Efforts underway to pressure Comcast into keeping Starz channels

By Special to the Capital-Star - November 29, 2019

Demonstrators from the #KeepStarz campaign rally earlier this outside of Comcast headquarters in Philadelphia. The demonstration coincided with a rally held outside of Supreme Court in protest of Comcast's case against producer Bryon Allen (Photo courtesy of The Philadelphia Tribune).-SUBMITTED PHOTO

By Ayana Jones

PHILADELPHIA — A grassroots campaign is pressuring Comcast to keep Starz as part of its cable packages. The telecommunications company plans to swap Epix for 17 Starz channels in its lineup starting on Dec. 10, and make 

Starz a $12 per month add-on for its customers.

“A lot of people are upset because they feel like Starz shows a lot of shows that Black people can understand,” 

said Deserie Jones, Philadelphia field director for The Black Institute, the nonprofit that has launched the

#KeepStarz campaign.

Starz is known for diverse programming that appeals to the African-American community, with  Starz in Black and Starz Encore Black (two channels dedicated to Black shows and movies) and original shows such as “Power,” “Survivor’s Remorse” and “Warriors of Liberty City.” The cable network also has distribution rights to “Luther,” “The Bernie Mac Show,” “Diff’rent Strokes” and “Sanford & Son.”

Bertha Lewis, president of The Black Institute and a key architect of the #KeepStarz campaign, said the new charge

for Starz is a “Black tax.” Organizers of the #KeepStarz campaign have been canvassing predominantly Black neighborhoods in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago and Washington, D.C., collecting signatures on petitions asking 

Comcast to keep Starz on the air. Lewis said some consumers have told TBI organizers that they already cancelled their Comcast service due to rising prices.   Read more here