positive.
“We’re in the Black people business,” Rice tells ESSENCE, laughingly, but the seriousness of her statement still rings crystal clear.
The platform serves 57 million households and specifically targets African Americans through their nostalgic and original programming. What the network has long been known for is their ability to keep the legacy of Black content from yesteryear alive with re-runs of classic sitcoms and movies from simpler, seemingly more positive times. This is not by accident.
“That’s what our viewers expect from us,” Rice explained. “I would definitely say there’s a path to profitability with being ratchet, and that’s what viewers and people expect from other brands. We’re profitable because that’s what they see when they see our brand. When they come to us, they know what they’re getting. We don’t waver from that. We are quality, we’re entertaining, and we’re consistent. We’re not just trying to pop a number on a night by doing something ratchet and wrong. And that is not complimentary to our people and to our culture.”
Rice said their audience not only craved positive Black depictions, but they yearned for Black love stories.
“We often conduct focus groups on what our audiences most resonate with, and love and relationships rose to the top,” Rice tells ESSENCE. “And when we’re conducting taking a look on social media, those topics are driving most of our conversations. People are looking for answers. And whether they want to admit it or not, they’re searching for the one for them.”
This market research birthed a slew of new shows centering Black love, including The One, a reality-based dating competition led by gospel legend Kirk Franklin and his wife of more than 20 years Tammy.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 10: Kirk Franklin, Tammy Franklin and Michelle L. Rice, President, TV One & CLEO TV attend as TV One premieres ‘The One’ at the Whitby Hotel on May 10, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images for TV One)
“When we initially envisioned the show, the Franklins didn’t really realize they were going to end up being counselors and not just hosts—but their wisdom is undeniable when you sit with them as a couple,” Rice tells ESSENCE.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 10: (L-R) Michelle L. Rice, President, TV One & CLEO TV, Tammy Franklin and Kirk Franklin speak on stage as TV One premieres ‘The One’ at the Whitby Hotel on May 10, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images for TV One)
The show offers a balanced view of entertainment and education, a through-line that runs across all of TV One’s programming.
“Going back to positive depictions, like back in the 70s, you had nuclear families that you saw on TV with Jeffersons, and you’ll see those things on TV One as well, the Jeffersons, good Times, all different types of families. And we don’t necessarily see that portrayed as much in television, the positivity of family and black love and partnerships that work. But we have it out here. We have it out here on television, and we have it out here in real life with Beyonce and Jay Z and Michelle and Barack, and they’re bringing back that positivity for all of us to see what a beautiful a Black family, a Black couple, Black love looks like. So I just think that that’s part of what it’s all about. It’s in the atmosphere, it’s in the culture, and we want to make sure that we’re highlighting it.”
The post TV One President Michelle Rice Discusses How The Network Is Making ‘Black Love’ Bankable appeared first on Essence.
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