Los Angeles has been home to the BET Awards for the last 16 years, however according to new reports those in charge of the ceremony are contemplating moving the festivities to the south.
via Atlanta Business Chronicle:
BET is taking a serious look at Atlanta, with Houston and Austin also under consideration as possible locations, Fortune reports.
The awards, which celebrate African-American achievement music, movies, television and sports, were held Sunday night at L.A. Live, the Los Angeles venue often cited as the model for the renovation of Atlanta’s Philips Arena. AEG owns L.A. Live, and its contract with the BET cable channel, which produces the awards, is ending. Also, Debra Lee stepped down in May as BET Networks chairman and CEO.
But Veteran music journalist Billy Johnson Jr. told Fortune that Los Angeles is a natural home for the BET Awards.
“The benefit of having the BET Awards in Los Angeles is just the accessibility to so many artists who live in L.A. already,” Johnson said. “Whether they live here or not… artists often stay in Los Angeles for an extended period to conduct press, to take meetings with talent agencies, etcetera.”
While Atlanta has become a major entertainment hub, Johnson said it’s not on the same “scale as L.A. and New York.”
Atlanta also has been home to the Trumpet Awards, a similar celebration of African-American achievement that was started by Turner Broadcasting. Its assets were acquired in 2017 by the Bounce television network.
What do you think, love muffins? Should Atlanta be the new home of the BET Awards?
