How do you know you may have trouble on your hands with a new television show? When sponosors start dropping out of the advertising slots! That’s the issue BET faces right now with its new show Hot Ghetto Mess. It’s a televised version of the ever popular website—www.hotghettomess.com—that posts ‘hot ghetto mess’ images of black men, women and children in various situations and predicaments. The original website was created by Jam Donaldson, a 34 year old beautiful, educated, black woman…She is also an executive producer on this program.

According to BET’s website:

Utilizing comedy, man-on-the-street interviews, video clips, pictures and music, “Hot Ghetto Mess” aims to shine a spotlight on prevalent images in pop culture and examine what role they play in American lifestyle. “Hot Ghetto Mess” goes where most shows fear to tread.

As host Charlie Murphy guides viewers through shaking booties, thug life, baby-mama drama and pimped-out high schoolers, “Hot Ghetto Mess” will explore what these images really mean to all of us.

Cutting edge, original, relevant and irreverent, “Hot Ghetto Mess” is like the traffic accident you can’t look away from. Viewers will laugh. They’ll cry. They’ll think. They’ll learn, and hopefully they’ll recognize they’ve GOT to do better.”

Because of the flack this show has received, and due to the continued negative stereotypes portrayed by the show (not to mention the marketing tactic of a , at least two major sponsors have dropped their participation—Home Depot and State Farm Insurance. Other opponents of the series are aiming for the removal of banner ads from KFC, Target, AT&T and Daimler Chrysler. With the show set to air on July 25th, there’s a lot of negative hype building that could severely damage the episode’s premiere.

What do you think love muffins? Is BET going in the right direction or should they, in fact, be the ones doing better?