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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Monday 9 SepteMber 2019
Justices tuning in to cable television civil rights lawsuit

By JESSICA GRESKO he’s black, and so he’s
Associated Press sued for racial discrimina-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Co- tion. An appeals court has
median and media mogul let his lawsuits go forward,
Byron Allen wants TV view- but now the Supreme Court
ers to watch the channels will weigh in and could de-
his company produces — liver a setback.
from one that runs “Judge The justices will hear argu-
Judy”-like shows all day to ments Nov. 13 in a $20 bil-
those dedicated to com- lion lawsuit that Allen filed
edy, cars, food and pets. against Comcast, with the
But while many distributors outcome also affecting a
carry Allen’s channels, two $10 billion case he has filed
cable giants have refused. against Charter Communi-
Allen says the reason is that cations.

Comedian and media mogul Byron Allen poses for a picture Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019, in Los Angeles.
Associated Press
If Allen prevails, black- len hung around the stu- exploit when the compa-
owned businesses will have dios. He would see Johnny nies were working on merg-
an easier time winning suits Carson tape “The Tonight ers.
that allege discrimination Show” and comedian Flip Comcast has noted that Al-
in contracting. If Comcast Wilson rehearse for his vari- len originally sued Comcast
wins, the bar will be high ety show. but also civil rights groups
to bring and succeed with As a teenager, Allen be- including the NAACP and
similar suits. gan doing comedy himself, National Urban league,
The question for the justices and he appeared on the saying they had conspired
is whether Allen needs to “Tonight Show” for the first to discriminate against him.
show that race was just a time when he was 18. That Comcast has called the al-
factor in Comcast’s deci- led to a job as a host for legations preposterous.
sion not to offer him a con- reality television forerunner But Skip Miller, one of Allen’s
tract or whether it was the “Real People” while he was lawyers, said Allen’s chan-
sole factor. a student at the University nels are “perfectly good
Allen said his case is about of Southern California. Ul- channels” and “popular
getting rid of institutional- timately, Allen’s interests programming in many ar-
ized racism. Pursuing that turned to the business of eas.” Miller said he cannot
claim, he said, “is one of television, and in 1993 he see any legitimate reason
the greatest things I’ve founded his own media that Comcast and Charter
ever done in my life” and company. would refuse to carry them.
“one of the things I’m most Today his Los Angeles- “There’s no reason, no rea-
proud of.” based Entertainment Stu- son in our opinion, other
But Comcast says its de- dios has 10 television net- than he’s black,” Miller
cision not to carry Allen’s works, including Cars.tv, said.
channels has nothing to do Comedy.tv, Pets.tv, Reci- Allen sued Comcast in 2015,
with race. Allen’s content pe.tv and JusticeCentral. pointing to Section 1981 of
is “not particularly origi- tv. Last year, he bought The the Civil Rights Act of 1866
nal” and “not particularly Weather Channel . He also . Enacted a year after the
high quality,” said Com- has a movie distribution Civil War ended, the law
cast lawyer Lynn Charytan, company. bars racial discrimination,
and Comcast simply made But Comcast and Charter saying all people should
an editorial decision not to Communications, the na- have “the same right ... to
carry it. tion’s two largest cable make and enforce con-
A trial court dismissed Al- providers, have passed on tracts ... as is enjoyed by
len’s suit three times before carrying Allen’s channels. white citizens.”
an appeals court, accord- Other distributors including Allen and his lawyers argue
ing to Comcast, wrongly let Verizon FIOS do carry the that to sue under the law
it go forward . The Trump channels. So do the now- and win, he only needs to
administration has sided merged AT&T and DirecTV show that his race played
with Comcast. after Allen sued them and a factor in Comcast’s deci-
Allen, 58, began his route they settled. sion not to offer him a con-
to media mogul as a child Comcast has called Allen’s tract.
when his family moved suit “a scam,” saying it and Comcast says Allen has to
from Detroit to Los Ange- others that Allen filed were demonstrate that he didn’t
les. His mother got a job intended to generate me- get a contract solely be-
at NBC, which meant Al- dia attention and timed to cause of his race.q