http://abcnews.go.com/sections/UpClo...ld_020821.html
Aug. 21 — "What it be's like, my fam, my peoples, my ladies and my gents?"
If you already know what that means (translation: "How are all of you and welcome") you might be a fan of Cita's World, one of the longest-running, most popular — and controversial — music video programs on television.
Airing from 1 to 3 p.m. daily on Black Entertainment Television, to a largely school-age audience, Cita is loud and opinionated, sassy and irreverent. She gives sex advice ("Don't shoot your thing off before you're ready, and make sure you wear a raincoat each and very time"). She gives dubious distinction awards ("My next award is the 'I can't stand your ass' award"), and, unlike most hosts of entertainment programs, offers pointed and hilarious critiques of the musical ability, attire and behavior of even the most popular artists. She is, in a sense, an African-American female shock jock, and her work is appreciated by a diverse group of viewers who include men and women, whites and blacks.
Cita's main job is introducing music videos, videos that show more and more skin, and younger and younger people engaging in sexually suggestive conduct, ostentatious consumerism, or behavior that seems to glorify thuggish or quasi-criminal behavior. And while politicians like Bob Dole have in the past criticized some record companies and artists for their music video offerings, more recently African Americans — including political cartoonist Aaron Magruder, and a group of nine black fraternities and sororities — have taken aim at BET for promoting images that they believe have a negative impact on young people's behavior.
In part because of Cita's outspokenness, and in part because her show has such a young audience — 40 percent of its viewers are under 17 — Cita seemed to be the perfect person to discuss important questions about hip hop videos and their impact on young people. The only problem is, Cita is not a real person. She is, instead, a virtual reality character who was invented by a father and son team of producers — Curtis Gadson, BET's executive vice president for programming, and Corey Turner, the show's director — and further developed by producer Tracye Kinzer. Cita got her name from the illustrator who draws her, Cita Sadelli. Her voice and actions come from an actress who goes by her stage name, Kittie.
To date, BET has carefully guarded the identities of the real women behind the program, especially the actress who portrays her. But as the show begins its fourth season on Sept. 16, BET officials decided to allow them to talk to Nightline UpClose to address some of the complaints and questions many viewers, especially parents, have about Cita's character and the videos on the show.
Getting 'Ghetto'
Kittie says she was about to give up her dream of being on television when she walked into BET's offices in Washington, D.C. without an appointment and handed her resume out. She had been having trouble getting television work, and told herself the BET visit would be her last shot before trying another career. But then she ran into Kinzer, her college classmate, with whom she had collaborated on a video project. Kinzer, who was working as a producer at BET, swept her old friend into a meeting with a BET executive and asked her to "Get ghetto."
"I said initially, like, 'That ain't how you get a job,'" Kittie remembers, but she did as told, and was hired immediately.
Kinzer says the concept behind Cita was to have a "ghetto fabulous" animated character who gives monologues on a variety of real-life topics while showing videos and entertaining people.
Kinzer and Kittie — the two are so close they often finish each other's sentences — believe the show's popularity derives from the character's willingness to slay sacred cows in a manner that a live host probably would not — making fun of a singer's clothes or singing or behavior. "People love drama," says Kittie. "Confrontation," adds Kinzer.
The women say many viewers react to Cita as if she were a living person, not an animated character. Viewers send her letters, perhaps the same as they might send a wish list to Santa Claus, although the questions are very serious.
"People write when there's something that's affecting them that is really life-threatening or life-altering," says Kittie. "I find it disturbing — although flattering — very disturbing that they don't have anyone in their lives that they feel like they could go and talk to about this."
Language and Demeanor Provoke Controversy
Kittie and Kinzer acknowledge, however, that a good portion of letters come from people who hate the show, who dislike Cita's jibes at celebrities, her coarse language and overall demeanor. Some call it the kind of stereotyping that would never be tolerated if produced by white artists and media outlets. The two women say they are sometimes uncomfortable themselves.
"I don't think it's bad, necessarily, but I wouldn't want to be friends with a Cita. I like who she is from afar. If I didn't do it, quite honestly, I probably would not be a huge Cita fan," says Kittie. "That's not to say I wouldn't watch it from time to time. I think she is informative. I think that she is very entertaining, and she definitely will keep you laughing. But it's not something that interests me enough to have me be an ongoing fan." Nor, says Kittie, does she allow her own young son to watch, believing the videos are too sexually explicit for someone his age.
Still, the two women believe their primary responsibility is to entertain. "We want you to be entertained, we want you to find some joy. If you were mad throughout the whole day, we want you to smile," says Kinzer.
As to the question of stereotyping, says Kittie, "Any kind of bigger-than-life depiction of something else has to come from something, and I think that it's very evident that in any culture — black, white, or otherwise — if it doesn't exist, that doesn't mean that they couldn't create it, but nine times out of 10 it's based on something that already is out there."
They admit to occasional ambivalence about the show that has given them a chance to make a mark in entertainment. Kinzer, for one, acknowledges that Cita's figure has become more buxom and Barbie-like over time, in response to what she vaguely refers to as "pressure." And she admits that she worries about the fact that the show is on when young children might watch without supervision. But Kittie insists that it is the parents' job to supervise viewing habits, and the individual's responsibility to make balanced and appropriate viewing decisions.
"I hope that they're getting a balance. I would say that I hope they're watching Cita's World, and I hope they're watching Nightline. Honestly, I hope they're attempting to level it out," because young people need a variety of tools and experiences to succeed, she says.
She's Not Going Away
Both women say they hope Cita's World will evolve into a more complex program over time. They see the potential for an animated sitcom like The Simpsons. Until then, they hope viewers will enjoy Cita for her boldness and cutting-edge humor, and for what they believe she adds to the array of entertainment choices. "Cita is just well-rounded, and she'll give you a run for her money, whether you come in from a ghetto perspective, or an academically inclined perspective," says Kinzer. "Whichever way you're coming at her, she's ready."
I didn't get the memo on that one.
Do you realize that when the attacks happened on 9/11 that the network continue to play videos with NO mention on what was going on in NYC
That's sad! Even MTV stopped their programming and switched to their CBS news afflicate. Honestly, I believe that the company that owns BET want the young urban audience to see that the bling bling and showing/shaking yo a** the only outlets for success! I am not hating 
Linear Mode
