TV da Gente

Infobox TV channel
name = TV da Gente
logofile = TV da Gente.jpg
logoalt =
launch = November 20, 2005
picture format = 480i (SDTV)
share =
share as of =
share source =
owner = Netinho de Paula
headquarters = São Paulo (SP)
country = Brazil
slogan =
web = [http://www.tvdagente.com.br Official Site]
broadcast area = São Paulo
Fortaleza
terr serv 1 = Analogue
terr chan 1 =
terr chan 2 =
terr chan 3 =
terr chan 4 =
terr chan 5 =
terr serv 6 =
terr chan 7 =
terr chan 8 =
terr chan 9 =
sat serv 1 =
sat chan 1 =
sat serv 2 =
sat chan 2 =
cable serv 1 =
cable chan 1 =
cable serv 2 =
cable chan 2 =

TV da Gente is a Brazilian cable network targeted toward Afro-Brazilian audiences. It was founded by its current proprietor, Netinho de Paula, and launched on November 20, 2005 (also known as . Similar to its North American "counterpart", BET, TV da Gente is catered to Afro-Brazilians in urban areas, offering hip hop and R&B video blocks, religious programming, news programs, and social commentary. Based in São Paulo, it is receptable as of July 2006 only in São Paulo and Fortaleza, but looks to expand to other parts of Brazil and Lusophone Africa.

Since its debut, TV da Gente has garnered both praise and controversy; the former because most television programming (and most media) in Brazil is geared to Euro-Brazilian norms and almost exclusively features Caucasian faces, and the latter for the fact that no existing television networks in Brazil explicitly gear themselves exclusively to Caucasian (or other ethnic) participants or audiences. Plus, given that Gilberto Freyre's theory on Brazil as a Racial Democracy is still generally accepted as fact by many, if not most Brazilians, TV da Gente's initiative has been seen by some as an affront to the Racial democracy belief.

Also, Paula garnered controversy on the night of TV da Gente's inauguration when he physically attacked a comic reporter, Rodrigo Scarpa ("Vesgo"), who had questioned de Paula (in possible jest) on the focus of the network on Afro-Brazilians. de Paula later admitted during a speech at the party to attacking the reporter, and stated that, if necessary, he would do the same again.

External links

* [http://www.tvdagente.com.br Official Site] pt icon
** [http://www.tvdagente.com.br/webtv/index.php TV da Gente WebTV (requires Windows Media Player)]
** [http://www.tvdagente.com.br/institucional/saladeimprensa/ CNN en Espanol report on TV da Gente, March 29, 2006 (en Espanol), requires Adobe Flash Player]
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/brazil/story/0,,1647204,00.html Guardian Unlimited Special Report - "Brazil's first black television channel tackles legacy of 300 years of slavery", Tom Phillips in São Paulo]
* [http://www.targetmarketnews.com/storyid12140502.htm Target Market News - "Brazil’s first black channel, ‘TV da Gente,’ makes its debut" Stan Lehman, Associated Press, December 11, 2005]
* [http://blue.utb.edu/collegian/2006/spring%202006/may/may%201/politics2.htm Collegiate Online - "Brazil's new channel breaks color barrier", Colin McMahon, Knight Ridder Newspapers]
* [http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?menu=c10400&no=269277&rel_no=1 OhmyNews - "Black TV Channel Ignites Ire in Brazil", Ana Maria Brambilla, January 16, 2006]
* [http://vivirlatino.com/2006/01/17/brazils-black-television-station-is-it-racist.php L.A. Times via Vivirlatino.com - "Brazil's Black Television Station: Is it Racist?"]