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Byron Allen to Comcast: Just Give Sharpton $50K and a Bucket of Chicken
Mar. 2, 2015
STELTER: “[We have heard from] Comcast. And I will read their comment in a minute. But tell me the one-minute version of what you’re alleging.”
ALLEN: “Real simple. The cable industry, AT&T, DirecTV, Comcast, Time Warner, they spend about $50 billion a year licensing cable networks and advertising, with less than $3 million per year going to 100 percent African- American-owned media. Now, what they do is, they make token donations to people like Al Sharpton, the NAACP, the Urban League. And after taking those negotiations, they negotiated a fraudulent MOU that says this is OK for black people to live by. What America needs to understand is that Al Sharpton does not speak for me. Al Sharpton does not speak for black people. It’s like I ask people , who is the white person who speaks for you? It’s racist to even believe that Al Sharpton is the go-to person. Shame on you, Sony, for thinking, sit down with Al Sharpton and that negates your racist e-mails about President Obama. So, it’s real simple. These token donations they make to him, as reported in ‘The New York Post,’ allows them to have racial cover. This is why we’re not getting enough advertising, or any advertising from McDonald’s and Coca-Cola and Chrysler and General Motors and AT&T. They don’t spend any money with African-American owned media. Something that’s very alarming, AT&T spent more money on Al Sharpton’s lavish 60th birthday than they spent on ‘Ebony’ magazine, the biggest African-American magazine in America, around 70 years, 10 million readers per month. AT&T spent only $30,000 on that magazine. Wal-Mart has given money to Al Sharpton. Wal-Mart doesn’t spend any money in ‘Ebony’ magazine, and they barely do business with me in a long-term partnership. And I’m constantly going back and forth with Wal-Mart and Chrysler as well. So he is the least expensive Negro. Don’t really do business with the real African-American-owned companies.”
STELTER: “Now, you know how inflammatory something like that sounds. When you say that about Al Sharpton, are you saying he’s shaking down these companies?”
ALLEN: “The numbers — the numbers are actual. The numbers are — just follow the money. Don’t do business with real African-American-owned companies. Just make a token — give him $50,000 and a bucket of chicken, and we’re good. We won’t have any problems with real African-American-owned media. You should not be — Chrysler, you shouldn’t be giving him money and not spending money with me and others like me and Stevie Wonder’s radio station here in Los Angeles.”
STELTER: “So, you are saying it’s a shakedown, but aren’t you trying to shake them down the same way, by filing this lawsuit, which you –“ [Crosstalk]
ALLEN: “No, no, no. Look, Brian, let’s define a shakedown. He doesn’t give anything in return. I am a legitimate businessman. I am one of the largest independent producers of television and media in the world. I have 36 television shows on the air and seven 24-hour H.D. networks. They are not letting us participate in the $50 billion that they spend on licensing and advertising. There’s a very big difference. He’s the shakedown. I’m the legitimate entrepreneur. We have to make sure that –“
STELTER: “And we’re showing some of your programs now. But let me read Comcast’s response, because I think it’s really important to hear their side here.”
ALLEN: “Sure.”
STELTER: “They say: ‘This complaint represents nothing more than a string of inflammatory, inaccurate and unsupported allegations. We’re proud of our outstanding record supporting and fostering diverse programming.’ They went on to say, ‘We will defend rigorously against the scurrilous accusations — allegations in this complaint, and we fully expect that the court will dismiss them.’ Now, Sharpton has not commented on the record. Do you have a question for him or a thing you would like him to address about this?”
ALLEN: “No. Al Sharpton is not that — he’s not important. He’s nothing more than a black pawn in a very sophisticated white economic chess game. He’s being used by his white masters at Comcast and AT&T. He just needs to shut up and get in the bleachers. What we have to do is get there — get these corporations to understand, you must include African-American-owned media. We have to stop the financial genocide against the black community.”
STELTER: “But that’s different from Al Sharpton. You understand how offensive this all sounds to someone like Al Sharpton.”
ALLEN: “Well, I’m not worried about his feelings. I’m more focused on getting corporate America to understand it’s time to do business with us. And President Obama — President Obama has been bought and paid for. He has taken donations from Comcast. Comcast is his biggest contributor. AT&T is one of his biggest contributors. Listen, Obama, your own FTC is investigating AT&T for throttling. How can you even consider them to buy DirecTV, when you’re suing them? Is it because you took donations? Yes, Obama. Don’t even think about letting them merge until they settle this lawsuit and that lawsuit. Comcast got caught –“ [Crosstalk]
STELTER: “It sounds to me like your main issues here are about the mergers, Comcast/Time Warner Cable and AT&T/DirecTV.”
ALLEN: “No, Brian, let me be clear. My main issue is about economic inclusion for African-Americans. Comcast deployed software that slowed down video over the Web in 2008. They broke federal laws. That’s like me robbing a bank and then, after I get out on probation, saying I want to be president of the bank. Obama has to do more. I’m very proud of what Obama has done for the gay community. I’m very proud that he has achieved gay marriage. And if you can do that, you can achieve economic inclusion for all Americans, especially African-Americans, who have been left the furthest behind. Obama, you bailed out the banks. The banks you bailed out don’t even make commercial loans to African-Americans. Obama, you bailed out the car companies. Those car companies don’t advertise with people like me and people like ‘Ebony’ magazine. Obama controls close to $2 billion in advertising. Join the Army, join the Navy, join the Marines. We, as African-Americans, do not receive –“ [Crosstalk]
STELTER: “It sounds like your issues are about media consolidation, yes. Yes.”
ALLEN: “My — no, Brian, you’re not hearing me. Brian, listen to me carefully. My concern is that African-American –“
STELTER: “I hear what you’re saying. You’re saying that they’re not advertising with independently owned media. These are issues about media consolidation.”
ALLEN: “No.”
STELTER: “But I understand that you’re making these racial points about how they affect African-American communities and businesses.”
ALLEN: “It’s not just about me.”
STELTER: “I do want viewers to know, we read the Comcast statement. And we’d like to hear from Sharpton as well on this, and hopefully we can in the future. But, Mr. Allen, I do appreciate you being here this morning and telling us about the suit.”
Mar. 2, 2015
STELTER: “[We have heard from] Comcast. And I will read their comment in a minute. But tell me the one-minute version of what you’re alleging.”
ALLEN: “Real simple. The cable industry, AT&T, DirecTV, Comcast, Time Warner, they spend about $50 billion a year licensing cable networks and advertising, with less than $3 million per year going to 100 percent African- American-owned media. Now, what they do is, they make token donations to people like Al Sharpton, the NAACP, the Urban League. And after taking those negotiations, they negotiated a fraudulent MOU that says this is OK for black people to live by. What America needs to understand is that Al Sharpton does not speak for me. Al Sharpton does not speak for black people. It’s like I ask people , who is the white person who speaks for you? It’s racist to even believe that Al Sharpton is the go-to person. Shame on you, Sony, for thinking, sit down with Al Sharpton and that negates your racist e-mails about President Obama. So, it’s real simple. These token donations they make to him, as reported in ‘The New York Post,’ allows them to have racial cover. This is why we’re not getting enough advertising, or any advertising from McDonald’s and Coca-Cola and Chrysler and General Motors and AT&T. They don’t spend any money with African-American owned media. Something that’s very alarming, AT&T spent more money on Al Sharpton’s lavish 60th birthday than they spent on ‘Ebony’ magazine, the biggest African-American magazine in America, around 70 years, 10 million readers per month. AT&T spent only $30,000 on that magazine. Wal-Mart has given money to Al Sharpton. Wal-Mart doesn’t spend any money in ‘Ebony’ magazine, and they barely do business with me in a long-term partnership. And I’m constantly going back and forth with Wal-Mart and Chrysler as well. So he is the least expensive Negro. Don’t really do business with the real African-American-owned companies.”
STELTER: “Now, you know how inflammatory something like that sounds. When you say that about Al Sharpton, are you saying he’s shaking down these companies?”
ALLEN: “The numbers — the numbers are actual. The numbers are — just follow the money. Don’t do business with real African-American-owned companies. Just make a token — give him $50,000 and a bucket of chicken, and we’re good. We won’t have any problems with real African-American-owned media. You should not be — Chrysler, you shouldn’t be giving him money and not spending money with me and others like me and Stevie Wonder’s radio station here in Los Angeles.”
STELTER: “So, you are saying it’s a shakedown, but aren’t you trying to shake them down the same way, by filing this lawsuit, which you –“ [Crosstalk]
ALLEN: “No, no, no. Look, Brian, let’s define a shakedown. He doesn’t give anything in return. I am a legitimate businessman. I am one of the largest independent producers of television and media in the world. I have 36 television shows on the air and seven 24-hour H.D. networks. They are not letting us participate in the $50 billion that they spend on licensing and advertising. There’s a very big difference. He’s the shakedown. I’m the legitimate entrepreneur. We have to make sure that –“
STELTER: “And we’re showing some of your programs now. But let me read Comcast’s response, because I think it’s really important to hear their side here.”
ALLEN: “Sure.”
STELTER: “They say: ‘This complaint represents nothing more than a string of inflammatory, inaccurate and unsupported allegations. We’re proud of our outstanding record supporting and fostering diverse programming.’ They went on to say, ‘We will defend rigorously against the scurrilous accusations — allegations in this complaint, and we fully expect that the court will dismiss them.’ Now, Sharpton has not commented on the record. Do you have a question for him or a thing you would like him to address about this?”
ALLEN: “No. Al Sharpton is not that — he’s not important. He’s nothing more than a black pawn in a very sophisticated white economic chess game. He’s being used by his white masters at Comcast and AT&T. He just needs to shut up and get in the bleachers. What we have to do is get there — get these corporations to understand, you must include African-American-owned media. We have to stop the financial genocide against the black community.”
STELTER: “But that’s different from Al Sharpton. You understand how offensive this all sounds to someone like Al Sharpton.”
ALLEN: “Well, I’m not worried about his feelings. I’m more focused on getting corporate America to understand it’s time to do business with us. And President Obama — President Obama has been bought and paid for. He has taken donations from Comcast. Comcast is his biggest contributor. AT&T is one of his biggest contributors. Listen, Obama, your own FTC is investigating AT&T for throttling. How can you even consider them to buy DirecTV, when you’re suing them? Is it because you took donations? Yes, Obama. Don’t even think about letting them merge until they settle this lawsuit and that lawsuit. Comcast got caught –“ [Crosstalk]
STELTER: “It sounds to me like your main issues here are about the mergers, Comcast/Time Warner Cable and AT&T/DirecTV.”
ALLEN: “No, Brian, let me be clear. My main issue is about economic inclusion for African-Americans. Comcast deployed software that slowed down video over the Web in 2008. They broke federal laws. That’s like me robbing a bank and then, after I get out on probation, saying I want to be president of the bank. Obama has to do more. I’m very proud of what Obama has done for the gay community. I’m very proud that he has achieved gay marriage. And if you can do that, you can achieve economic inclusion for all Americans, especially African-Americans, who have been left the furthest behind. Obama, you bailed out the banks. The banks you bailed out don’t even make commercial loans to African-Americans. Obama, you bailed out the car companies. Those car companies don’t advertise with people like me and people like ‘Ebony’ magazine. Obama controls close to $2 billion in advertising. Join the Army, join the Navy, join the Marines. We, as African-Americans, do not receive –“ [Crosstalk]
STELTER: “It sounds like your issues are about media consolidation, yes. Yes.”
ALLEN: “My — no, Brian, you’re not hearing me. Brian, listen to me carefully. My concern is that African-American –“
STELTER: “I hear what you’re saying. You’re saying that they’re not advertising with independently owned media. These are issues about media consolidation.”
ALLEN: “No.”
STELTER: “But I understand that you’re making these racial points about how they affect African-American communities and businesses.”
ALLEN: “It’s not just about me.”
STELTER: “I do want viewers to know, we read the Comcast statement. And we’d like to hear from Sharpton as well on this, and hopefully we can in the future. But, Mr. Allen, I do appreciate you being here this morning and telling us about the suit.”
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