BET to debut a Friday-night news program

NEW YORK - BET starts a weekly news program tonight described as a cross between Keith Olbermann and Bill Maher with a black perspective.

Called

The Truth With Jeff Johnson

, the program, telecast at 11 p.m. Fridays, stars a BET personality who has also been an activist for the NAACP and People for the American Way. Its debut is timed for the Democratic National Convention.

BET, the most-watched network aimed at blacks, will also show Barack Obama's speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination live on Aug. 28, as will its competitor TV One; neither will show John McCain's acceptance at the Republican convention the next week.

Besides election coverage and commentary on the week's news, Johnson said he wanted

The Truth

to address topics like the use of vouchers for private schools and health issues particularly relevant to African Americans.

BET has been criticized frequently in the black community for cutting back on news-oriented shows. Johnson said much of the criticism comes from people who don't watch BET, and don't see how news has been incorporated into existing shows. It has been one of the few networks to cover Darfur in depth, he said.

On the four nights of the Democratic convention, BET will run news specials focusing on how ex-convicts can't vote; the top 10 issues facing black Americans; key moments leading up to Obama's nomination; and whether he can be considered a manifestation of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

TV One is carrying live coverage for four nights and an "afterparty" of social commentary. BET's only live coverage will be of Obama's speech; reporters' convention stories will be inserted into other programs, Johnson said.

The networks' Obama focus is understandable given polls showing overwhelming support for him among black Americans. But is it fair?

Paul Porter, a former BET program director and news anchor who runs the Web site Industryears.com, said it isn't. He also believes the networks' coverage decisions are being made for financial, not journalistic, reasons.

"I'm happy they're doing it, but I know that it will be gone after November," he said. "You'll never see politics . . . on any of these networks."

That's pretty much the case with TV One. Its president, Johnathan Rodgers, said he did some news programming while an executive at Discovery and found viewers preferred to get news elsewhere. He suspects the same is true at TV One - that audiences consider it an entertainment network. TV One is not covering the GOP convention at all.

Both Rodgers and Johnson said they would cover Obama's speech live not necessarily because it's a news event but because it's a historic moment for African Americans.

Though there are no specific programs scheduled about it, BET will send reporters to the Republican convention, Johnson said, noting "it's important for our viewers to be able to see both sides." He said he still hoped to secure an interview with McCain.

"He's been pretty courageous about going into places where he wouldn't expect to have a lot of support," Johnson said.